KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alanah Story was in Orlando, Florida when she decided to do a roundoff back handspring with her cousin.
“Because of that, I had a really bad concussion that's like still bugging me today," she said.
The next day they went to the airport with her mom and godmother to fly back home to Knoxville. The flight was delayed twice before it was finally canceled.
“And everyone's kind of freaking out because, for Frontier, they don't fly every day," she said.
The next available flight was going to be almost three days later. A ton of people were waiting in line to figure out what to do next. Another passenger from the flight yelled out everyone's options.
"So, she suggests that we get a van and all right back together," said Story.
Story and her family decided to hop in a van with around a dozen strangers to drive back home.
“I feel like what was supposed to be like an eight-hour car ride turned into 12," she said. "I feel like it took us forever to get back.”
Story said it was like an adventure, and each person had their own reason for why they had to get back in a van. She also started filming their adventure for her TikTok account, and those videos went viral with more than 4 million views. She said that became a big topic of conversation in the van.
“People were tracking the views, reading all the comments out loud, and that lasted the entire trip\," she said.
After a few stops, Story said mostly for gas, they went to the airport to return the van, finish their video, and say their goodbyes.
“Because we're all kind of like friends by the end of it," she said. "You have to be, to be strapped in a van that long.”
While Story said she had a hard time traveling with a concussion, it was worth it because of the relationships that she earned. Story said this trip gave her a sense of mutually-assured safety.
"If people are willing to get on a van, they're putting their life at risk, also," she said. "So, you're all kind of like, you know, doing it together."