Chance Encounters

The unexpected connections you make while traveling can change your life: from romance that sparks at 30,000 feet to unlikely friendships that begin on the road. Chance Encounters, the podcast companion to the hit column on CNN.com from Francesca Street, chronicles incredible real-life stories of unforgettable travel connections.

Episodes

Rome: We Fell in Love at the Trevi Fountain

June 27, 2025 • 24 mins

American Catherine Tondelli won a trip to Rome, Italy in the summer of 1999. On her first night, she threw three coins in the city's Trevi Fountain and came to face-to-face with her future husband, Italian local Fausto Mezzana. Here’s how a vacation romance turned into a love story spanning 25 years and counting. Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Episode Photo: Steve Christo/C...

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"I'll take a chance, hop on the back of his motorcycle."

March 17, 2025 • 22 mins

When Rachel Décoste traveled to West Africa’s Republic of Benin in 2018, she was anticipating a life-changing trip. Then she jumped on the back of Benin local Honoré Orogbo's motorbike and the trip changed her life in more ways than she ever could have imagined. Read Rachel & Honoré's story on CNN.com Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas...

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“After that night we were instantly like best friends.”

March 10, 2025 • 20 mins

Adopted from South Korea to the US as a baby, Linsay DeBates returned to her birth country for the first time in 2000, aged 19. By chance, she met fellow American Doug Gist during the trip and a friendship began that continues 25 years later. Read Linsay & Doug's story on CNN.com Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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“I found the guy I'm going to marry on a trail.”

March 3, 2025 • 19 mins

Trish Salazar and Aaron Toro connected instantly while trekking in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park. Within days, they were committed to a long-distance relationship and planning a future together. Then life took another unexpected turn. Read Trish & Aaron's story on CNN.com Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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"We went out skinny-dipping that night."

February 24, 2025 • 20 mins

Canadian student Bianca Gignac only had a few days left in Italy when she crossed paths with Italian local Alessandro Morelli in the beautiful Cinque Terre region. Here's what happened when she decided to stay longer. Read Bianca & Alessandro's story on CNN.com Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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" We started flirting in Mongolia. We kissed in Siberia, somewhere on the train."

February 17, 2025 • 16 mins

Frenchwoman Marie-Claire Martineau and American traveler Elaine Comerford were thrown together by fate on board the Trans-Siberian Railway in the summer of 1991. Here's how that serendipitous railway journey turned into a decades-spanning romance. Read Marie-Claire & Elaine's story on CNN.com Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....

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“Just a brief second can change things in a wonderful way in life."

February 10, 2025 • 16 mins

Italian traveler Cristina Farina arrived in London in the summer of 1984, only to be stood up by a man she met on an airplane. But then Cristina started chatting with American stranger Matt Reineke in London’s Trafalgar Square, changing the course of their lives forever. Read Cristina & Matt's story on CNN.com Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

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Introducing: Chance Encounters

February 5, 2025 • 1 min

The unexpected connections you make while traveling can change your life: from romance that sparks at 30,000 feet to unlikely friendships that begin on the road. Chance Encounters - the hit column on CNN.com from Francesca Street - chronicling incredible real-life stories of unforgettable travel connections makes its podcast debut with CNN Audio just in time for Valentine’s Day 2025. Each week, Francesca brings us incredible storie...

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