I LOL everytime somebody gasps, gawks, pauses or is otherwise astonished by the fact that I meet people in person who I’ve “only talked to on the internet”. I thought we got over this as a society long ago, but apparently not.

I met:
- one long term romantic partner (7 years)
- 3 girls I dated for long periods of time (several months)
- countless friends (ok, actually countable, but like.. 10+ that I regularly still talk to)
- the recruiter who got me my first big ‘career’ job
- a martial arts instructor
- many of the people I know from the film scene in Austin, TX
- Arbie, the first person I stayed with on my trip to the Philippines

…all on the internet.

My last post reminded me of some of the reactions I’ve encountered from people lately about meeting people “from the internet”. The asker, walkingbase, is couchsurfer and traveler who of course understands the value of such interactions. Many other people still don’t get it though.

I understand the need for caution. I understand that I’m now traveling in places that are not familiar to me and in countries where I am probably in greater danger than my home country.
Just play it smart.