Love on the road

You're sitting in the airport departure lounge where tinkly muzak is wafting through the air as you wait to board your plane. You turn to your right and notice a mysterious, smoking hot stranger a few seats away. Your eyes meet for a few magical seconds, time stands still and the first thought that enters your mind is, "Oh, wow. I wonder if we'll have a chance to get together".

I'm exaggerating, of course, but you know what I mean. We've all experienced this- gone on holiday, locked eyes with a good-looking stranger and almost immediately, considered running away with this person.

It's a given that you have better chances of meeting someone when you're travelling by yourself. Whether you're a guy or a girl, if you're alone in a foreign land, you instantly become more attractive and 'available' to both locals and fellow travellers. It's got nothing to do with how you look. Even the most average-looking person under five feet two (yes, that would be me) can attract a second glance if he or she happens to look different from everyone else.

So should you or should you not, take things further with someone you've just met on holiday? By all means, go ahead if you want to. I did- I'm keeping in touch, long distance, with a guy I went out with while overseas recently, but what's important is not to expect too much.

In fact, one shouldn't expect anything to come out of it:

1- No matter how well both of you clicked, that might just be IT. Full stop.

I met Andrew from Ireland at Vientiane airport on my way back home a few years back. Coincidentally, he was also headed for Kuala Lumpur so we started chatting and ended up sitting next to each other on the plane. We enjoyed each other's company so much that we sat together in a shuttle bus from the airport and exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers. When he called a day later  from a public phone (he couldn't use his mobile) and asked to meet up, I wasn't free so I asked him to call the following day. I never heard from him.

2-  If you're a single female, always keep your wits about you

Everything is wonderful when you're travelling. You're happy to be away from home and the skies aren't just blue, they're glorious. Every day is an adventure, every flower is beautiful, every bird singing a symphony- you get the picture. It's normal to let your guard down when you're away, but try not to let that happen, especially when you know nothing about the person you've just met.

3- First impressions can be (very) deceiving 

At times I wonder whether I leave my sense of judgment behind when I'm on holiday, and I'm speaking from experience here. Be wary when you make plans to meet up with someone you met while travelling because you might be disappointed when you meet him or her again. This goes back to how travel makes everything seem fascinating. In a foreign environment, anyone who is different from you is 'exotic' and 'interesting'. That cute backpacker whose habit of saying,"You know what I mean? You know what I mean?" after every sentence, which you found so endearing in Mongolia, can have the opposite effect back home. The same person who took your breath away on holiday can turn out to be a pretentious idiot when you return to real life. Be prepared for "What the hell was I thinking??" moments.

4-Having said that...

If you can remind yourself to be realistic and not expect too much, just go out and have fun.