Chance Encounters

English Channel: The Summer Spark That Never Ended

American Kerri Cunningham fell for Brit Dirk Stevens when they met as teenagers on vacation. They were each other’s first love but lived on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Then almost three decades later, they unexpectedly reunited. Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Episode photo: iStock/Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pittsburgh: Our Five-Minute Airplane Chat Led to Lasting Love

Hunter Smith was working the gate, John Lihas was working the flight. The two had a five-minute conversation that set in motion an unexpected travel love story that’s still going strong today. Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Episode photo:  iStock/Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

London: Standby Airplane Tickets Changed Our Lives

American Southerner Vickie Moretz didn’t know what “standby” meant when she booked a cheap flight to London in 1982. Just before takeoff, she was rushed onboard and seated beside Graham Kidner—a 22-year-old Brit. That last-minute seat sparked a connection that’s lasted over 40 years. Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Episode photo credit: Henry Nicholls/Reuters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mazatlán: The Summer I Ran Away with a Yacht Captain

Bob Parsons was an American yacht captain. Beverly Carriveau was a Canadian librarian. One summer in Mazatlán, Mexico, a “thunderbolt" passed between them, and their lives were never the same again. Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yellowstone: We Bonded Over Ice Cream, Then Eloped

American hiker Andrew McGowan and Taiwanese student Shallen Yu spent one glorious day together eating ice cream, stargazing and bonding over peach cobbler in Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 2013. They were determined to be together against the odds. Read more Chance Encounters by Francesca Street Share your Chance Encounter with CNN Episode photo: Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices