Romantic Super-Short Travel Stories

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Kuzma / Alamy

“Newlyweds, we climbed Kilimanjaro. Husband’s knee collapsed & I carried his pack down 18,000+ ft. 16 years later: still married.”

Can you tell such a story in a single tweet? In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve revisited our Super-Short Travel Story campaign—this time with a call for romantic tales, each tweeted in 140 characters or less. The best examples range from a first meeting at 30,000 feet to an anniversary celebration in a fútbol stadium in Spain.

Reviewing more than a thousand tweets with the hashtag #TLStory has given us some insights into what makes for a romantic travel moment. Sometimes it was in the satisfaction of a discovery—say, a secluded beach or a neighborhood café at night. Other times, in surviving an adventure—together—or celebrating a special anniversary.

Of course, there’s nothing quite like the romance of a sunrise or sunset. Our Twitter followers mentioned the sun more than 140 times—further proof that the most romantic experiences don’t require rose petals or jewelry (neither of which was cited at all, in fact).

Read on for some of our favorite romantic Super-Short Travel Stories, and then tweet your own using #TLStory. The best ones will be retweeted by @TravlandLeisure—and a new #TLStory will be published in each month’s issue of Travel + Leisure magazine through 2013.

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Mallorca, Spain

Sailing off Mallorca with hubby. Boat capsizes. Stuck for 5 hrs in water. Profess our love. "We’ve had a great life." Boat! Saved. #TLStory —@csedlak1

Pictured: Boats docked (safely), Mallorca.

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Rome

Getting a nighttime locals-only tour of Trastevere from my hotel's flirty young concierge #TLStory —@ahodgin

Pictured: The Trastevere neighborhood by night.

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Hawaii

#TLStory in Hawaii for work. Flew wife on miles. Watched sunrise from Hanauma bay. Super surf on north shore. Garlic shrimp.Dinner Waikiki —@Jennas_Dad

Pictured: Hanauma Bay.

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Argentina

Y.Levy / Alamy

Rural Argentina; flooded cliff-edge road. My husband drives beside abyss—I open door to abandon ship. Discovered: love's limit. #TLStory —@afarles

Pictured: Cuesta del Obispo (ruta 33), Argentina.

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Bora Bora

Woke up to Bora Bora sunrise illuminating the overwater bungalow, smiled at my new husband...honeymoon bliss. #TLStory —@LindseyDGil

Pictured: Another beautiful sunrise, Bora Bora.

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Vermont

Aurora Photos / Alamy

Hiking boot soles detached five steps in to VT Green Mtn trail. Husband + duct tape = happy camper with walkable footwear. #TLStory —@AJDies

Pictured: Camel's Hump, Vermont’s Green Mountains.

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Italy

Arrive in MXP. Cute Italian guy approaches me, speaking Italian. I don't understand him. He plants kiss on me. Best welcoming ever. #TLStory —@_Pheeohnuh_

Pictured: Malpensa International Airport (MXP), Milan.

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Hawaii

400-ft. waterfall. Dolphin kisses. Volcano sunrise. Road to Hana. Geckos indoors. Amazingly clear water. Hawaiian honeymoon. #TLStory —@elizabeth2004

Pictured: Aerial view of the road to Hana, Maui.

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Spain

Celebrating ten year anniversary in Spain. Visiting the Camp Nou on the 50th Anniversary of the stadium. Messi scores two!!!!! #TLStory —@Migeluch

Pictured: An FC Barcelona match at Camp Nou, Barcelona.

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Istanbul

#TLStory Cafe in Istanbul. Friendly chatting with owner. Offers my husband €25k for me. He refused. We're still married. —@farbav

Pictured: One of countless sidewalk cafés in Istanbul.

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30,000 Feet

Michael Prince

He had me at Hello. Or maybe it was Good Morning. Could have been, Are you serving breakfast on this flight? Uh...yes, yes, YES #TLStory —@Heather_Poole (flight attendant)

Pictured: A blissfully uncrowded flight.

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Tanzania

#TLStory Newlyweds, we climbed Kilimanjaro. Husband’s knee collapsed & I carried his pack down 18,000+ ft. 16 years later: Still married —@katebetts

Pictured: Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

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Nightclub

"You dance like a Cuban girl" whispered through a heavy accent. Rum tobacco sweat, thick in humid air. Music, slow, sad. Close. #TLStory —@NomadOnTheMove

Pictured: A night club, Havana, Cuba.

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Las Vegas

On a plane to Vegas for an Elvis-attended friend's wedding, I sit next to a woman who a month later sets me up with a boyfriend. #TLStory —@KellyTravels

Pictured: Chapel of the Bells, Las Vegas.

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Turkey

Kerri Theaker

#TLStory my husband proposed early one morning while we were watching the sunrise on our gullet cruise around Turkey —@kerritheaker

Pictured: Kerri Theaker with her fiancé, Turkey.

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Venice

Cedric Angeles

Sailing into #Venice on your 10th anniversary, knowing you just made your wife's dream of visiting this amazing city come true! #TLStory —@Tripcity_CH

Pictured: Rialto Bridge on Venice’s Grand Canal.

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Bora Bora

Walking on the bottom of the ocean floor, feeding fish in Bora Bora while on our honeymoon aboard @PaulGauguin cruises #TLStory —@lori_gold

Pictured: A Paul Gauguin cruise ship, Bora Bora.

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New York City

Armisen in Odysseus outfit solicits me before sirens seduce w/ "No Scrubs." Then, @ SNL, I'm stared down. It’s Usain Bolt. #TLStory —@mindypeanuts

Pictured: NBC Studios, where Saturday Night Live is taped before a studio audience.

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Morocco

Wrapped under a duvet with hubby watching sunrise over Moroccan Sahara sand dunes. A camel ride later to see sunset from a dune top. #TLStory —@OurTour_co_uk

Pictured: Desert dunes, Morocco.

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France

Valeriya Potapova / Alamy

#TLStory The Seine with my lover, eating fresh strawberries with creme on Pont-Neuf, 1979; later, first taste of Orangina on Champs-Élysées. —@rrple

Pictured: The Seine riverfront, Paris.

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South Africa

Courtesy of Sarah Khan

Went to #SouthAfrica on a whim to find myself, found love instead. #sappytweet #outofcharacter #buttotallytrue #TLStory —@BySarahKhan

Pictured: Sarah Khan and her now-fiancé, Cape Town.

22 of 26

Vietnam

Rob Whitworth 2012 / Alamy

A night on a private junk boat, Ha Long Bay #Vietnam, My husband, No tourists, Balmy weather, Full moon, Rosé, Music, Breathtaking. #TLStory —@LK_inLA

Pictured: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

23 of 26

Cook Islands

Spending Christmas Eve with the hubby on #Aitutaki, Cook Islands, dancing with the locals! #TLStory —@valeriegarcia1

Pictured: Polynesian Dance Show at the Aitutaki Beach Resort and Spa, Cook Islands.

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Istanbul

Courtesy of Mangerie

In Istanbul, an autistic girl stood up from table next to mine, come towards me, kiss me on both cheeks and went back to her table. #TLStory —@goshimish

Pictured: Mangerie restaurant, Istanbul.

25 of 26

Venice

Danita Delimont / Alamy

#TLStory Venice '06: family at hotel invited us to go on midnight gondola ride. Their son played violin. Full moon, clear night. Perfection! —@OhBootsy

Pictured: Evening gondola traffic, Venice.

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Open Road

Kuzma / Alamy

Me: Where does this road go? He: Where do you wanna go? Me: You tell me... (And he travelled happily ever after) #TLStory —@anuragamuffin

Pictured: A rural European road.

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Romantic Super-Short Travel Stories

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Mallorca, Spain

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Rome

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Hawaii

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Argentina

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Bora Bora

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Vermont

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Italy

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Hawaii

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Spain

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Istanbul

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30,000 Feet

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Tanzania

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Nightclub

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Las Vegas

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Turkey

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Venice

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Bora Bora

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New York City

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Morocco

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France

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South Africa

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Vietnam

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Cook Islands

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Istanbul

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Venice

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Open Road

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