Finding Love When Traveling: The Inspiring ‘Chance Encounters’ Column

The CNN “Chance Encounters” column, written by digital journalist Francesca Street, features heartwarming personal stories of romances and friendships that emerge serendipitously through travel.

Throughout history, from ancient epics to novels to rom-coms, romance and friendship have been central themes of storytelling. And especially during uncertain times like the present, people welcome hearing uplifting stories that explore the possibilities of love and connection.

Travel often sets the scene for chance meetings. Being removed from the humdrum routines and responsibilities of daily living enables travelers to be more “present” in the moment and receptive to new people, places and experiences.

The Genesis of Chance Encounters

I contacted Street, who is based in London, to learn about the origins of her column. She began as a CNN intern before she transitioned to the travel team. During the COVID pandemic, with most travel paused, she gravitated toward reporting on past travel experiences.

“I came across a Twitter thread about a long-distance couple who were reflecting on the one time they surprised each other with an unannounced trip that didn’t go as planned,” she says. “He flew to Paris to surprise her while she flew to Edinburgh to surprise him, and they missed each other.”

After interviewing the couple, she realized that captivating stories like theirs weren’t a one-off, so she added a contact form for the article soliciting other reader stories of memorable travel.

“I was immediately inundated with romantic and engaging travel stories, many of which revolved around travel-based romances,” she says.

Her first column, based on these submissions, was the story of a Pan American flight attendant who fell in love with a CIA officer on a flight from Paris to New York in 1969. The couple has been married for fifty years.

That was 140 stories ago—and still counting.

Five of the 2023 Chance Encounters columns and four from 2024 appeared in media audience monitor Chartbeat’s list of the most engaging articles of the year. Two ranked in the top ten. (The ranking included articles from The New York Times, the Washington Post, Reuters and the BBC.)

One tale from the 2024 list chronicled the story of an Italian woman who arranged to meet a fellow passenger at London’s Trafalgar Square. Although he didn’t show up for the date, she wound up meeting her future husband, who was also vacationing from the U.S. that day.

Tapping The Bottomless Well Of Travel Love Tales

“I really enjoy the process of finding these stories,” says Street. “Readers reach out to me via the call-out, which I continue to include in every article as well as each podcast episode.” She also scours social media to source stories.

“As for the interviews, they’re quite casual. It’s me, chatting via video call to people who are usually sitting in their living rooms, often surrounded by framed photos of their lives together,” she says. After a long call, she can weave the pieces of a story together. “When the story hooks me, that’s a pretty good guess that I’ll hook in readers and listeners, too.”

She says that the best stories are relatable but take twists and turns. “For example, we’ve all worried we might not make a flight,” she says. “We haven’t necessarily met the love of our life in the process.”

The print archive on the CNN site is divided into stories of love and friendship, all with happy endings.

A few of the intriguing titles:

• Two strangers got stuck on a train for two days in 1990. Here’s how they ended up married.
• Two hikers encountered a rattlesnake. Then they fell in love.
• She got on a flight to visit her boyfriend. Then she kissed a stranger she met on the plane.
• His wife died. Then he unexpectedly found a second chance at love on vacation.
• How two women with the exact same name became friends.
• 13 stranded strangers went on a road trip. Here’s what happened.

Chance Encounters: The Podcast

The column cultivated such a devoted following that CNN turned it into a podcast.

Now in its second season, the Chance Encounters podcast makes Francesca’s original recorded audio interviews available to listeners. New episodes, each about 20 minutes long, debut on Fridays.

“The sheer popularity of the column inspired us to think about how we could bring these stories to life in a new way,” says Steve Lickteig, Executive Producer, CNN Podcasts.

“Francesca had so many of the interviews on file that we were working with a rich repository of storytelling. Once we actually heard these stories directly from the couples, it was an obvious choice for a podcast and a compelling reason to expand the series into an audio format,” he says.

“It might sound cliché,” he adds, “but you really do form your own pictures when being told a story in an audio format and, in that way, it makes each episode of Chance Encounters unique.

“I hope these stories, whether readers are reading them on CNN.com or listening to them via the podcast, provide a bit of escapism,” says Street.

What’s Next For Francesca Street?

In 2019, Street’s work at CNN was recognized with an “MHP 30 under 30” award that recognizes accomplished young journalists in the U.K. Since then, she has received other travel journalism awards and was profiled in the Washington Post.

The Chance Encounters brand has struck a chord with readers and listeners, travelers and romantics. What comes next for Street and the series is uncertain. “It would be amazing if Chance Encounters interested some Hollywood producers,” she says.