13 strangers rent van after airline 'screws them over' becoming forced into 10 hour journey
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/ @alanahstory21
Who doesn't love an unexpected road trip? For 10 hours, with 12 other strangers after a blip with an airline?
Granted, it doesn't exactly sound like the most appealing option; however, 13 travelers weren't left with much other choice after their original flight from Orlando to Knoxville, Tennessee, was delayed twice and eventually canceled.
So, determined to make it there as soon as possible and not hanging around to wait for the airline to figure out the next available flight out, the group clubbed together and rented a 15-man van, completing a journey of over 10 hours together - what a bonding experience.
Advert
The stressed passengers were informed that they would face a 48-hour wait for the next flight, which was too long for a lot of them.
So, the group decided to join forces after a woman shouted that she would be getting a van and anyone who wanted to drive could join her.
Well, a lot of them took the woman up on her offer, with 13 in the end deciding to make the long journey.
The story was documented by TikToker Alanah Story, who, alongside her mom and godmother, were in the van.
She provided updates to her followers on the social media platform, with so many becoming engaged with their journey.
Alanah admitted she and her new friends would keep on refreshing the TikTok's to see them shooting up in views.
She told Today.com: "So we post the video and, like, we're not really thinking anything's gonna come of it. But within, like, 30 minutes, it is starting to get hundreds of thousands of views.
"People in the van are refreshing my page the entire time. They're like, 'Oh my gosh, we're at this many views' ... and they're reading the comments out loud the whole time - I slept maybe, max - 20 minutes."
Alanah posted three TikTok's to her account documenting the journey where complete strangers soon became friends.
The first video - which is still by the looks of it in the airport - introduces some of the people who are boarding the van.
A second update provides a chat three hours in with Alanah and some of her new friends that are starting to feel a bit tired at this point.
And the third and final update sees the group in their final destination of Knoxville, with a lot of happy but tired faces.
The group obviously went their separate way at this point but have agreed to stay in touch through the creation of a WhatsApp group.
Alanah has also said she will go on a Karaoke night with one of the people she met in the van.