"Let's go to Hawaii"

When someone suggested going to Hawaii for a first international gathering of the Queens of the Universe (the regulars from the wwwomen.com discussion group), I thought to myself "Lucky them". But 15 months later I found I was one of the lucky 'them'. This trip was a big adventure for me. Not only was I travelling outside Europe for the first time, but also more importantly, I was going to meet some of the wonderful women, who had become a part of my life. The anticipation prior to the trip was intense; I bought books, borrowed books and checked websites to find a clue as to what to expect in Hawaii.

As the excitement mounted, emails zipped back and for at an alarming rate between the travellers - as many as 85 in the last weekend before we left home. I was a little nervous about the trip - I know we had corresponded regularly on the boards over the course of up to 18 months since I stumbled across the site, but what if...? Could a group of 8 women of diverse and varied backgrounds rub along happily together for a week?