Inbox: Packers fans are, gloriously, everywhere

9. Where is the strangest, or most random, place you've ever run into a fellow Packers fan?

Jim from Eau Claire, WI

We were on vacation in San Juan. My sister-in-law said we were all going for a walk. She failed to tell us that we were going to conquer Los Tres Picachos, the highest peak on the island. After a four-mile hike all uphill, we arrived at the top. I saw a man who was also in a sweat-soaked Packers shirt who was as miserable as I was. We laughed, high fived and simultaneously said, "Go Pack Go!" Bob from Wausau and I are still friends to this day.

Mike from Palm Coast, FL

The strangest place that I ever met a fellow Packer fan was in Dallas, Texas. I was working at the Four Seasons hotel, and I was in the employee lunchroom. Another guy sat down next to me and casually brought up the Cowboys. I told him that I didn't really care about them since I was a Packers fan. Turned out, he, too, was from Wisconsin. We become good friends and still both hate the Cowboys.

Kevin from Athens, GA

Japan. I am on one of those fast trains going to Tokyo, with the company's Asian sales team. One of the salesmen asked where I was from and then it was on. He was so happy to talk about the Packers, asking many questions. He was a diehard Brett Favre fan. So, I did what only a Wisconsin person would do – I sent him a Cheesehead. He emailed me telling me thank you and how much he liked it. He was really excited about that slice of cheddar!

Glenn from San Antonio, TX

The Christmas Market in Bratislava, Slovakia! I was wearing a Packers knit cap and a number of people came up to me and asked if I was from Green Bay. I explained I grew up in Milwaukee and was a lifelong fan and shareholder, and we chatted about the green and gold as we ate and drank in a former communist country. It was a bit surreal but also fantastic.

Roger from Eau Claire, WI

The strangest place I ever met a fellow Packer fan was in the airport in Belize. I was going on a scuba diving trip just before Super Bowl XXXI. I was wearing a Packer t-shirt when we landed at the small airport and one of the workers, a native Belizian, came up to me and shook my hand and said, Go Pack Go. Bad scheduling had us flying back on Super Bowl Sunday. I had washed my T-shirt and when we got to the airport, I saw the same worker and threw him my T-shirt.

Patrick from Indian Land, SC

My wife and I were touring Ireland after watching the Navy-Notre Dame game in Dublin and one of our stops was in Galway. We were at a pub and the SF-GB game had just started and I was sitting at the bar when another young couple comes in. The women had a Packer sweatshirt on which was ironic enough, but husband had a UWEC sweatshirt on. My wife and I had both graduated from UWEC (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire). Packers fans all!

David from Verona, WI

I had a conference to attend in Miami and my first concern was how I would find a place to watch the Packers. Thanks to the concierge, I was directed to a bar on South Beach. It was beautiful with warm breezes coming into the place. The place was almost empty with no local team playing so it was easy to notice a guy sitting at the bar with a Packer jersey. Not only that, as we introduced ourselves, we learned that back in Wisconsin our homes were less than 40 miles apart!

Bill from Clive, IA

On a business trip to London, I had an evening to myself, and walked into a neighborhood pub for a steak and kidney pie and some good cask ale. The bar had a rugby game on the telly in the corner, and I started watching. One of the locals walked up to the bar for a refill so I asked him a question about how rugby differs from American football. When he found out I was a season ticket holder at Lambeau, he yelled to all his mates to come over. They knew the team better than me!z

Terri from Williams, AZ

My most unique piece of Packers memorabilia is a set of Russian nesting dolls sporting the green and gold. We were on a cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia, and in a little sidewalk souvenir shop, there were the nesting dolls. Brett Favre is the outside doll, then Ahman Green, Donald Driver, and Bubba Franks. Of course, we bought them. Who would have though Russians knew about the Packers.

Bruce from Jackson, WI

The first night in Las Vegas on vacation, they were filming a movie downtown. I accidentally walked into the staging area and while observing extras dressed to the nines walk by (filming a New Year's Eve scene) someone said, "a sports fan, I like the Packers," and told me to join the line. I was wearing a Packers coat. After four hours of repeated takes, the extras around me (one of whom was a GB cheerleader) encouraged me to talk to casting. Bada bing, bada boom, I was hired and made it in the movie.

Kevin from Santa Rosa, CA

We were in Laos in 2012. My friend Shaun was born there and traveling with his family. We were on a dirt road in the mountains at a vista point truly in the middle of nowhere! My wife and I got our Packers flag out and took a picture. Across the parking lot, I heard "GO PACK GO!" There was a guy from GB with a Packers hat on. We laughed and talked for a few minutes about the Packers and how random is this? It still amazes me to this day!

Tim from Greensboro, NC

More of a strange circumstance than place. We had a layover in Chicago on our way to the 2018 Monday Night Football game against San Francisco, our first trip to GB. I noticed a woman wearing a sparkly "33" jersey. I asked if she was a fan or family. She eyed we warily and responded she loved Aaron Jones. I responded I did as well and wished he could play more. She then smiled and told me she was his mother. My wife and I had a nice conversation with her and Alvin. Turns out, Vurgess and I both grew up in Roanoke, VA.

Kelly from Stoughton, WI

About 10 years ago, we went to Roatan, Honduras, and my in-laws laughed when I said I was going to a bar to watch the Christmas game. Not only did I find a bar, but it also had green-and-gold flying and I wasn't the only one there. Even got my in-laws (Bears fans) to join for the second half.

Chase from Citrus Heights, CA

Climbing Mount Shasta. I sported No. 52 while doing the predator pose at the summit. That photo won me a hat on packers.com, but more importantly, Kristin from the Bay Area Packers group reached out to me on Facebook after seeing that photo. That's when I started going to the bar at 10 a.m. on Sundays...and I don't drink!

Mike from West Bloomfield, MI

The strangest place I ever ran into a Packer fan was at Sunrise on the summit of Haleakala, a volcano on the Island of Maui 10,000 feet above sea level. It was before daylight and while trying to find the best view for the sunrise my wife and I walked upon a couple whose wife had on a Packers jacket. We immediately stopped and watched the sunrise together. Fantastic sunrise and great conversation.

Rick from Woodstock, GA

Entering the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel in Yokohama, Japan. I saw a man in a Packers T-shirt walking through the lobby of the hotel.

Bob from Park City, UT

A few years ago, I was at a trade show in Munich, Germany. A young man was walking down the aisle wearing a Packers shirt. I went up to him, introduce myself as a big Packers fan originally from Wisconsin. He had never been to the U.S. but was indeed a Packers fan and knew a lot about the team. I asked if he was familiar with the Packers website and the Insiders Inbox. He was not, so I showed it to him on my phone. He was very appreciative and I'm sure is reading this story and smiling!

Tom from Palatine, IL

I was visiting my daughter in Dublin, as she was in Ireland studying abroad. We decided to go on the Jameson Distillery tour one afternoon and I happened to be wearing my Packers pullover. We got in line to purchase tickets and the gentleman selling tickets noticed my attire and we struck up a conversation. It turns out he was a Packers fan and as we walked away, I noticed he had charged us both student rates. Saved us a considerable amount of money and we got a drink at the end of the tour.

Dar from Mansfield, TX

Packers fans are, gloriously, everywhere. In the Ask Vic days, I lived a few blocks from the Cowboys then-headquarters in Valley Ranch, so it was common to see players in the neighborhood businesses. One morning, I was in line for coffee, Keyshawn Johnson in front of me amiably talking football with the guy in front of him. Keyshawn asked, "You a Cowboys fan?" Man replies, "No, the Packers." I chimed in, "Hey, me, too!" Keyshawn started laughing – on Cowboys' turf but wedged between two Packers fans.

Ned from Seneca, SC

The strangest place I ever ran into a Packers fan was Shanghai, China. It was just outside a museum, and he was wearing a Packers shirt and so was I. We bonded but couldn't talk with each other because he spoke Chinese while I obviously only spoke English.

William from Dix Hills, NY

New York City, 5th Avenue. I ran into a guy with a Packer jacket, who turned out to be my junior high (Kenosha) gym teacher.

Alex from Duluth, MN

Gill's Lanai in Kapauu, Hawaii. My wife and I had just hiked the gorgeous Pololu Valley and stopped for some poke and a (BYO only) beverage. The only other folks there were a couple from Pittsburgh who were both huge Packers fans. We talked about the upcoming divisional round against Seattle for almost an hour before exchanging a handshake and a knowing glance that we'd never see each other again but we're glad we'd met on that chance occasion to talk Packers.

Dave from Buffalo, MN

I toured the Rock of Gibraltar on Oct. 20, 2018. I was wearing a Packers 100 Seasons pullover and a couple from Beloit came over to greet me and asked to take a picture, which surprised me until I realized one of the famous Barbary Macaques apes was behind me. The ape was either admiring my Packers 100 Seasons pullover, trying to photo bomb the picture, or most likely trying to reach into my backpack to grab a banana! Wherever you visit, Packers fans are there. Go Pack Go!

Dale from Sedona, AZ

Tour de France prologue race in Rotterdam, Netherlands. I noticed a guy wearing a Packers hat and he said he was a Packers fan because they were community owned.

Mike from Martin, TN

Waiting to cross Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, on a travel study trip

Woody from Cincinnati, OH

I don't consider it strange anymore because it happens each time. My wife and I vacation in Hilton Head Island, SC almost every year. When walking along the beach wearing any Packers gear, we always meet other Packer fans from all over the country. GBP is truly America's team!

Steve from Eau Claire, WI

Years ago, I was camping at Indiana Dunes National Seashore when a young man happened by and struck up a conversation. It was drizzling. He was friendly and making small talk, but when he learned I was from Wisconsin, he shared with me that he, too, was a Packers fan, from Atlanta, Georgia. He had quit his job to travel the U.S. When he passed through WI to attend his very first game at Lambeau, he also stopped by my house to talk Packers. From then on, Mark from Atlanta and I have been friends.

Jeff from Omaha, NE

In the cargo bay of a C-130 cargo plane. I watched Super Bowl XLV in a large tent at Ali-Al-Saleem airbase in Kuwait while waiting for a flight to COS Garry Owen in Iraq. The next morning, I loaded up for my flight. A huge Packers flag was hanging inside the back of the plane. I asked the loadmaster whose flag it was, and she said it was hers. She was a huge fan and took the flag everywhere she went! GPG

Darren from Wakefield, MI

A few years back I took my daughter on a trip out west to the Black Hills, Yellowstone, and the Tetons. While amongst the masses of folks in Yellowstone approaching one of the sights, a dude in the crowd moving the other way must have seen my yellow Packers hat (signed by Eric Torkelson, by the way) raised his arm and yelled, "Go Pack!" I quickly responded with an arm raise and loud, "Woot! Woot!" We definitely grabbed the attention of the crowd, especially the foreigners.

Shane from Byron, IL

Where haven't I run into a Packers fan? As a sailor in the Navy, I was stationed in Orlando, New York, Virginia, and Hawaii. My tours took me up and down both U.S. coasts, and to Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Panama, Bahrain, and Mexico. I wear some sort of Packers gear pretty much everywhere and got stopped by a Packer fan in EVERY one of those places. The best was a little Thai Restaurant in Hong Kong, away from the tourist traps, where the owner comped my meal thanks to my hat.

Brent from Delano, MN

I was on a Danube River Cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg, and we stopped at the small village of Melk, Austria, for a walkaround. While enjoying a local bier, I see a gentleman wearing a Packers T-shirt. I say, "Go Pack Go" and he excitedly says back "GO PACK GO". My wife, who is a Vikings fans said, "Oh God, you people are everywhere."

Chance from Portland, OR

I was walking one day when I came to a four-way intersection that was stopped due to an approaching train. As the train passed by me, the conductor noticed my Packers hat and pulled out a clipboard he had with the Packers' G on it and showed to me. Cool experience as I'm a fan of both trains and the Packers.

Reed from Kansas City, MO

I was visiting the Great Wall of China over Thanksgiving break in 2008. It was chilly, so I was wearing a Packers hoodie. Walking along the Wall, someone passed me and said, "Go, Pack, Go." Turns out he was a fan from Germany. Small world.

Marilyn from Palm City, FL

May 2023 on remote rainy Easter Island, 2,220 miles off the Coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean. I was wearing my Packers rain jacket and went into the breakfast area. The table across from me asked if I was from Wisconsin. "Yes, born there, where are you from?" "Milwaukee!" We joked about the possibility of Packers fans meeting in such a remote part of the world, wished the Packers a winning season and agreed that "Packers fans are the friendliest fans!"

Carol from Apollo Beach, FL

We were in Zermatt, Switzerland, in 1997 to enjoy a ski trip and to watch Super Bowl XXXI. Our group of 20 Packers-clad diehards watched the game from about 11 p.m. Zermatt time to the wee hours. To celebrate the Pack's victory, we strolled down the empty streets shouting out "Our Packers just won the Super Bowl!" This, however, did not impress the local constabulary who warned us to stop it before they took us in! So, we quietly skipped back to our lodge. What a night!

Susan from Santa Cruz, CA

As a Green Bay transplant in California, my encounters here with other fans are infrequent and unexpected. One of the more unusual occurred in the fall of 2020. I have a flag I display outside my house on game days. That fall, before every game, a man ran by my house, followed by his son on a bike, and yelled "Go Pack Go!" I have no idea who this person was, and have never seen him at any other time, but this interaction was a bright spot during a challenging year.

Jason from Austin, TX

This might not be the strangest place, but my wife and I are on a much-needed vacation without the kids in Cancun, Mexico (thanks to my awesome mother-in-law!), and last night we meant two different couples at the bar we were, and they were all Packers fans. They didn't know each other, either and we spent the next 30-plus minutes talking about the Packers. It was awesome!

Chris from Kennesaw, GA

I used to take a school group to Disney World every spring and you always expect to see Packers fans there, but the strangest/funniest was this past March when I was in Lisbon, Portugal, with my daughter. I ended up standing next to a guy wearing a Packers cap and asked him, "Are you on the Love train?" He gave me a weird look and seemed to move away a bit, so I pointed to the G and said it again, "Are you on the Love train?" He laughed out loud, and we had a good talk. We're everywhere!!

Kevin from Grand Rapids, MI

This past April, my wife and I signed up for a group tour to Europe. The first night was in Amsterdam and I wore a Packers shirt to the get-acquainted dinner. A guy came up to me and explained he was a huge Packers fan, but his wife wouldn't allow him to pack any Packers gear. She explained that she was afraid that he'd meet "someone just like him" and she'd never see him the rest of the trip. Well, we met anyway and talked Packers every day for two weeks.

10. What is your favorite mantra/slogan for an Insider Inbox bumper sticker?

Rob from Prospect, KY

Bumper sticker slogans by their nature must be succinct and pithy. I'd be proud to display a bumper sticker with just one word: "Indubitably." With the two I's being laser beams.

Dan from Kitchener, Canada

Probably quite common but something I'll forever be grateful for Vic: "Memories make us rich." Honourable (yes, I spelled honourable correctly, I'm from Canada) mention also goes to "And we're off...so we might as well get going" and "I have that going for me, which is nice."

Adrian from Chula Vista, CA

"It ain't true until it's in II!!!"

Thomas from Cedar Rapids, IA

"Our stories are written in pen, not pencil. And what we choose to put on that paper defines us." ~ Wes Hodkiewicz

"Expecting to avoid adversity is the first step toward not handling it properly when it arrives." ~ Mike Spofford

Mike from Portage, WI

My favorite slogan for a bumper sticker is "Insider Inbox: No gambling, No math, No B.S. (Bad submissions)."

Don from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

"Laser Goal Posts for the win."

Randy from Ooltewah, TN

"Please stay at least 88 inches back, or my laser goalposts will disintegrate your car."

Bil from Stateline, NV

For a bumper sticker, I would have a picture of the "G", followed by, "We've got that going for us, which is nice!"

Grant from Janesville, WI

"According to my research, which might be wrong."

Derek from Eau Claire, WI

"According to my research…which could be wrong…" Just print a million and tell them to put another million on reserve.

Brad from Parker, CO

In the proper Packer colors: "WINSOME," with a picture of Vic's face and the missing thingy.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

"No Freed Lunches."

Zak from Huntington Beach, CA

"Insider Inbox: Where we still don't know whom the Insiders are" and an image of the Spider-Man meme with Mike and Wes and Dean and Lori and Dar all pointing at each other.

Scott from Sauk City, WI

I don't know about slogans, but I think that the perfect design for an II t-shirt would be Vic standing out in the cold, pumping $88 of gas, while lasers shoot out of Wes's eyes as Spoff steals a lunchbox out of the trunk of Vic's car.