“It was October 2012, and Jill Weinstein was preparing to embark on her first AGC trip, ‘Great Smoky Mountains Sampler.’ Not much time had passed since she found herself divorced, closing the doors on a 30-year marriage. “I had planned on traveling with my husband once the kids were grown, but now I was alone. Thankfully, I found AGC….” It was on Jill’s second trip with AGC, ‘Northern Lights, and Natural Beauty of Iceland’ in March 2013, that a friendship blossomed between Jill and fellow traveler, Beth. And although separated by a couple of thousand miles, Jill in Colorado and Beth in Connecticut, the two stayed connected over the years and began a journey as travel companions. “In 2015, Beth and I went on the Cinque Terre trip. We met three other women, and the 5 of us became close friends. We all live in different cities and under different circumstances, but for some reason, the 5 of us clicked. We remain close to this day.”
This group of 5 friends quickly become prominent roles in each other’s lives. They have traveled together on ACG trips, as well as on their own. They visit each other in their home states and have even met each other’s children and grandchildren. By the time the pandemic rolled around, they were more than grateful that they had each other to lean on in a season that would prove to be pretty difficult… “…We knew we all were suffering. We instituted a Sunday evening video chat through Facebook Messenger. Every Sunday evening for 1 hour. Three women live in the Eastern Time Zone, I live in Mountain Time, and one woman is in Pacific Time. We found a time that worked. It really helped us through those first few months of isolation. Then it became something more. It created an amazing connection, and we still do our Sunday chat, over three years later.”
What started as a fortunate stroke of serendipity, 5 women crossing paths while on their adventure travels, has now turned into lifelong friendships that span thousands of miles across the nation. “We celebrate each other, we help each other through hard times, we laugh together, and, perhaps most importantly, we plan travels together. We have even given our group a name – The FEW. Friends Exploring the World. (At times, we think it really means Friends Eating their way around the World, but that’s another story). The love and strength I have gained from these women are immeasurable. And I have AGC to thank for that.”
New friendships aren’t the only treasure Jill has walked away with through this journey. She’s since gained incredible travel experiences that led her to discover a fresh perspective on herself. “I think travel opens the world to us, and opens us to the world. While I started my travel experience going on AGC trips (and continue to do so), I have now graduated to solo travel. Solo travel has given me such a sense of confidence and freedom. I have piggybacked my solo travel to AGC trips (such as 5 days in Paris before the Provence trip in 2019 or my recent stay in Friday Harbor after the San Juan trip), or on my own. In October, I will spend 5 days in London on my own before taking the train to Amsterdam to meet up with one of The FEW in Amsterdam. She is arriving there after a river cruise. I was fairly devastated after my divorce. I had no idea where my life was going. Thanks to AGC (and a bit of work myself), I am now living my best life. The confidence I have gained, the experiences I have had, and the friends I have made.””
