Love on the Road — They Met at a Hostel in Peru
Megan went to Lima on an impromptu trip, never thinking that she would meet her future husband. (Photo: Megan Routh)
Who: Megan Routh and Mads Husted
Where we met: Hostel in Lima, Peru
When: 2010
Relationship status: Engaged, getting married in October
My best friend, Kaitlyn, and I are lucky because both of our dads work for Delta Air Lines. This means that growing up, we had the opportunity to travel for free as long as we flew standby. After college graduation, her dad informed us that he was flying to Lima, Peru, for the day, and had some available seats on the plane. Since the tickets would be free, we of course jumped at the opportunity.
We got into Lima, and Kaitlyn’s dad showed us around the city. At 4 p.m. he went to the hotel to get some rest before the flight back that night, and we went to get some really cheap drinks at a nearby bar. When we returned to the hotel at about 10 p.m., we were happy and giggling as we loaded our bags onto the van headed to the airport. One of the flight attendants saw how much fun we were having and said, “If I were y’all I would just stay.” We had just graduated from college and had nothing to rush back for, so we pulled out our bags and informed Kaitlyn’s dad that we would fly out the next day.
We ended up wandering over to a hostel we had passed earlier in the day, and when we walked in, there was a group of guys sitting in the common area drinking wine.
Mads, Megan, and Kaitlyn in Lima. (Photo: Megan Routh)
I actually don’t remember how we started talking to the group, but Kaitlyn remembers that Mads was the one who invited us over. I guess he saw something he liked. So we joined the group for some drinks, and then later we went out dancing.
The next day, Mads — the cute Danish boy — and I spent the entire day hanging out. We walked around the city, visited old churches, and giggled and flirted our way through Lima. We made each other laugh, and as the hours passed I started to realize that I really liked this guy. He had dinner with me and Kaitlyn that night, and then we packed our bags and headed to the airport.
When we got to the airport we were informed that the flights were oversold and that we would have to stay in Lima for three days until seats became available. This would usually be disappointing, but I just saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with Mads.
Megan realized that Mads was special during their trip to Cuzco. (Photo: Megan Routh)
We hung out for those three days, and when I finally did return to the States, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I had already planned to go to Tokyo with Kaitlyn as our real graduation celebration, and a third friend was supposed to join us but was concerned about the expense. To ease her concerns, I suggested we go back to Peru because it was affordable.
This time we went to Cuzco, and Mads met us there (he was in the middle of an eight-month trip around South America). During this trip we were inseparable, and were being so lovey-dovey that my friends started to get mad at me. But I couldn’t help it, he was so sweet and friendly. He was so genuine, and our spark was undeniable. This visit is when I knew that Mads was someone I couldn’t let go of.
He and I talked about starting a relationship and how we could make it work. After graduation I had already made plans to move to Italy and get my certification to teach English. He would be back in Denmark, so the distance wasn’t totally impossible. Before I moved to Italy, I visited him in Denmark twice. And then when I moved to Europe, we made it a point to see each other every month. Looking back, I realize this time was very hard. But our relationship survived due to our love, hard work, and good timing.
Mads at his first American baseball game after the couple moved to New York. (Photo: Megan Routh)
In the fall of 2011, I got accepted into graduate school in Copenhagen to be closer to him. When I finished two years later, we moved to New York City for Mads to attend graduate school.
Last July, he proposed to me on the roof of our Brooklyn apartment that overlooks the New York City skyline. We plan to get married this October in the city in front of all our friends and family.
I’m so excited for what the future holds with Mads. We’re enjoying our life in New York, but I think we’ll eventually move to Copenhagen when it comes time to really settle down. But truthfully, the way we met was so serendipitous, we’re just open and excited to face whatever our future holds.
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