Hey,

You never know... I know a few people who have ended up getting married to someone they initially met off the internet :-) That being said, there are a few important things to do with respect to safety - meeting them in a public place, ensuring you have your own transport etc etc etc. Would you have gone if he had have offered to pay for your trip? I'd worry about that a whole heap more than my planning a trip myself (with no strings) and seeing how things worked out... Don't know where you live, but if it is a fair hike away and you don't want to go there for any other reason then it probably isn't worth it at this stage at any rate. You going to keep chatting to him over the net?