A woman relocated halfway across the globe to be with her soulmate, despite initially finding him irritating when they first met while on holiday.

In 2008, Lanie van der Horst, now 44, was participating in a Contiki tour beginning in Riga, Latvia, before travelling onwards to Russia and Scandinavia when fate intervened. Residing in New York City at the time, the teacher set off on a 13-week European expedition with a friend.

“I arrived late because the flight was delayed, which meant I got to dinner late and got the last table. It was the table my now husband was sitting at.”

That Lanie and Mark’s paths would intersect in such a manner is remarkably improbable. At that point, there were approximately 6.5 billion people inhabiting the planet, with the pair living on opposite sides of it.

Their residences were roughly 10,000 miles apart: nearly as distant as any two individuals can live on the 24,901-mile circumference of Earth. Yet meet they did. Regrettably, Mark didn’t create a favourable initial impression.

“I thought he was an absolute idiot. He was sitting with a roommate he didn’t know. They were both very excited. They were giggly, they were young. He was 26 at the time. I’m one year older. They were talking about shooting fireworks off, drinking. Things I wasn’t interested in. Dinner was fine. I thought, ‘Of all the people, I’m not going to hang out with him’.”

Despite an initial poor impression, Mark, who now works in wastewater management, had three weeks of journeying with Lanie (and 12 other young holidaymakers) to make a more favourable second one.

“You’re together a lot, and we started having different conversations. I didn’t think I was going to marry him. He said to me that I talked about real things, like my family going camping, and everyone else was talking about what they did today. It became something more during those three weeks,” Lanie elaborated.

“Halfway through the trip, he asked me to travel with him afterwards. I went, much to my mother’s dismay. He rearranged his trip a bit and we went to Latvia, Russia, Finland, Estonia and Denmark.”

Evidently, the extended journey was a resounding success.

“The first whole day we spent just together was in Tallinn. It is now my son’s middle name. That’s how much I liked it. We then added two more weeks after. In Romania and Hungary. My family is from those countries. It was fun rearranging my tour, getting to know somebody. I thought we’d part ways.”

Once back home, Mark and Lanie kept in touch online, emailing and messaging each other from their respective continents. At this stage, neither held much hope for a reunion.

“I told him next time I travel, I’ll go to Asia, and he said, ‘Maybe I’ll see you there’. However, by December, we were planning a trip together. It wasn’t like we had to be together. I really liked him, but I didn’t think we’d end up together.”

The duo reunited in Asia the following year and arranged multiple group excursions together, just in case things didn’t work out. “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t by myself,” Lanie revealed.

“In China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. We clearly really liked each other, but I told him we were on vacation, and he didn’t know me in real life. He was so nice, and we were working so well together. Partway through, I realised I didn’t want him to leave.”

In total, Mark and Lanie journeyed together for nine weeks. At the conclusion of their Asian escapade, the American was heartbroken.

“I cried and cried and cried and told him he had to come see me. He had to get a new job and come visit. He did,” she recalled.

Mark travelled to the US to meet Lanie’s family at her sister’s wedding, and integrated so seamlessly that he remained for three months. This was followed by a journey around Europe and then Central America together.

“We just met up around the world,” she said.

Whilst globe-trotting to explore together was enjoyable, the couple eventually chose to put down roots after Mark proposed in the Fraser National Park in Tasmania. They wed six weeks later and began their life together in New York, then in Florida, after their daughter was born.

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Mark decided he wanted to return home. “He said he wanted to go to Australia, but not forever, just until the vaccine was out. I told him I wasn’t moving, then he reminded me I’m adventurous. And so we moved. With everything going on in the US I’m not going back anytime soon. I think we’re there for good.”