For all of us attending, the 2008 Great Slow Travel Gathering in Savannah will be a new experience, and for some it may even be the first time they meet other Slow Travelers. For others it will be a time to see old friends, and make new ones. I thought it would be fun to hear about people’s experiences at their first Slow Travel GTG.

Our “first time” was in March of 2006. Chef Judy (Diva) taught a pasta class in Sonoma, and Brad and I attended the class on Friday evening. Sharon L. was also in our class. On Saturday, Gloria hosted a wonderful potluck dinner at her home. We were enthusiastically welcomed, and met lovely people, like Motherjudy and Bill, and Gloria and Alan. Our first thought was, “these people are all so real and genuine”. This is definitely the case, so we have attended an average of one GTG a month in the last 18 months! We have made such wonderful friends, and we are getting ready to host our second annual GTG at our home in October!

We’ve been to bigger GTGs, like the Oakland picnic, Slow Bowl in Paso Robles, Brevard, NC, and Umbria. We’ve been to middle-size GTGs, in Vancouver, San Diego, Cortona and Los Angeles. We’ve had many small GTGs over dinner or lunch in La Quinta, Montalcino, Palm Springs, Pasadena, Pisa, San Venanzo, Florence, Buonconvento, Citta di Castello, and Cortona. Brad even went to the Santa Barbara GTG without me when I had a houseguest!

Slow Travelers are a friendly, warm, curious, excepting group, and because of their love of travel and new experiences, are easy to talk to, and full of stories about their travels, jobs, families and lives. They seem to love good food, conversation, some wine, and meeting others. GTGs are casual, social events that we have grown to look forward to!

We may live in different places, have different travel styles, and are of all ages, but genuineness seems to be true across the board! I look forward to meeting new ST friends, and seeing old buddies at the 2008 Gathering! If you are a new member, no need to be anxious. You will find welcoming, smiling faces in Savannah!

Tell us about your first Slow Travel GTG.

Guest Hostess, Palma

Palma, what a great idea!

I have only been to one GTG, but it was really great! After Dean opened his restaurant Dino in the Cleveland Park neighbourhood of Washington, DC, in July of 2005, many of us here at the board talked about getting together there. We were able to do it in June of 2006 and it was a great experience!

We were ten or eleven people, from DC, MD, PA, VA, and even someone visiting from Hawaii, if I remember correctly. It was great to meet Monica Pileggi, Joana, Karinka, Anne and Kirk and the others. For many it was also the first time to eat there, and we all loved the food. And as Palma pointed out, conversation was great - we all had so much to talk about! And interesting "small world" moments: turned out that Karen/Karinka's son was working with my boyfriend and we had just gone to a party at their house a few weeks before!

I also remember talking a lot about Baltimore with Joan and Eric, and it was fascinating to hear about Anne and Kirk's tours, "Music and Markets." A real fun night!

Anyway, I hope to attend more and I am sorry I will miss the Big One in Savannah... (And one day I really really would like to attend the Desert GTG, Palma!!)

Palma, this is a super idea. I distinctly remember our first GTG, the 2006 Northern California picnic. We, too, felt this was a congenial, food-loving, travel-centric group. And we were made to feel welcome from the very beginning--thanks motherjudy!

Since then, we have enjoyed GTGs in the Luberon, Venice, Paso Robles, Venice again, and the Slanted Door in San Francisco. It looks like we can count up a few more before the Big One in Savannah.

If there is a theme to this thread so far, I think it is that many people are hooked after the first GTG and enjoy attending more. So, for those of you who haven't been to a GTG yet and are considering Savannah--would love to see you there!

My first GTG was in Manhattan, not even a year ago, and it was a thrill for me to meet so many of the nice people that I have become virtual friends with on the board. Slow Travelers are a really warm, wonderful and resourceful group of people, everyone with unique stories to tell, and all of us drawn together through the common bond of love of travel. It's amazing to me how easily we all connect at GTGs - the conversations flow, there's ALWAYS good food, laughter, curiosity, and exchange of ideas and friendship.

I have since been to two more GTGs in NYC, and two mini-GTGs right here in my home town of Philly, meeting up with fellow travellers who are passing through. It is still a thrill for me every time I meet one of you, and it never ceases to amaze me how wonderful this site is.

My next GTG is at Palma Desert in October, and, of course, Savannah.

Our first GTG was almost a year ago. We were in Rome with my mom and sister. I kept telling them that we were going to meet up with a group of people from the internet for lunch. Mom was horrified - having heard all of those 'horror' stories she wasn't sure she wanted to meet up with these folk!

Now she delights in telling her friends that she has met folk off of the net. They aren't sure what to make of her now! Clearly she is a wild woman.

We had a wonderful lunch in Rome organized by the amazing Brenda (BGE). Since then we have had many GTGs both formal and informal . . . large and small . . . some active, some more sedentary . . . meeting up in the courtyard of the Uffizi, cooking with Judy in Florence, a walking tour of Venice, lunch in Toronto, dinner in Pasadena (where I got to meet my 'twin sister' Palma!), dinner with the wonderful Wendy and Rob in Monterey, lunch with the Northern California gang at the Slanted Door in San Francisco.

Good lord - sometimes I think we spend more time with our 'slowtravel friends' than we do our other ones!

We have always been amazed at just how much we all have in common. While we all come from different walks of life, have had different experiences, and have different interests, we are united by one great commonality - the love of travel. It seems to be a common trait which allows for so much conversation, laughter, and sharing.

So what is up next for us? Flying to Palm Desert for the Palm Desert GTG, Paso Robles in February, and Savannah in April. I suspect that there may even be some GTGs on our 10th anniversary trip in May/June (AKA the SECRET mystery anniversary trip).

We shall be busy!

Oh my--I think I remember the first one but not when--so I need help from Pauline, Deborah or someone. It was the year the first edition of Shannon and Ruth's book was published. Shannon organized a GTG in Encinitas (?) and many people came. Afterwards a large group went to a--what else--Italian restaurant for dinner. I remember meeting Mary (Rome Addict) who had for so long moderated the AOL Italy board.

The day before Pauline, Steve and Deborah came to our house for sandwich lunch and good talk. It was fun. This was before the GTG's got to be such a big thing.

Of course, there have been many more since then but I can't come close to Palma!! Although, if I counted up all those that we had with people last year in Italy, it would be a whole lot.

Now we look forward to Palma's next month and Savannah. And next year will not miss Sheena and Janie's.