Intrepidtravel Stories

Join West & Raine as they journey through Bali, Indonesia on a life-changing trip in this Liz Plum story written in partnership with Intrepid Travel. Enter the #IntrepidTravel contest for your chance to win the experience of a lifetime!

I'll be posting short stories daily, or close to it. These stories are released into the Public Domain, meaning anyone is free to share, adapt, sell, or use them in any way, with no need to ask for permission or provide credit. In a world where the old economic order is giving way to a new society built on contribution, trust, and dignity, Mozaic Residents travel beyond their borders to interact with those still living under the old rules of profit and power. Each story captures a quiet clash of values - currency vs. character, ownership vs. purpose, survival vs. meaning - as the future meets the past one conversation at a time.

A disillusioned New Yorker abandons Manhattan's chaos for the romanticized streets of Paris, convinced that France will provide the sophisticated, idyllic life she craves. Through candid encounters, from awkward Parisian dating experiences to glimpses of Elton John's Côte d'Azur villa, she discovers that the French reality fails to match her fantasies. She unexpectedly misses Manhattan's imperfections as she navigates cultural differences between bustling New York directness and Parisian reserve. Returning to New York, she realizes that home isn't about picture-perfect boulevards or effortless elegance, but about the complex tapestry of memories, relationships, and experiences -both the messy ones and the ones that have shaped her life in the city. It's a witty exploration of how we often must leave a place to appreciate its hold on our hearts truly." Email me directly if you want a free copy of a complete book with all chapters tatianamcclintock@yahoo.com

Yearning for a place to rest, to slow down and to feel loved; a short glimpse of the story of a 24 year old girl is shared. Depicting a part of life that presses you down and kills motivation. Rough patches do not heal quick when you have no one to treasure you dearly. So, running away to a place where one feels home is the only way one can survive sometime.

Travel Meet Cute Prompt: "PowerPoints and Purple Glass" When a corporate leadership retreat sends me to a tourist-trap ghost town in Arizona, I expect nothing but boring presentations and cheesy team-building exercises. Instead, I meet Chase, who shows me that sometimes the most authentic connections happen in the least authentic places.

Entry for the #IntrepidTravel competition - a short story of a meet-cute whilst travelling

Victoria Reynolds just wants to see the world. But what if the world was already there, sitting next to her in seat 10A?

For the intrepid travel writing contest ❤️

Ife is a young Nigerian woman traveling through Yellowstone National Park. What started as a quick hike suddenly turns into a near disaster, and the possibility of blossoming romance.

Pierre Courtier once had everything he wanted in life, but now all he has are the scars and illusions of his past. But what happens when he meets lively artist Aurora Doe and her enthusiastic outlook on life. Follow these two on a meet cute flight to Paris!

Sometimes the unexpected decisions make our life all the more meaningful

A Window Seat to You is a heartwarming travel romance about two strangers who meet mid-air and find something neither of them was looking for - connection. Set against the backdrop of Lisbon's sunlit streets and soulful energy, this story captures how one unexpected encounter in seat 14A can turn a simple flight into a life-changing love story. It's a tale of serendipity, vulnerability, and discovering that sometimes, the most unforgettable journey begins with a single hello.

Elysia has an interaction that changes the trajectory of her life

When traveling photographer Isla Langley stumbles into the quiet Dutch village of Giethoorn, she's chasing light, beauty, and something she can't quite name. She never expects to meet Theo-reserved, rooted, and seemingly content in a life far simpler than her own. Their connection is instant, like sunflowers turning toward the sun, but love between two strangers with different lives isn't so simple. As seasons change and distance threatens to pull them apart, Isla and Theo must decide whether love is worth bending for-or if some hearts are meant to roam. Told with tender prose and rich emotional depth, Sunflowers and Strangers is a story of serendipity, self-discovery, and the kind of love that grows even when you're not looking.

I thought I knew Puerto Rico. I thought I'd memorized every scent, every sound, every sunset. But then I brought you - my child, wide-eyed and curious - and the island opened itself in a way it never had before. In this deeply moving short story, a father returns to Puerto Rico, not as a son or a restless man chasing his past, but as a parent sharing a piece of home with the next generation. What unfolds is a tender reflection on family, memory, and legacy - on the way places live in us, and how they bloom anew when seen through the eyes of our children. "Puerto Rico isn't just mine anymore. It's yours too." A story about coming home, and bringing someone with you.

#intrepidtravel

My first flight was shaping up to be a masterclass in disaster until I found myself locked in a tiny bathroom with a tall, grinning stranger who somehow made the whole mortifying experience...dare I say...cute?

A short story about departing from an airplane and meeting love for the first time with friends by your side.

Some places don't just hold memories-they hold pieces of your soul. My father had hands like stone-calloused, cracked, and always stained from fixing things no one else could. But when I was a boy, those hands made me feel untouchable. Safe. Puerto Rico wasn't a vacation. It was a return to our roots-a reminder of where we came from, and who we were before life wore us down. My father came alive on that island. I watched him laugh, fix things with nothing but wire and willpower, and teach me lessons he never had to say out loud. This is a story about those lessons. About family, sacrifice, and the kind of love that doesn't need words. It's about dirt roads and ocean skies, old fishing rods and fresh fruit on the side of the highway. It's about becoming a man in the shadow of one who never needed to raise his voice to be heard. Some stories are passed down. Others are lived again. Come walk these roads with me.