Meeting your penpal or chat buddy?
 

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!

I may have an interesting story to tell in the future about how I met a person on the Fodor's website and communicated. This person is kinda interesting, a prolific helper to folks on this site, and into major body pain (aka exercise). We've exchanged pix, and shared a cat story or two, and recently I received some recipes - this person is showing some signs of becoming a chef, possibly italian. Other than that, I know very little about this figure, so at this point I suppose I shall have to decline your offer. Should I hear something juicy, however, I'll definitely have to save that for MY book. Ciao, but good luck with your quest.

Several years ago, a number of us moms were visiting the same parenting chat room around the same time regularly. Since then, we've become too busy to chat, but we keep in touch. <BR> <BR>We know real names, husbands' and children's names, ages and birthdates, addresses, etc. We e-mail each other infrequently, but regularly, and exchange Christmas Cards. Once, we've had the opportunity to meet each other. It is a truly diverse socioeconomic mix of friends.

Up until this past Christmas, my husband was traveling all over the US with his job. I have been frequenting a parrot chat now for going on 4 years. In several places he went to work, I had the pleasure to meet the ppl I have talked to every night. It was so great. It was like we already knew each other and we talked forever. I have met some very super nice ppl and I love it. They are special friends to me now. <BR> Michelle

We are timeshare owners and I go to my favorite t/s site and exchange information. A few years ago I met a gal who lives a couple of hours from me at an outlet mall, because we had exchanged emails and talked on ICQ. We meet occasionally for lunch and have a great time. Then about 2 1/2 years ago we were headed to New Orleans and we ended up meeting 3 other couples from CA., TN, and England, who were all in New Orleans on t/s vactions too. Now we all have fond memories of that vacation and the new friends who we met....and still *talk* to on the BBS. It's great to get together with people you have a common bond with....and find out there is more you have in common.

We are heading to Oahu on June 1st. I met a woman from outside Orlando Florida on the Fodors forum. Her and her husband are staying at the same hotel in Waikiki as my husband and I(we are from Ontario Canada) and we are going to meet for a drink or a meal or something..I'm looking forward to meeting both of them in Hawaii..Dona

I have 2 stories to tell. <BR>I met a pen pal on a travel chat site and when I visited my cousin in LA a few months later, (I'm from NY) my pen pal lived in the San Fernando Valley outside LA and we were able to get together for a lovely day out with lunch on the Queen Mary and visited some of the wonderful beach areas. When he and his wife came to New York, we again had the chance to get together, and in less than 1 year, we had met up with eachother on both coasts. It's been almsot 2 years now and we still keep in touch on a regular basis. <BR> <BR>My 2nd experience is the fact that next month, I will be celebrating my 1st anniversary being married to my Internet pen pal. Ken and I met eachother on line on Aug. 26, 1999, and met eachother face-to-face on October 26, 1999 when he came to NY from England. He then came to NY every month and in February, I went to England for a month to visit him. We were married in June 2000 on a beautiful estate overlooking the Hudson River north of New York city, and I am now living in the UK near Cambridge and enjoying the quieter life away from the hustle and bustle of NY city. I return every few months to see my family, and now that I'm living on this side of the pond, am able to travel a bit to see the sights that Europe has to offer, as well as South Africa, which was where we went for our honeymoon.

Yes i met someone on the internet &amp; ended up travelling to New Orleans to meet up. It was the best trip i have ever done &amp; made lots of new friends whilst there - I plan to go back again March next year. If anyone would like any further details, please email me.

I apologize for jumping in but can someone recommend a good travel chat room to me?<BR><BR>Thanks.<BR>Kim.

One of these days Mr. and Mrs. Kal and my husband and I are going to meet in New Orleans (or Cocoa Beach to watch a space shot if I can talk them into a TOTAL cross-country trip) and have an absolutely fantastic time! Until then, we'll just be "Fodor buddies".

Yo Cindy,<BR><BR>Why go to NOLA or COCOA when we can get in trouble at a certain lake in Ohio and gorge on some great Ohio-style chili and the best gumbo/jambalya outside of the FQtr? ;^D<BR><BR>Hmmm....there should be a joke about the space shot and me eatin' chili but this is pretty much a family site!<BR><BR>On to DC for the 4th of July celebration and our bike ride.<BR><BR>Hope to see any other Fodie's near "The George" on the 4th if my tired old "biked out" legs can hold me up!<BR>Mucho Mahalos,<BR>Kal

Hey out there, it's getting serious planning time ... who is going to hold up the Fodor banner by the Monument on the 4th?<BR><BR>We'll be down there (okay, with french champagne, it's true ... but in all other respects we're okay). Screaming and cheering at us will do no good ... there will be another 400,000 cheering fools to drown you out.<BR><BR>Lets ee a show of hands so I'll know how many Dixie cups to haul in.<BR><BR>We need a banner ... because no one will be able to spot a pin in that sea of patriotic bodies. It's only 8 days away.<BR><BR>BTW, is anyone taking the yellow line from L'Enfant Plaza to King Street, after the fireworks? We'll see you on the platform ... get a "Fullsome Fodors Fourth" chant going so we can find you.<BR><BR>Yikes, I'm feeling more patriotic by the minute. Ciao

Sorry. No room in my 19" carry-on for a banner.<BR>Just large, loud Hawaiian shirts, a bike helmet and a bucket of aspirin.<BR><BR>Mahalo

There's another poster named kalena (who hasn't posted in a while--I believe she and her family are in France vacationing) who was posting regularly on Hawaii threads, and then we "noticed" each other posting on Europe threads. So from here, we decided to have lunch! We traded travel stories and such, but the neatest thing of all was learning how small this world is. Members of our families know each other--WE just never met--and her neighbor is a close family friend of ours.

Hi,<BR><BR>When I went to the US a few years ago I met up with a lady that I had been chatting to for a few years. We met on a quilting group and when we met we exchanged quilts. I stayed with her and her husband for a weekend. It was a great success.<BR><BR>I am going to the US again in Sept. and will meet another quilting friend. This time I am travelling further to meet with her and plan to spend about 4 days with her. Should be great fun!<BR><BR>Laura<BR>Dublin, Ireland

I have a few interesting stories that I *could* tell ... but ...<BR><BR>As you're doing an article ... I'd want a share of your earnings for my share of the content.<BR><BR>Fair enough, no?

Kal-Are you really going to be in Buckeye Land or are you pulling everyone's leg? I am a buckeye thru and thru and will be on the great rock in the middle of the big lake...

One weekend I was a little bored and picked out 5 e-mail addresses from interesting towns in the U.K. that I looked up in the atlas. I asked for a recipe for shepards pie. Jenny is the only one that wrote back. She gave me the recipe and then asked a couple of questions. I answered back and asked a few questions myself.<BR><BR>We found out we both had 2 teenagers at home and liked the same authors. <BR><BR>Jenny lives in Pembrokeshire,Wales and I live in Indiana, U.S. <BR><BR>For the first year we wrote each other everyday (not just a few lines, but at least a page.) After that it got to be about every two days. <BR><BR>We send cards and gifts for our families birthdays, and Christmas. If we go on a trip we send a little souvenir to each other. <BR><BR>We call each other on special occasions or just to say. We have visited each other 3 times. We hope to meet for a weekend in France some day soon.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

As a housewife always looking to keep things clean, how long did it take you to scrape the mold off this ancient thread?

RTraveler is right, if we are going to feed you stories for a book, it's only right we share in the royalties. We personally have met 5 couples that I first met on travel boards and the stories are great ones, but....