Jn

Are you travelling to meet your pen pal? I'm doing an article on people who have made friends on the internet, and would like to hear your story if: <BR> <BR>You've ever (or are going to) traveled to a foreign country and lodged with someone you met on the internet. <BR> <BR>OR <BR> <BR>Used the internet to find a travel companion. <BR> <BR>If you have an interesting story to tell, please email me at [email protected]. <BR> <BR>Thanks!

xxx

My second Fodorite visitor arrives tomorrow; with 2 more to come in the next month <BR> <BR>I'm posting anonymously because my significant other thinks I'm running a guest house (and doesn't like it) <BR> <BR>Why not ask Tony Hughes (Stellarossa)? I think he's met half of us in the US the last few months

gb

Hi, Last year, I met a internet penpal. he and his wife are teachers and he has two daughters the same age as mine. My husband and I are not teachers, but we work in schools. I found the other family on a posting for a home exchange on eurotrip.com. We made contact, and wrote for over a year. We had a great time on our visit. Our daughters stayed in their home, and we stayed at an agritourismo nearby. Hopefully, they will come to the US sometime soon.

Dawn

Hee hee...I met my husband in a chat room, however we were in the same country.

nancy

Next month, we will be meeting up with a woman I met through here. <BR>We both responded to a queston on apt. rentals, and then realized we were renting the same place, us the weekafter her. <BR>As we will all be in Rome for one day , we will be meeting up for at least drinks. <BR>I think it is great, but also a bit ironic, that I have to go all the way to rome, to meet someone who lives probably approx.350 miles from me. <BR> <BR>I plan on driving to me another friend I made on this site, she lives only about 3 hrs away. <BR> <BR>The woman I would love to meet up with the most, is a Kuwaiti woman, who I "met" here, and we have been corresponding for 6 months now. <BR>But, that is a real long shot. <BR>Me getting to Kuwait, and Her traveling out of Kuwait without her husband, is not very likely right now. <BR> But I view it like the trip to Mecca is, for religious Muslims. <BR>Before I die, I will meet Adeeba! <BR> <BR>The funny thing about cyber "friends", is I never thought I would want to have any, <BR> but it is so similar to the penpals I had when I was young. <BR>

Maira

Some years ago, I met a wonderful German friend (girl) over the Internet. Since we met, she has come to visit me in New York twice and we vacationed together in Spain once. Her husband and my husband also became quick friends. I guess I was lucky, she truly has become a great friend. <BR> <BR>On the same note, Tony and Emily are coming over our house next week. What a riot!!!

Tony Hughes

Email me <BR> <BR>Ps We're at Maira's now!

Thyra

I went to a Fodorite gathering this past March over at Art's house in So Cal.. and I was lucky enough to meet a bunch of terrific posters, (Stellarosa and Emily, Elvira, and a troop of great folks) Also went out for coffee with Patty (another terrific poster) who happened to be in our neighborhood with a few hours to kill.. she's a real jem.

Patti Suttle

Hey Thyra-thanks!!! It really was a fun experience meeting you and Justin too! Time was too short-I'll have to let you know when I come down to LA again and we can "do lunch"!! <BR>(6 more weeks to go until Ireland, London and Paris!!). <BR> So, everyone-if you get the chance meet your "new friends"! <BR>I have also been correspoding recently with a lady from No. Calif that saw my name here requesting info. on our hotel room in Paris-she and her daughter had stayed there and she has been helpful with Paris info. and the hotel area. <BR>Its been fun! <BR>Patti

Tracy

Hey all, <BR> <BR>I have to dissent. For me, personally, I choose never to meet anyone I've come into contact with online. <BR> <BR>This is just a rule I keep to, after having met up with people who should have been cool (correspondents with similar travel interests, even alums of my university!) - but who were psycho in real life!!! <BR> <BR>So sorry, to those friendly Fodorites who I haven't responded to . . . just adhering to my rule.

Melissa

I have never met anyone online, but for some reason, I could tell kalena was a safe bet. I noticed kalena all the time on the Hawaii board, giving out advice as I do, from the perspective of a Hawaii resident. Then one day, we noticed each other on this Europe board, too! <BR> <BR>I had lunch with her and my sister Burta (who also posts here) today at a local hole-in-the-wall called Side Street. This is really a small world! Turns out kalena's family knows my family, and her neighbor is a longtime family friend. We know a lot of the same people--we just never met each other! So here we are. And we talked about a LOT of you by "name!" You could just tell we're addicts to fodors.com.

kalena

Hi Melissa. It was a pleasure to meet you and Burta today and to hear your great travel stories and travel plans. The Prague marathon sounds like a fabulous trip. <BR> <BR>And as far as all the other coincidences, <BR>so trés cool and amazing. It REALLY is a small world. <BR> <BR>Thanks for the offer of info on Ile St. Louis. I am now starting to seriously think about what to pack! 16 days and counting.....I'll keep you posted. <BR>Best, <BR>k <BR> <BR>By the way, Melissa and Burta are the first efriends I ever met in real life too And it was our common fodors addiction that did it! Happy travels, all.

Kavey

I met a San Francisco fodorite and her husband in London recently which was lovely, they were witty and interesting and shared a lot of my thought patterns so it was fun... <BR> <BR>I have stayed in touch with my penpal and exchange partner from France from a school trip over 10 years ago... I went to her wedding last year and feel her family are like my own relatives in France... <BR> <BR>

Jose

HELLO FROM SPAIN!<BR>I LIKE TO HAVE PENPALS VIA E-MAIL SO IF SOMEBODY IS INTERESTED CAN WRITE ME.<BR>I WAS IN MONACO LAST SUMMER.I LIKED IT VERY MUCH IS A WONDERFUL COUNTRY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT AGAIN AND MAYBE FIND ONE FRIEND FOR MEET IN MONACO OR IN BARCELONA MY CITY.<BR>I HAVE SOME PHOTOS OF MONACO AND ME IN<BR>http://es.photos.yahoo.com/josecarret_00<BR>

Lookout

To "Jn": very clever, marking this of interest for every last country on the search list, but misleading for those of us actually trying to find out something about Denmark or the Ukraine.<BR><BR>In the meantime, a dear relative is, as I write, in the Ukraine meeting someone he met on udate.com. This has the entire family gnawing their nails in concern for his emotional, financial, and physical safety. No one could convince him that this was a dicey enterprise -- he's only "known" her in an email and telephone sense for 4 months, and this is a guy who's in debt and out of a job. We worry about him in general, for obvious reasons. But we're just praying the Ukrainian woman is not predatory in any way.<BR><BR>This is not a light-hearted subject in all cases; nor should anyone be gullible enough to respond to "wants to meet people" types like Jose. You'd be doing a service, "Jn," if you also asked for misadventures in meeting your penpal or chat buddy.

x

Lookout=a perfect example of bringing ones own anxieties and paranoia to an otherwise lighthearted and friendly thread.

Sandiego

Well, if you are looking for love and permanence don't necessarily look for penpals on the internet. But if you want to correspond with someone and maybe meet them on a casual basis, I say it is fine. Communicating with someone and flying to their country to meet them romantically are two different things.

Dina

I agree with the distincton between romance and casual friendship on the internet. I met my husband and other romantic liasons through the personals. BUT I met each "blind date" as soon as possible. If you're hoping for romance, DO NOT do conduct long-distance flirtations and foreplay online. I've seen this happen. The parties exchange cute, witty, Emails (like we do on this forum!) Confidences are exchanged, there's an illusion of intimacy. Then after months of heavy fantasizing, and lot of money traveling to finally meet, she doesn't like they way he smells, or he can't stand her annoying mannerisms. <BR>That said, I'm sure someone has a story telling that's PRECISELY how they fell in love!

Valerie

Last year I met a man named John from Bristol on the Internet. In July my friend Sandi and I traveled to England for her son's wedding. After the wedding in Sussex, and a few days in London, we traveled by car (I drove and that was a blast!) to Bristol and met John. He was a wonderful and caring man. We stayed at his home for 3 nights. The first night he took us to the Opera at the Hippodome and dinner after at an Italian restaurant. The next day he took us to the Roman Baths in Bath, England and the third day he drove us up to the mountains and down the coast of Wales. The day I left his home he took me to a drapery shop and I purchased lace curtains for every window in my home. He was the perfect gentleman and we e-mail each other twice a month. I am going back to England this summer and we we enjoy each other's company once again. I cherish his friendship and look forward to my trip back to England and this time Scotland and Ireland!

Jcat

Last march I went on a trip to London and posted on several travel boards when I would be going. A guy named Brian emailed me that he was going on the same dates so we talked on the phone several times and emailed. We set up a time to meet and we both seperatly flew of to Rome. When I arrived in Rome, I called him and he met me in front of my hotel in 10 minutes. We walked around Rome all night and hung out the next day. We ended up going our seperate travel ways but it was really nice to have a friend there when I arrived.