Meeting long lost relatives?

Question:I've been doing a genealogy search on my family's heritage for about two years now. Last year I found some of my relatives in Arizona. We shared information back and forth during that time. A couple of days ago, I received an invitation to come and visit them. We are thinking about taking out vacation next year to visit them. Has anything ever happened to you like this? Did you go and visit them? If so, would you do it agan?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I've been doing a genealogy search on my family's heritage for about two years now. Last year I found some of my relatives in Arizona. We shared information back and forth during that time. A couple of days ago, I received an invitation to come and visit them. We are thinking about taking out vacation next year to visit them. Has anything ever happened to you like this? Did you go and visit them? If so, would you do it agan?

For me, that is standard operating procedure for genealogy. I lived in CA when I started research... eventually organized a reunion in TX, and wound up moving here, because I love it.
I met my current husband online, and wound up being a distant cousin to my daughters (via my ex). My daughter and husband share a far back ancestor.
At this point, I hardly know anyone who isn't a relative in some way, across the country.

No, it hasn't ever happened to me. I would be thankful that I dodged a bullet. Or two!!

About 7 years ago I found some long lost 4th cousins on line and chatted with them for a year or so and then invited them to visit our family farm here in Oregon. It is the farm that has been in the family since 1852 and was farmed by my great, great grandfather who was also their great, great, grandfather. They were thrilled to find out that we still had the original homestead farm in the family and it was still a farm. We all got together and had a really fun time.

I LOVE meeting long lost relatives. I have had several experiences with this and have had a great time every single time. I even had a couple come to visit in the states from the Netherlands!! We went to visit all of the sites in my area. It was so funny, I took them to visit the Fort Worth Stockyards and Paul, the husband bought this hat that was actually an armadillo. He looked so silly with a stuffed armadillo on his head, but he didn't care! It was great. Another time, I went on a business trip to Florida and stayed at the home of my third cousin once removed and his wife. I hadn't met then until a year earlier. What a wonderful couple and being able to share the lineage at a personal level rather than over the phone or by mail made it that much more special. I think you should go for it! If you feel funny staying with them, you can always get a hotel room in the area.

Yes, I am UK based but have tracked blood lines all over the world, This last summer we had the good fortune to visit Australia a country I have fallen in love with hook line and sinker, While in Sydney I spent a couple of days with some long lost cousins, I say long lost, there line moved out of Cornwall pre 1841 and landed in Australia early in the 1850's, my Line move into South Wales in about 1870, We had a truly wonderful time share storeys and photo's, I hope that your trip goes well. when we deal with our Family History we can become obsessed with tracking our dead relatives, to meet living, breathing ones makes a nice change.