Majerle Simpler
The search
Majerle is a caregiver and grad student who had been sober for three-and-a-half years when she saw the Reddit ad for Capsule Adventures. She had never traveled outside the US before, and the idea of doing her first international trip in a completely sober environment stood out immediately. She wanted to embrace that side of herself without the usual anxiety that came with group travel. On past trips with friends who drank, she had felt left out or struggled with temptation. She hoped that this trip offered something different.
I've been sober for three and a half years, and the ad I saw really stood out to me. it just seemed like a really great way to embrace who i am."
The transformation
The extroverts on the trip pulled her into conversations, while the other introverts recognized themselves in her, and somehow everyone just clicked without the usual forced small talk that can make some group travel exhausting. The absence of alcohol removed a layer of social performance she had not realized she was carrying. Everyone showed up fully, laughed genuinely, and bonded seamlessly.
"It was really nice to meet some extroverts, some other introverts. And we all just really clicked. We laughed a lot, got to know each other, and had really deep, meaningful conversations.
The shift
The first day's climb stripped away any illusion that this would be easy. Slippery rocks and endless uphill sections forced Majerle to confront the gap between who she thought she was and what her body could actually endure. Each step became an argument with herself about whether she belonged on this trail, whether she had made a mistake signing up. But somewhere in the repetition of placing one foot in front of the other, she stopped questioning and started trusting. By the time she reached Machu Picchu and decided to push further up Huayna Picchu, she had redefined what she was capable of.
"This trip taught me that I can do THE HARD STUFF and that I can go out of my comfort zone. And when I do, it results in amazing things."
Vivid memories with Capsule Adventures
Marjele went into the trek as someone who often avoided hard things and came out knowing she could handle them. The convenience of not having to plan anything allowed her to actually be present instead of anxious. Ryan and the group created an environment where introverts did not have to perform extroversion to belong, where sobriety was the baseline instead of the exception.