It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer.
School’s out, the airports are crowded, and a new warm weather season is upon us.
With that in mind, it’s also a busy time for online dating, with new singles joining dating sites to find a summer romance, or maybe even more.
As a dating coach, I always recommend that singles expand their search by changing their zip codes. If you knew the person of your dreams was in another city, would you be willing to hop on a plane to meet him or her?
To make it easier to date while in vacation mode, I have two approaches that work well.
- Act like your in vacation mode. Have you ever noticed how friendly people are while they’re on vacation? They let their guards down and don’t size each other up based on their resumes and work history like they do at home. As a result, it’s easier to strike up a conversation with someone who’s sitting next to you on a plane, or poolside as you sip on a frozen libation. If your summer doesn’t include a fantastic trip to the Greek Islands, why not act as if you’re there? Try smiling more often, engaging with someone who’s not your usual type, and even the playing field while leaving work behind.
- Go on a Date-Cation. This means getting prepared in advance, by joining or being very active on an online dating site before you leave, using mobile dating apps when you’re there, changing your profiles to indicate that you’ll be on vacation and listing the city, and going on dates every day while you’re gone.
While the thought of becoming a serial dater while on vacation might not sound appealing, it’s effective, and you’ll have an opportunity to be the out-of-town girl or guy everyone wants to meet.
While I recommend going into the vacation zone for singles, whether they’re home or venturing out to another city, don’t just take my word for it.
Online dating site Plenty of Fish polled over 1500 singles in the U.S. aged 18-60 to find out how they felt about dating while on vacation. It turns out the majority (over 70 percent) were open to the opportunity to go on a date while out of town.
While I’m not an advocate of the ‘Mile High Club,” 52 percent of singles in the POF survey had experienced having a great conversation with someone on the plane, and 20% actually hooked up on a plane or a train.
If you find yourself seated next to someone attractive and exciting, be bold and take it a step further. Ask the person who you shared your life story with at 15,000 miles in the sky if they’d like to meet for a drink or go to a museum while you’re in town.
Some other fun facts from the survey include:
- 49 percent of singles had gone on a date while on vacation.
- 40 percent of singles had a vacation fling.
- 22 percent of singles fell in love while on vacation.
- 46 percent used a dating app to scope out singles in another city before traveling there.
- 16 percent of singles ended up in a long-term relationship with someone they met while on vacation.
All of these possibilities are just a click, swipe, or smile away.
Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam.
Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and an award-winning dating coach. She’s the CEO and founder of Cyber-Dating Expert and has been coaching singles on finding love online for almost 25 years.
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