Luke Vaughn returned home to Eugene, Oregon earlier this month after a 10,743-mile automobile round trip to New York, during which he bummed car rides and crashed on the couches of over 300 strangers he met on the Internet. The idea originated on the website of popular vlogger Ze Frank, and Luke was soon nicknamed The Running Fool as he was passed along like a human baton. From The Oregonian:

People from high-school age to retirement age offered not only rides, but also food and lodging. He spent Christmas in Connecticut, complete with presents sent through an Internet gift drive. A group of Seattleites pitched in to pay for the plane ticket Vaughn had to buy to get from Missoula, Mont., to Spokane, when snow closed Interstate 90.

Total out-of-pocket cost: $150, including $95 for hotel rooms.

[...]

Vaughn said he was never bored or scared during the journey. And though he’s shy, the long rides with strangers didn’t bother him.

“I actually liked it when people told stories the whole time,” he said.

It’s heartening to see such a show of generosity and community in these days of increasing personal isolation. It gives one hope that neighborliness is on the rise, and that new travel friends are only a mouseclick away.