ROCKIN’ REUNION

Ranelle Russell Start Date: Jun 4, 2025 - End Date: Dec 3, 2025
  • Barceló Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico

My Travel Story

by: Ranelle Russell Start Date: Jun 4, 2025 - End Date: Dec 3, 2025
Rockin Reunion 

Back in 1986, four kids became best friends on a small military base in West Germany. Now, decades later, we're planning the reunion of a lifetime.

I am writing to request financial assistance to make an incredibly meaningful trip happen—an unforgettable surprise reunion with my best friends, who I haven't seen in far too long. We're talking decades!

We all met back in 1986 on a little post in West Germany where our fathers were stationed. I became fast friends with them, and since then, our bond has only grown stronger despite the distance and time. We've maintained our friendship across continents and decades, but we haven't been able to gather in person for over 10 years.

The Plan: RockThe Tides Festival This reunion is planned around RockThe Tides festival (November 6-9, 2025) in Riviera Maya, Mexico—featuring legendary bands that have been the soundtrack to our friendship since those days in Germany. The lineup includes Mötley Crüe (my absolute favorite band that I got all my friends obsessed with), Def Leppard, and Bret Michaels of Poison. These aren't just any bands to us—they're our bands, the ones we've been rocking out to together since the 80s. My friends have no idea I'm planning this surprise for us, which makes it even more special.

The festival takes place at an all-inclusive resort, which means we can focus entirely on reconnecting, reminiscing about our time as military kids, and rocking out to the bands we've loved for nearly four decades without worrying about logistics. This isn't just any trip—it's a carefully planned, once-in-a-lifetime experience to see our favorite bands with the friends who've shared this musical journey since 1986.

Anticipated Expenses:

Travel: Airfare for four people from different parts of the country: approximately $2,000-4,800 total
Accommodation: All-inclusive resort for 4 nights (arriving Nov 6th): $7,400-9,000
Festival tickets: RockThe Tides passes for four attendees
Miscellaneous: Contingency funds for unforeseen expenses
Why This Matters: This reunion is incredibly important to me—not just as a fun getaway, but as a chance to reconnect with the people who shaped my childhood and have remained my closest friends despite decades and distance. As military kids, we understand the challenge of maintaining friendships across moves and time, which makes this reunion even more meaningful.

Your support would not only help overcome financial hurdles but also help us create memories that will last a lifetime. You'd be helping four lifelong friends celebrate a bond that began in 1986 and continues to this day.

Any assistance you can provide would be received with heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for considering our request—with your help, we can turn this dream into reality and rock our way back together after all these years.

Warm regards,
A DieHard CrueHead





  • Barceló Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Updates

1

  • Update 6-19-25

    Just a quick update to let you know, while I am getting shares, likes and reposts on LinkedIn for the gofundme post, There is still no donations. :(
    Why don’t I share to social more…because my friends would see it and find out and I wanted to keep it a surprise for them.
    Please feel free to either donate or share this with others to help me out, it would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
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