Imagine being stuck at the airport with a delayed flight, needing to get to your destination by the next morning, and having no other option but to join a bunch of strangers on a road trip.
If this sounds like the scenario of a horror movie, well it could be, but it’s not.
Sometimes life is just as crazy as movies can get.
In this case, a flight from Orlando to Tennessee was canceled a few days ago due to a mechanical problem.
The plane would not depart until at least 48 hours later, but this was something not all passengers were okay with.
You see, some of them were just visiting Orlando and had nowhere to stay for the next couple of days, while others had important things to do in Tennessee, which could not wait.
For example, Mikayla Puckering had planned a visit to the University of Tennessee for the next morning, while Instagram influencer The Farm Babe, aka Michelle Miller, was the keynote speaker at a conference in Knoxville.
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Realizing that they would not make it to their destination on time if they waited for the plane to leave, someone had an idea. They would rent a van and hit the road.
“[My mom] yells over at me and she’s like, ‘Alanah, we’re headed downstairs to get this van with all these people!'” Alanah Story, who documented their experience on TikTok, told Today.
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And just like that, in a few minutes, 13 people had gathered and were ready to start their road trip heading to Tennessee.
Although they didn’t know each other- except for those who were traveling with company- spending about ten hours together soon made them all open up and share their life stories, making them feel as if they had known each other forever.
Among the strangers, was a family of three, Carlos the driver, his partner Laura, and his future stepdaughter.
They were all excited to be taking part in such an experience, as they were trying to make it to the University of Tennessee by the next morning.
As Carlos playfully said, “to the university, this is the level of commitment that you’re going to get from my family”.
Story, who was traveling with her mother and godmother, shared the whole adventure on TikTok, and she kept her followers updated regarding their night drive.
Her videos went viral immediately. Within minutes, they garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and thousands of likes and comments.
At 8:30 am the next day, the group of (former) strangers arrived at their destination. Exhausted, but happy to have been through all this.
Since then, their story has made it to the local and international news, and they have given interviews for various news outlets.
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As they say, they are actually planning a reunion soon.
What an adventure!
Watch this unbelievable story in the video below.
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