Latest news with #FrancescaStreet
Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
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: 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 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.
CNN
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
CNN Podcasts to Launch Season Two of 'Chance Encounters' on June 27
June 25th, 2025 Chronicling Incredi ble True Stories of Travel Connection NEW YORK, NY – (June 25, 2025) – CNN Podcasts announced today the return of Chance Encounters , hosted by CNN Travel Writer Francesca Street and based on Street's popular digital column of the same name. The second season of the series will premiere Friday, June 27 and will continue to highlight the extraordinary true stories Street has captured of friendships and relationships formed on the road. By utilizing the original interview session recordings, the first season of Chance Encounters brought Street's reporting to life and invited audiences to experience the raw emotion and wonder in her subjects' voices for themselves. The upcoming set of episodes is built around the theme of 'Summer Love,' and will continue to envelope listeners in more of these feel-good tales of travel fate: from a librarian and a yacht captain unexpectedly crossing paths in Mazatlán, Mexico in the summer of 1968, to a decades-long missed connection that began as a teenage crush on a 1993 European holiday. 'Our show is the perfect listen for the summer vacation season,' said Street. 'Whether on the beach or in the skies, I hope these episodes will be a fitting soundtrack for all of your adventures this year.' Chance Encounters will debut new episodes on Fridays and will be available to listen wherever you get your podcasts. The first episode of the new season follows Catherine Tondelli, a Californian woman who met her Italian husband, Fausto, in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, right after she threw three coins into the fountain's waters and made a wish. CNN Podcasts is the exclusive producer of audio content and podcasts for CNN Worldwide including All There Is with Anderson Cooper, Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta , The Assignment with Audie Cornish, Terms of Service with Clare Duffy, The Account from CNN, CNN 5 Things , CNN 5 Good Things , and CNN One Thing. Listen to all CNN Podcasts content at . ### About CNN Worldwide CNN Worldwide is the most honored brand in cable news, reaching more individuals through television, streamingand online than any other cable news organization in the United States. Globally, people across the world can watch CNN International, which is widely distributed in over 200 countries and territories. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination, with more unique visitors than any other news source. Max, Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming platform, features CNN Max, a 24/7 streaming news offering available to subscribers alongside expanded access to News content and CNN Originals. CNN's award-winning portfolio includes non-scripted programming from CNN Original Series and CNN Films for broadcast, streaming and distribution across multiple platforms. CNN programming can be found on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español channels, via CNN Max and the CNN Originals hub on discovery+ and via pay TV subscription on CNN apps and cable operator platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world's most extensively utilized news service partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. About Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of branded content across television, film, streaming and gaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit . CNN Podcasts Press Contacts Alex Manasseri Mark Duffy Francesca Street Press Contact Anna Beth Jager
CNN
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
CNN Audio Launches Chance Encounters Podcast Hosted by Francesca Street
February 12th, 2025 Based on Street's Popular CNN Digital Series Exploring the Enduring Power of Travel Connections Episode 1 : Listen Here NEW YORK, NY – February 12, 2025 – Just in time for Valentine's Day , CNN Audio announced today the latest offering in their podcast portfolio, Chance Encounters , hosted by CNN Travel Writer Francesca Street. Based on Street's column of the same name, Chance Encounters shares the incredible, cinematic real-life stories of travel connection Street has documented over the years. From romance that sparks at 30,000 feet to friendships found on the road, the series embraces the magic of travel, and the power of the connections we form in the most unlikely of places. Episodes will feature the original audio recordings from the interviews Street conducted for her hit series. The first episode of Chance Encounters is available now and follows Italian traveler Cristina Farina, who in the summer of 1984 was stood up by a man she met on an airplane, only to soon bump into her future husband in London's Trafalgar Square. 'I love speaking with people about their amazing and inspiring stories of how travel can lead to unexpected romance and lifelong friendship,' said Street. 'It's my privilege to be entrusted with these journeys, and I'm delighted that the Chance Encounters podcast is bringing them to life in a new and wonderful way. I'm certain listeners will love hearing the joy, the passion, and the emotion in the voices of travelers who took a chance and said yes when destiny struck.' Francesca Street is a London-based digital journalist at CNN Travel. In addition to her work on the Chance Encounters series, Street also interviews travelers from across the world about their experiences and explores travel news. Street was awarded an MHP 30 under 30 Young Journalists Gold Award in 2019 in recognition of her work at CNN. She also won the Breaking Travel News award at the Travel Media Awards in 2019 and 2020, and picked up Business Travel Journalism Awards in 2020 and 2023. Street has been profiled by The Washington Post , and four of Street's 2024 articles appeared in audience monitor Chartbeat's round-up of the most read articles of the year. Chance Encounters will debut new episodes on Mondays and will be available wherever you get your podcasts. CNN Audio is the exclusive producer of audio content and podcasts for CNN Worldwide including All There Is with Anderson Cooper, Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta , Terms of Service with Clare Duffy, CNN 5 Things , CNN 5 Good Things , CNN One Thing , The Assignment with Audie Cornish , and more. Listen to all CNN Audio content at . ### About CNN Worldwide CNN Worldwide is the most honored brand in cable news, reaching more individuals through television, streamingand online than any other cable news organization in the United States. Globally, people across the world can watch CNN International, which is widely distributed in over 200 countries and territories. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination, with more unique visitors than any other news source. Max, Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming platform, features CNN Max, a 24/7 streaming news offering available to subscribers alongside expanded access to News content and CNN Originals. CNN's award-winning portfolio includes non-scripted programming from CNN Original Series and CNN Films for broadcast, streaming and distribution across multiple platforms. CNN programming can be found on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español channels, via CNN Max and the CNN Originals hub on discovery+ and via pay TV subscription on CNN apps and cable operator platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world's most extensively utilized news service partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. About Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of branded content across television, film, streaming and gaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit . Press Contacts Alex Manasseri Mark Duffy
