Written by John Morris, Wheelchairtravel.org, October 25, 2024
Many people say that travel brings us together. That’s true. The majority of my friends are not people I met in high school or college (though I do have some lifelong friends from those periods in life), but rather people I have met while exploring the world and reporting on accessible travel.
While it is wonderful to meet new people while traveling, there is a certain sense of separation or stratification that arises from where, why and how we travel. As someone who wants to experience and report on everything related to travel, from the luxurious business class seat on Qatar Airways (paid for with frequent flyer miles) to riding on the Greyhound Bus as a wheelchair user; from a suite stay at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans to a very low budget stay at the Motel 6 in Orlando, Florida, I am largely immune to siloed travel experiences — I meet luxury and budget travelers alike.
The purpose of my travel varies too — each year, I travel frequently to visit family, to watch sporting events, to attend conferences in the United States and abroad, and even to see the Total Solar Eclipse as I did earlier this year. This variation ensures that I meet a diverse array of people, many of whom share common interests (even if they’re rooting for the other team).
You’re probably wondering, what does this all have to do with food — and fast food, at that? Well, I thought a lot about the silos we find ourselves in while traveling when I ate at one of my favorite fast food restaurants during a trip to Glasgow, Scotland earlier this year. That fast food joint is KFC — yes, you heard that right, Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC is one of the fastest-growing restaurants internationally, especially in Asia (there are more than 10,000 KFC locations in China compared to less than 4,000 in the United States).
I’m not a big fan of KFC in the USA, I have to admit, but abroad is a different story — the ingredients are higher-quality, and it tastes better!
The fried chicken joint is a stop on my itinerary each time I travel internationally, and I am constantly in search of the world’s best KFC recipe. So far, the leaders by continent are Bucharest, Romania in Europe (a great city!), Cape Town, South Africa in Africa, Phnom Penh, Cambodia in Asia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in South America, and Melbourne in Australia (though I suspect the Australian KFC recipe and ingredients are consistent across the country).
DID YOU KNOW: Beer is on the menu at many international KFC locations, including in countries like Brazil, Poland and South Korea. Cheers! 🍻
Enough about KFC’s food, and back to Glasgow — while in the Scottish city, I enjoyed a late-night meal at the KFC on Renfield Street. When I sat down, I noticed a large quote printed across the table top:
“I feed truck drivers & millionaires all at the same table.”
That quote is attributed to Colonel Harland David Sanders, the American businessman who founded KFC. Sanders was born in Henryville, Indiana in 1890 and lived to the ripe old age of 90 years. Sanders grew from humble beginnings, working as a farmhand and later as a steam engine stoker.
A veteran of the United States Army, he began selling fried chicken from a roadside restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky during the Great Depression, and ultimately franchised his business. Although he ultimately sold the business to a group of investors, he continued to serve as the face of the brand for many years, and his legacy is celebrated to this day in KFC restaurants around the world.
If you’re interested in reading more about the Colonel’s interesting life, check out the biography Finger Lickin’ Good!: The Story of Colonel Sanders.
The quote struck me in a particular way, and I appreciated the sentiment — in a world that is often so divided, it’s nice to think of places where we can all gather, leaving our concerns and frustrations at the door, and join around a table to enjoy a meal. I did not meet anyone apart from the friendly staff that night in Glasgow (I was the only customer), but the quote made me look forward to my next meal — or, at the very least, my next opportunity to meet someone new.
I have written previously, many times in fact, about the wonderful people I have met while traveling, and I though I would close by sharing a few of my favorites:
- Opportunity in Chaos and the New England Patriots — Meeting new friends on a train ride in Boston, an unscanned ticket, and a beautiful day at the football stadium highlighted my afternoon in this story.
- Meeting a Rockstar in the Hotel Parking Lot — When a tour bus rolled up outside my hotel, I gained a chance meeting with a rockstar — who invited me to his show, with backstage passes.
- Visiting Poland and Planning a Nuclear Arms Deal in the Hotel Lobby — At a hotel in Warsaw, Poland, a stranger approached a guy in a wheelchair (me) and revealed a plot to recover nuclear missiles from the Russian Federation.
- On Serendipity, Chance Meetings and an Unexpected Trip to Germany — A night at the pub turned into a whirlwind adventure after two flight attendants invited me to fly home with them (to Germany!)
While the odds of meeting a rockstar on your next vacation may be slim, you’ll surely come home with a story (or two) to remember. When we travel, we open ourselves to experiences and people of all kinds and, whether that memorable conversation involves a truck driver or a millionaire — whether it happens on an airplane, train, bus, boat or in the parking lot — we’re left better for it. Human connection is grand, and we need more of it.
Diversify your travel experiences, break out of the environments where you most often find yourself, and have a meal in a city or restaurant that is unfamiliar to you. Who knows, you might leave with a new friend.