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When it comes to finding your best friend or one true love, is it kismet? Serendipity? Or just plain good luck? Whatever you call it, nothing woos us like the magic of unexpected connections formed in the most unlikely of places - turning two strangers into lifelong soulmates. The original CNN podcast Chance Encounters explores these incredible, cinematic real-life stories of travel connections.  The podcast brings CNN Travel Writer Francesca Street’s hit digital series of the same name to life with exclusive personal interviews that give us all the good feelings.  

Host Francesca Street tells us what to expect from the series: 

What initially drew you to the stories of these couples and friends?  

Chance Encounters began back in early 2021. It was the middle of the pandemic. After a year of reporting on how this global health crisis was impacting travelers — from people stuck on cruise ships to countries closing and reopening borders — I found myself drawn to escapist stories of adventures past. I happened across a Twitter thread about a long-distance couple reflecting on that one time they tried to surprise each other by flying to their respective countries. It went terribly — but romantically — wrong. He flew to Paris to surprise her. She flew to Edinburgh to surprise him. 

While I was interviewing the couple behind this story, I started thinking how there must be other similar tales out there of ordinary people living out extraordinary travel adventures. I decided to add in a contact form within the published article to allow readers to reach out and share their memorable travels with CNN Travel. 

I was immediately inundated with incredible, engaging stories — many of them travel-based romances. I followed up this first piece with a story straight out of a vintage movie — a Pan American flight attendant who fell in love with a CIA officer on a flight from New York to Paris in 1969.  

From there, Chance Encounters was born. It’s now been four years of stories of travel connections — from friendships found on the road to romance made in the skies. I still get readers reaching out to me with their amazing stories, but I also scour social media to source interviewees too. It’s amazing how many great love stories and lasting friendships began with a plane ride. 

I love the creativity involved in narrating these long-form, detailed stories. I put myself in the interviewees’ shoes when I’m writing the articles. I always say Chance Encounters articles are cinematic in scope but relatable in detail. For example, we’ve all dashed onto a flight, worried we might miss it. We haven’t necessarily met the love of our life in the process. But, we can imagine it. 

How did you approach selecting which stories to highlight for the podcast? 

I’m thrilled these stories are being shared in a new and exciting way via the Chance Encounters podcast. From the beginning, the interviews were special. The premise is really simple — it’s me, chatting via video call to people who are usually sitting in their living room, often surrounded by photos of their life together. But I’ve always loved the way couples candidly recount their love stories — jumping over each other, interrupting each other, often laughing, sometimes getting emotional. I also enjoy seeing the dynamic between friends who met on vacation, affectionately teasing each other, and recalling how they’ve been there for each other through life’s difficulties. I try to capture this interplay in the articles, but I always felt these conversations would make the perfect podcast, and I’m so excited listeners can now hear the emotion in the interviewees’ voices for themselves. 

In my day to day, I’m lucky to work with an amazing team at CNN Travel. CNN Travel’s global editor Barry Neild edits most of my articles and has supported the series from the beginning.  

This great teamwork has continued with the launch of the podcast. I’m so thrilled to be writing, hosting and reporting the podcast alongside an incredible group, helmed by co-writer and showrunner Dan Bloom. Dan and I work closely together with producers Sofía Sanchez and Kyra Dahring to select the stories to highlight for the podcast. Often this selection is based on our instinct — we gravitate towards stories that have a few twists and turns, which the interviewees revel in telling and listeners hopefully love listening to in turn. 

So many talented people helped bring the podcast to life, they’re all credited at the end of each episode and offer consistently brilliant expertise, audio skills and creative vision. The goal is for audiences to feel like they’re sitting alongside the interviewees, along for the ride — whether it’s on a train traversing Siberia or an airplane flying to London. The whole team helps make that a reality. 

In a world increasingly mediated by digital interactions, what do you believe accounts for the enduring appeal of authentic, face-to-face connections, particularly within the context of travel? 

Most of the romances featured in Chance Encounters begin with “in person” meetings — the young travelers who met on an elevator enroute to the top of the Eiffel Tower, for example, or the strangers who happened to cross paths on a cruise ship deck, watching the sunrise at 5am. There’s something appealing in the fateful feeling of these stories. If these individuals hadn’t been in the same place at the same time, a whole life together would never have happened. I think we’re all struck by the serendipity of these tales. 

But many of the stories featured in the series also begin with digital interactions, and I love sharing these stories too. For many of us in today’s world, they’re a bit more relatable, but still incredibly romantic and seeped in serendipity. Take the American and Australian who both lost their spouses to cancer, then unexpectedly connected with one another online and started a new chapter together. Or the woman who asked her dating app matches to write her a poem, only to be wowed by a limerick written by a woman from the opposite side of the world.

As a travel journalist, you’ve had a front-row seat to the nuances of human connection across geographical borders. How do you think culture and location play a role in how people form relationships and friendships? 

It’s always fun to notice the common themes that pop up across the stories, and one of the things Chance Encounters interviewees often say is that being out of their comfort zone — on a trip, in a new country, on an adventure — allowed them to be more open to connection. That’s interesting to reflect on. 

The couples I interview are usually from different places. As they choose to come together to start a life together, they must navigate cultural differences, linguistic barriers and usually one person has to move to another country to be with the other. There’s often a period of long distance — tough even in today’s digital world, but when I speak to couples who met decades ago, they describe expensive long distance phone calls, stacks of AirMail letters, months, sometimes years, apart. 

Beginning any relationship involves risk and vulnerability, but this is on another scale when you come from two different places. And maintaining a friendship across countries involves real loyalty, effort and adaptability. 

One of the questions I often ask interviewees is if there is a message or emotion that they hope readers or listeners might take away from the story into their own life. It’s always fascinating to hear their answers. Many interviewees often reflect on whether having a cinematic meeting is just the beginning. For a real relationship or lasting friendship to endure, you have to put in the work. 

Beyond the stories of these couples and friends, what do you hope audiences will take away from this podcast? 

 I hope the stories provide a glimmer of hope and 20 minutes of escapism from the harsher reality of today’s world and global news. I really hope audiences will enjoy being along for the ride, and that they’ll feel like they’re journeying with the interviewees as they travel the world and navigate life.