I am more of a spontaneous traveller. I don’t spend hours researching my destination. I simply arrive and surrender to the immediacy of what surrounds me, and then rely almost wholly on the kindness of strangers. When I landed in Sydney from Brisbane, for instance, I should have been smart and simply taken a cab from the airport to Mosman, where I was slated to stay. Instead, I saw the sign for the train terminal that claimed to get you into the city in 15 minutes flat. A sucker for public transport, I gladly strolled my luggage down the escalator and found a desk from where I purchased an Opal card that works across modes, from trains to ferries to buses. Then I hopped on the right train, but wasn’t sure where I ought to get off. So I asked the man sitting opposite. He confirmed that Wynyard was the perfect exit point. My fears allayed, I took my seat. The man came up to me and said that if I liked, he could drop me off at the bus station. I agreed. He helped me with my bags; we exchanged names; his was Andrew. He escorted me to the exit and then directed me to Stand A, from where I could get the bus to Spit Road.

Artists and spouses Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Pic/Getty Images