In December last year, after their flight from Orlando to Knoxville was unexpectedly canceled, 13 stranded strangers desperate to reach their destination rallied together, rented a van and hit the road.

It was a spontaneous decision that one of the passengers, Alanah Story, chronicled via a series of videos posted on TikTok. The relatability of the situation, teamed with the enthusiastic cast of characters along for the ride, quickly captivated social media users.

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The van passengers hailed from across the globe, and everyone had a different reason for traveling that day. There was Carlos Cordero – who became the group’s main driver and de facto leader – and his then-fiancee Laura Puckering, who were taking their teenage daughter Mikayla Puckering to tour the University of Tennessee. Then there was Alanah and her mom Renee Fortner, who were on their way home from a beach vacation. Meanwhile, Michelle Miller, an influencer known as @thefarmbabe, was set to present at a conference in Knoxville and the clock was ticking.

In one of their TikTok dispatches, the group leaned into the whole “this could be a movie” vibe.

One passenger, Q, joked that he, as the sole Black man in the group, would be the one to “die first,” a nod to horror movie tropes. Michelle said she was only here for the snacks, and Renee quipped about stopping at the liquor store.

Social media was invested in their journey – it seemed like everyone could relate to someone in the van. And as Alanah’s TikToks gained traction online, the strangers in the van got to know one another during the long, overnight drive.

“Everybody was so awesome. It almost went too perfect,” said Carlos last year.

“It took collective effort. Everybody really had their own thing going on. But everybody cared about one another’s ventures and responsibilities.”

The group reached Knoxville tired but happy. Then they went their separate ways, promising to stay in touch.

And they actually did.

They set up with a group chat – entitled “Not fast, just furious”, a reference to their driving origin story and the car-themed movie franchise. Then, there came a buzz of media interest in their wild journey that the group navigated together. That came and went, but most of the passengers stayed connected.

Their night in the van had fast tracked their friendships. Soon there were weekend stays at one another’s homes. New Year’s Eve parties. Super Bowl Sundays. Nights spent bowling, playing mini golf and singing karaoke. And when Laura and Carlos got married earlier this year, they invited everyone along.

One year on from their wild van adventure, six of the passengers, Laura, Carlos, Mikayla, Alanah, Renee and Michelle jumped on a Zoom call to update CNN Travel on how they went from strangers to “family.”

“It’s just really cool that this happened out of a fluke of a flight getting canceled. We met these great people that we’re legit still friends with,” says Alanah.

Staying in touch

For those following along with the stranded passengers’ journey last year, 17-year-old Mikayla’s quest to make it to her University of Tennessee tour was perhaps one of the most engaging parts of the story.

Mikayla made it to the college tour – against the odds. And she was treated as a celebrity upon arrival, a memory that she and her parents Laura and Carlos still look upon with a mix of disbelief and gratitude.

But while Mikayla enjoyed visiting the University of Tennessee, she ended up going to Penn State University – and she’s absolutely loving it so far.