A dart and a map: Small Nebraska town welcomes New Jersey man with random travel plan

Everyone agrees it was crazy.

A 23-year-old content creator from New Jersey decided to travel wherever a dart lands on a map of the United States. He ended up in Staplehurst, Nebraska, population 240.

When he arrived on Feb. 25, Adam Boro was adopted by some locals at the town’s lone bar and enjoyed the adventures of a lifetime. At least for a kid who grew up on the East Coast.

Boro roped a fake steer head and drove a tractor. He had a whole school of kids pray for him, asking that he stay safe on his trips around the world.

It was the most random and unexpected thing to happen in the tiny Seward County town in a long time, said Harlan Anson, principal of Our Redeemer Lutheran School.

“Of all the places in the world, why here?” Anson — and everyone else in Staplehurst — wanted to know that day.

Boro’s full-time job is making travel videos that he shares on Instagram and TikTok, where he has 60,000 and 520,000 followers, respectively. Last year alone, he explored South America, Central America, the Middle East and lots of places across the U.S. Through clothing and travel endorsements, he makes enough money to live on while he roams the globe.

“I really love spontaneously traveling,” Boro said in a phone interview. “I put it out (to his followers) that for the next 24 hours, I want you guys to decide where I spontaneously travel to.”

One response in particular resonated with Boro. It was the one that suggested he throw a dart at a map of the U.S. and go where it lands. So that’s what Boro did.

“It was insane,” he said. “I was honestly really nervous. I don’t know why.”

Boro questioned his decision even more when, after flying into Lincoln, he drove through the empty main street of Staplehurst, which is about 8 miles northwest of Seward.

He described Staplehurst as desolate that day.

Anson said they don’t call it a town. It’s a village, with a school, a church, a bar, a post office that is open only four hours a day, a veterinary clinic and a co-op.

Boro didn’t know where to start, so he picked the bar called the Good ‘Ol Days because it had the most cars parked out front.

There, after awkwardly talking with the bartender for a while, his luck changed.

Jason Luebbe and his cousin Brandon Luebbe were finishing lunch when they struck up a conversation with Boro. They were as curious about life in New Jersey as he was about rural life in Nebraska.

“He was just a real engaging person, and he was easy to talk to,” Jason Luebbe said. “It just kind of turned into what it was.”

Neither Luebbe is on social media, so TikTok videos meant little to them. But Boro had brought along his map, with the area around Staplehurst circled, he was excited about being there and they decided to show him the sights.

They visited the vet clinic and the school, saw the waterfall on the Blue River, visited Jason’s parents and then stopped at Brandon’s farm, where Boro got to lead a steer around and drove the tractor. After a stop at their uncle’s place, they ended up back at the bar, where they listened to a two-person guitar concert and ate fish. They all exchanged phone numbers, too.

“It didn’t seem like it was going to be that big of deal,” Jason said, surprised when Boro’s posts about his visit started garnering attention. “But it’s pretty cool.”

Boro was amazed about how excited everyone was to see this “foreigner” from back East. He said it was insane and unforgettable to think of a whole school praying for his safe travels.

“I spent like 12 hours with these strangers I just met,” Boro said. “By far, my most favorite thing was just how serendipitous it was. It was just so random.”

He said he’s never felt so welcomed in any other place he’s traveled in the U.S.

The people and the landscape, too, are dramatically different from the highways and suburbs of East Brunswick, where he grew up.

“The people in Nebraska were so much more community-oriented, friendly and proud of being from Nebraska,” he said. “It was really overwhelming how friendly people were. It was awesome.”

Everyone, Boro said, liked his posts about the visit, and everyone in Staplehurst liked Boro. That’s the way things are there.

“The people in this town are just genuinely good people,” Anson said. “Everybody was just welcoming. That’s what we want to be known for.”