I’ve been flirting it up with a friend of mine. He’s tall, athletic, very ambitious, and seriously hot. In other words, he’s totally my type. The only problem is that he is also totally European, as in he lives in a Northern European country some 5,000 miles away!

Now, I’ve been toying with the idea of dating someone in another city, or possibly even another country, anyway. I figure since I don’t discriminate against potential suitors based on race, religion and/or hair color, why discriminate based on geography?

Besides, according to matchmaking expert Patti Stanger, finding Mr. Right is really a numbers game, and when casting a wider net your chances of success improve significantly. Patti also claims that people in long-distance relationships tend to seal the deal a lot faster because of the I-miss-you factor. So, for those of us who wouldn’t mind having a shot at baby and Beagle before reaching our mid-40s, being open to some traveling might not be such a bad idea. After all, it beats having to pull a Madonna and frequent Malawi later on, kids and boyfriends in tow.

Since I travel a ton for business, I’m thinking it could work. I could easily meet an eligible bachelor while on the road. The one I’m interested in travels a lot too, which makes the scenario that much more plausible.

I see several more arguments in favor of on-location romancing:

When seeing someone new there’s no need to become attached at the hip for the first few months anyway. The distance is bound to keep the relationship fresh for a while.

There’s something very romantic—not to mention sexy!—about meeting up in a luxury hotel somewhere.

When we’re finally together we are 100 percent there for each other, with no mundane chores like laundry, cleaning, or grocery shopping to come between us

When we’re not together, I will have plenty of time to focus on my career, friends, and gym routine.

On the other hand, of course, it is kind of depressing that:

It could take a long time to really get to know each other. And, the object of my affection might not be who he says he is (see Tiger Woods and the movie Up in the Air).

I can’t just call him up for a late night tryst whenever I’m in the mood for some TLC.

In order for an LDR to go anywhere there must be a game plan, meaning that someone should be willing to relocate eventually. And, since I have the sweetest job in the world and an apartment I love, you can guess who I’m hoping that will be!

I did exchange a few soft kisses with Euro-guy last time I went overseas. Much to my surprise, sushi and red wine led to cuddles and fun time (but nothing too elaborate). Even though we knew some of the same people and had been linked up via Facebook and LinkedIn for a while, I was genuinely surprised when our interaction, usually strictly friendly, suddenly turned steamy. So, since we’re continents apart and communications have been limited in the past four months, I assumed it was just a one-time rendezvous.

Not necessarily, as it turns out.

Since it became clear that I’ll be in his neck of the woods again in May, Euro-guy has practically been spamming me with texts saying how much he’d like to see me again. Do I take the bait, or play it safe and stick to boys who reside closer to home?

Generally speaking, I think there might be lots of George Clooney-like globetrotters out there, who are eager to combine business travels with some bi-coastal or inter-continental romance. So, why not get a piece of that action?

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

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