Do Online Friends Count As Real Friends?

Here is the story of my first trip outside Asia to meet friends I made online. Having grown up in the Philippines and working in Singapore, I had only ever visited places in Asia. Travelling to a place with a culture so new to me was both exciting and nerve-wracking.

In October 2024, I had the opportunity to visit Melbourne, Australia, for the first time. I had wanted to travel to Australia before, but I had to set it aside because of the pandemic and other big life events. Honestly, I really thought I would never go on something I would call a “big adventure.” It sounds cheesy, I understand. But let’s just say I was in the group who had less, so anything beyond the day-to-day was already a luxury.

What finally motivated me to go to Australia was my friends. Online friends, to be specific. I consider myself lucky to have met great people online whom I can connect with. I want to be clear: meeting people online is always a risk. Please be careful. The previous year, 2023, was the year a lot of my friends went to PAX Aus in Melbourne. From the pictures and stories they shared afterwards, it felt like everyone had a blast, and I really felt left out. That was when I decided I would try my best to go the following year. When ticket sales opened in 2024, I immediately bought 3-day tickets and applied for a visa.

Getting the visa approved was a huge relief, mostly because I had never applied for one for a leisure trip before. I remember checking my email three times a day for at least a week. When I received the good news, I quickly sorted out my plane tickets and hotel booking. As a first-time long-haul flyer, I didn’t know how to stay comfortable sitting in a seat for that long, so I booked a more expensive flight with an airline I knew had good economy seats. Next, I booked the cheapest decent hotel I could find in Melbourne. After that, all that was left was preparing my itinerary. The days went by fast, but not a day went by when I wasn’t looking forward to everything.

I should mention that I have a few groups of friends in Australia. I met most of them through live streams. On this trip, I was also looking forward to meeting a few friends besides the people I was meeting at PAX. I remember working up the courage to message my friend and preparing myself for rejection. Back then, I never really knew how to ask for meetups.

The day arrived, and my flight went fine. The feeling I had the moment the plane touched down at Melbourne Airport is something I cannot forget. I kept telling myself, “Never in a million years did I think this would happen.” Looking back, I probably looked silly with a look of wonder stuck on my face the whole time I was there. But I was truly happy. Melbourne is a great city with so much character.

It was the first time I had seen Victorian-style buildings in real life, and I could not get over how the old buildings were interspersed with new ones. I spent a lot of time walking and taking the tram around the central business district, curious about what was around the next corner. “Eye-opening” is one way to describe the experience.

The PAX event was also great. I had only knew these events from social media until then. Experiencing it in real life was different. I think the best takeaway I took from it was everyone who attended felt it was a place where they can express themselves without fear of ridicule and that everyone’s hobbies where more common which allowed everyone to meet more like minded individuals. It was awesome. I saw spaces where they show off Warhammer 3000, I saw people play role playing games like dungeons and dragons. I even sat down on one where they had a stage and a cast playing their roles really well. I liked that. Lots and lots of cosplayers.

I am not sure how to say this lightly: I was anxious about meeting my friends. I was not sure “online friends” counted as friends in real life. On the first day of the event, I messaged my friend to try to hang out with him and the rest of the group at the convention. I felt even more anxious when he didn’t reply. There was an after-party at a bar that evening, and as I was getting ready to leave the hotel, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go anymore. But I pushed myself to go with a plan: if things didn’t pan out the way I hoped, I would leave after two hours.

What happened was the opposite of what I feared. I met so many people and spent so much time with everyone that I think I left the bar at 1AM. Best of all, my friend and another friend who was close to him were both so welcoming. All my doubts faded away, and I had the best night ever.

The next day, I met another group of friends. I had been in contact with them for a long time, since the pandemic. I cannot tell you how happy I was the moment I met them in person. We ended up talking for so long that I forgot to take pictures together. It was an awesome time. I told my friend it was the highlight of my trip.