She flew to meet him after they met at Octoberfest [Video]

Mandy Suess was certain the red-haired man she met at Oktoberfest was special.

When they’d said goodbye — right before this guy headed to the airport to catch his return flight to London — Mandy was struck by how happy she felt in his company. It was a type of happiness she hadn’t felt in years.

“I had a really good feeling,” is how Mandy puts it to CNN Travel today. “I felt optimistic and adventurous.”

As a week passed, then another. Mandy and the man from Oktoberfest exchanged a couple of emails. Their messages were flirty, friendly, intriguing. For Mandy, that unexpected feeling of optimism and excitement stuck around. An idea started to percolate in her mind.

Mandy decided she wasn’t going to wait around for the fates to conspire, hoping against the odds that their paths might cross again. She was going to make it happen — going …