In 1994, I arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, at the beginning of a journey through Central America.

I was travelling independently, but I wasn't entirely on my own.

I met Lorne, a retired schoolteacher from New Mexico, who helped me get settled and find my feet in an unfamiliar city. He didn't plan my trip or tell me where to go. He simply gave me a starting point.

Then I went my own way.

That experience stayed with me.

Sometimes travellers don't need a tour. They just need someone in their corner while they figure things out for themselves.

Twenty-four years later, I found myself on the other side of the experience.

Through a Meetup group I had created called Impulsive Tourists, eleven Canadians and Americans travelled to Thailand together.

Bangkok was part of the journey, but so was somewhere most visitors to Thailand would never have a reason to find: Non Pratai, a small community in northeastern Thailand.

We were there for a wedding.

Friends, family and people from different parts of my life came together in Thailand. We travelled, ate, explored and shared experiences—but we didn't need to spend every moment following each other around.

There was a community around the journey while everyone still had room to experience Thailand for themselves.

Looking back, those two journeys were connected.

In Tegucigalpa, someone helped me arrive.

In Thailand, I helped others do the same.

Pratai grew from a simple idea:

What if independent travel didn't have to mean figuring out everything by yourself?

We create a place to land, people to connect with and support when you need it—without taking over your trip.

Because sometimes all you need is a starting point.

The rest of the journey is yours.