Why solo female travel also means single
I have a guilty pleasure to confess. Since arriving back home, I have become obsessed with the Millionaire Matchmaker–the first TV show I’ve watched regularly in six years. So much so that after a lazy Sunday Bravo marathon on a friend’s couch in December, I never missed an episode. And I bought her book. And I follow Patti on Twitter.
The weird thing is that Become Your Own Matchmaker is chock-full of tips to fall in love, stay in love and get a ring on your finger. It’s nutty because I absolutely do not want a matchmaker, a love story or a diamond ring.
At home, I’m constantly the third/fifth/eleventh wheel. It seems like every week I hear of progressing relationships: someone’s relationship status changed to “engaged”, so-and-so moved in with her boyfriend, an anniversary was celebrated with a little blue box. Phrase that I’m quickly becoming sick of hearing: “Well, we’re at that age.” Another winner: “Well, you are going to settle down soon, aren’t you?”
There are some amazing travel couples out there: the folks behind the Y Travel Blog and The Planet D immediately spring to mind. There are other happily-committed travelers, like Traveling Savage and Andi Perullo. There are even some who are raising families on the road, like SoulTravelers3.
But how do you start a relationship when you don’t know where you’ll be living next week, let alone next year? And I’m not exactly interested in a “destination relationship“. I’d rather travel exactly on my own schedule with my own priorities, thank you very much.
And, more importantly, what about when your priorities are more about celebrating every birthday in a different country than getting married before 30? Or when the only thing enticing about a marriage is the thought of a honeymoon? Not to mention, I’ve still got quite a few things to cross off the pre-marriage bucket list.
The Millionaire Matchmaker makes some great points about what to look for in a potential mate, but she doesn’t mention my have-it-or-leave-it: a passport and a love of travel. And more importantly, the understanding that I’ve got a heck of a lot I want to do before I become a we.
