Penny, you absolutely need to talk with the girl on the telephone. What will you do if you are unable to meet the girl? Think long and hard about that question. It can happen and sometimes does happen! Why didn't you call her on the telephone? You can use a translator from America for $1/minute. Cheap way to find out a little about the girl. Also, your very best choices are to use Aerosvit to Odessa and connect in Kiev or Austrian Airlines to Odessa. Don't stop in Kiev. You have never been there, don't know anyone, etc... Go directly to Odessa.
Make arrangements to stay at a hotel. The apartments are nicer. But here again, what are you going to do if you don't actually meet the girl? Like Gecko, I had a bad experience with AFA.
You have been corresponding for four months and never talked on the telephone? Hmmmm.... She has a hard time going to the internet cafe. But she never asked you to call her on the telephone? Hmmm..... She never gave you her telephone number? Hmmmm.... If she is earning an average salary, the cost of an internet cafe is expensive. Most girls would not correspond past one month if they are paying for the internet cafe and there are no telephone calls. There is not a single viable reason why you would not have spoken on the telephone. Not one! Maybe she doesn't have a telephone?????? lol No way!
Be smart! Make a telephone call. If she doesn't want to talk on the telephone, you don't want to go to Kherson.
Avoid instant messenger programmes unless one is sure of the person one is allowing in. These programmes come in beyond a firewall thus allowing the other person access to anything that may be on one's PC, online banking log-ins, credit card details, emails and passwords, any documents etc. etc. etc.
And as for file sharing on such programmes, might as well call it "share a virus"!