Ghosts, True Love & the KGB—Your Best Travel Stories

To celebrate my new travel mystery After the Ferry, I asked you to share your own gripping travel stories. Here are the four best entries who've just won a copy of the book!

 Turkish Delight by JLV

"At 42, recently divorced, I met and fell in love with a man from Turkey. He went back to Turkey without saying goodbye. Having never left the USA, I bought a one way ticket to Istanbul, applied for a short-term teaching job, said goodbye to my family and left. I did not tell my lover my plans. After doing my teaching gig, which was a wonderful experience, I tracked down my lover and, two weeks later, we were married. We have been married 10 years now. I was so scared not knowing what to expect in a foreign country and not knowing my lover's feelings. I have never regretted my decision."

 Spy Kids by Mike B.

Three friends and I were, unbeknownst to our parents, traveling through Germany and Austria—in 1967, at the height of the Cold War. We were 16 and 17 years old—riding rented Vespa scooters during the day and camping in remote areas at night. On the 4th night, we were arrested (by non-German-speaking military men; I couldn't understand them). The charge was 'suspicion of espionage.' We found out soon that we had ventured into Communist controlled Czechoslovakia at an unmarked rural border crossing. We were in the custody of the Soviet KGB. . . "

A Near Miss by Nancy Marte

"I travelled to Jamaica by myself after my friend cancelled at the last minute. Met a guy that worked at the resort I was staying at and he invited me to a party with some of his friends. I had the funny weird stomach butterfly feeling so I told him yes as I did not want him to be suspicious of me, then changed rooms at the resort and stayed away from the area he was working. This was in the 1980s. Never regretted this decision." 

Spirited Away by Sammi K

"Went on a Ghost tour on the QEII Long Beach, California with my daughter and granddaughter. When we got to the swimming pool area, they turned off the lights and boy was it really dark.  While we listened to the story, something grabbed me but I couldn't see what. When the lights came back on I didn't see anything. I left the area rather quickly and won't be going back."

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send in their travel stories. I loved hearing your tales of shady travellers, feisty friends, unexpected soul mates and seriously close shaves. I'm sorry I can't give you ALL a lovely prize, but I have chosen FOUR winners instead of three, as promised. So, it's a big CONGRATULATIONS to the subscribers, above, whose stories all captured my imagination. 

You have all just won yourselves a FREE copy of my latest eBook AFTER THE FERRY. I'll be in touch soon with details on how to claim your prize.

Everyone else can grab their own copy by clicking here.

Happy reading, everybody!

xo Christina

Tell Your Wildest Travel Story & WIN New Travel Mystery/Suspense

It happens every single time… 

No sooner have I started telling the true story behind my latest mystery / suspense After The Ferry (see the full story from a past newsletter, below), when the listener invariably rushes in with an extraordinary travel tale of their own. Some stories are sad, some shocking, some sidesplittingly funny, but the ones that grip me the most are the ones that end with words like, "I was so lucky! It could have turned out so different!"

That's what I love about travel—you throw caution to the wind and yourself open to fate. Travel makes you a hostage to destiny. Anything can happen and it often does! At the very least, you meet all kinds of weird and wonderful people and have all manner of wild and wondrous experiences. 

And THAT'S what I want to hear from you! Have you, or someone you know, got a 'near-miss' travel story? A gripping adventure to reveal? A tale of sailing very close to the wind? If so, jot me a few lines today. The best THREE stories that come in over the next week will score a FREE e-copy of my new book. (And just for the record, those of you who have already shared your stories with me, no need to re-send—you're officially in the running!)

But first, the rules…

1. Please keep your stories short and sweet. No more than a few sentences or I won't have the time to read them or the space to repeat them.
2. Please only send gripping tales—something memorable or life-changing that happened to you or someone you were travelling with.
3. Stories must be received within the next seven days to be eligible for the prize. Just reply directly to this blog, leaving a comment below, or sign up to my newsletter and email me that way: calarmer.com.
4. You MUST be willing to share your story and your name (but not your full email address) in my upcoming calarmer.com newsletter. If you don't want your details revealed, best not to apply.
5. Due to the enormous number of entries that I usually receive, no correspondence will be entered into before, during or after this competition (in other words, I won't be able to reply to each story but I will read them, I promise!) 

That's it, folks. I look forward to hearing your near-misses and/or magical, memorable travel moments.

Now, for those who missed my past newsletter (you can sign up at calarmer.com), here's the true story behind my latest psychological mystery. Just scroll down to the blog, below, or click here!

Happy reading, everybody.

xo Christina