Would you fly abroad for a blind date?
By LeighB
@LeighB (700)
Thailand
March 12, 2011 6:59pm CST
A close friend of mine told me that this weekend he was flying down to Singapore to meet and stay with a girl he had been chatting to on the internet for the past 2 weeks. He flew out on Friday and is due back on Tuesday morning. Travelling by car or train to a near by city, ok. But flying to another country!
Personally, I can't understand his thinking behind his decission.
What do you think?
Would you fly to another country to meet someone you had only chatted with on the internet for a short time?
4 people like this
28 responses
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
13 Mar 11
Oh gosh no not me personally. I think that after chatting for a while I would have to insist the person come by me where it would be safe and known territory for me.
See even in my own State in the past I have been on one blind date and although it was in a public place it was still a risk and it did not turn out so well, and this person I had chatted with for a while.
So that would be a no for me.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
13 Mar 11
Thanks for that hardworking,
I think it is a risk for both of them... he is flying to Singapore and spending money. She has offered to put him up and let him stay.
Neither of them truely know each other and all they have seen are photo's, they haven't even been on cam together, so who is to know if the photo's are true!!
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
13 Mar 11
Wow Leigh because she is a close friend advise her to make sure he has left all pertinent information as to where she is going. If she were to turn up missing no would know where she was at.
Maybe remind her of the risk. Take care.
2 people like this
@Duglaiglas (150)
• United States
13 Mar 11
wow... very daring.
It could almost be viewed as eccentric or desparate.
If your friends has so much money to just take a whimsical jaunt out of the country - I have a few things he can invest in and help me with. What to do with your money 101.... support a friend. hahaha
I say, Congratulations to doing something so out of the norm; we never know!!
My life bores in comparison.
1 person likes this
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
13 Mar 11
I would not fly abroad for a blind date. However I responded to your discussion because a male friend of mine did this. He is English and he met on-line a Canadian lady. She was divorced lady with two children. They wrote to each other on the Internet for a couple of months. She left her children with her parents and she traveled down to New York. He flew all the way from Manchester to New York to have a blind date with her. They have stayed friends and I heard a while back that she had got married to a Canadian man. My male friend has been in a relationship with a Croatian lady that lives in England. I know he likes foreign ladies and in the past has dated a Romanian lady, a Dutch lady and a Polish lady.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
16 Mar 11
Well, my friend returned after his romantic trip to Singapore, which turned out to be a disaster and expensive. When they finally met she was nothing like the photo's she had sent as they had been taken 5 years ago and now she had put on weight. Also, she forgot to tell him about her 2 year old son. So, he booked into a hotel and then was the end of the romantic weekend. At least no serious harm came to either of them.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
13 Mar 11
I can't see myself traveling o another country just for a blind date. You dont know what you may be in for and to be so far away from home, there would be nothing to do but grin and bear it. Dating is tough enough without spanning the globe for rejection.
@bond0018 (22)
• India
13 Mar 11
Oh man it would b complete madness to travel outside country jus for a DATE. No im not for it and theres no justification for most of the people to do that bcoz u cant predict if its going too be a good one or maybe ur goin to end up in high bills :))
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
23 Apr 11
As you say, it is all about time, the longer you know someone and get to know them better the more likelyhood there is of us agreeing to meeting someone from cyberland. Of course depending on where in the world they are and how much it is going to cost, both financially and risk/health wise. Example: However much I might want to meet someone from Libya, there is no way inthe present climate that I would fly in there.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
13 Mar 11
Well, I have known people who have done this from time to time, and know of 2 who have married women they met this way, and are still happily married. I guess it all depends on what motivates the person, and if it is really something you want to give a shot at you never know unless you try. I have met girlfriends who live in other parts of the US by flying to meet them, and it has drawn us closer, but never to another country. But hey, if it is meant to be distance knows no boundaries.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Mar 11
I wouldn't fly to another country for a blind date. When you only know eachother through the internet it is hard to know if the meeting will be successful or not and it also risky to go to another country to meet a person you don't know. I am married now, but when I was still single I went on blind dates in other parts of my country. That wasnt't a problem, but going abroad for a date is a lot more expensive (and risky).
I have a friend from South America who went to Europe to see a girl that he had met online. They had been in touch for a long time before they decided to meet, but unfortuneately their meeting wasn't a success. The girl was a lot differerent in real life and the relationship didn't work out.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
14 Mar 11
I have heard this so many times - people going on blind dates or travelling to meet a person and it never turning out how they had expected. Like you, I would rather reflect on how long we had been chatting, the cost and risk factors before jumping on a plane and heading to foreign shores for a blind date.
@jaiho2009 (39141)
• Philippines
18 Apr 11
I've known personally two people who met on the net and also met in person.
but not for a short time.
They've been chatting for 2 years and finally they met in person.
It's love that makes two people from different places unite and prove that distant is not a hindrance.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
18 Apr 11
Thanks for sharing that, for this friend it didn't work out. However, I do have 2 other friends who after originally meeting through a net chat site, and living only 50miles apart they started dating. After 6 years they finally got married. For her this was her 4th marriage and for him his 3rd marriage, let's hope it works for them both this time round.
@ynahh1 (454)
•
8 Apr 11
My opinion was that if you are a girl chatting with other foreingn man.I rather not to go there its because you dont know what will happened.I will insist that the man should go in my place not me.In addition I think two weeks is not enough to learned more about your date.Well I guess he was just in hurry!lol!
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
9 Apr 11
Hi there,
Well, he has learnt from doing and now that time has elapsed, he realises he did rush into things. But as he says, "If I hadn't gone I would always be asking what if..."
As you say, it isn't really safe nowadays for woman to go on a blind date without any form of company, support or back-up, there are a lot of wierd people in the World today.
@sweet_pea (3322)
• Philippines
9 May 11
Initially the offer is quite inviting. What more can be exciting traveling to a foreign country? But on second thought, I would be wary of strangers much more of those whom I meet on line. You just can't trust anybody these days. What if the guy is sick and just want to take advantage of you. I'd rather not take the risk.
@jypsyjulia (912)
• United States
6 May 11
YES. More for the travel part rather than the meeting up with the person part, though. I might be a little nervous to meet someone all the way in a foreign country that I didn't really know, so I'd force my friend to come with me. That way, if the date was unsuccessfull, we could still have fun the next day and go sight seeing, ha ha!
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
10 May 11
Yes I think it is always good to travel with a friend at least there is someone to look out for you. In this day and age one never knows what dangers lie around the corner. And to go sight seeing on ones own is never fun, a lot better to share the experience with a friend.
@inertia4 (27960)
• United States
12 Apr 11
I would never go that far. First off, I would never meet someone like that over the internet. You don't know who it may be. If I was to meet anyone from the internet, I would bring someone with me, or a couple of friends. Nowadays you have to be very careful.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
12 Apr 11
As you say, today there are a lot of wierd people out there and you never really know who is on the internet or what their true intentions are. As my friend found out, what he believed to be true turned out to be very different and cost him (financialy) a lot more than he had intended. The main thing is that at least his life wasn't threatened like it could so easily ave been.
Thanks for the response inertia.
@gopakumar85 (54)
• India
13 Mar 11
it is very tempting but you got to be insane if you go that far for a blind date, good luck to your friend,
@gringoperry (2)
•
13 Mar 11
I did, although my girlfriend had I been talking for over a year by the time we met up. 2 weeks is a bit short on time to be making such a huge dicision.
@offlimits (596)
• Philippines
13 Mar 11
I'd absolutely not.. if there are other important reasons for me to go to that country, then yes it could be, but not for the sole purpose of meeting a person who I've only chatted for a while. It's too impulsive and forward for me, not to mention very expensive and unnecessary. It would be better to think things through first rather than rushing things. Good day!
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
14 Mar 11
I too wouldn't just drop everything and hop on to a plane after such a short time frame. But, like you, if I was heading that way and could tie the meet in with another reason then I would, but I think I would still decide to book into a hotel so that if things didn't work out I wasn't beholden.
@adnileb (5276)
• Philippines
13 Mar 11
NO.
I will NOT do that. I think it's too much for you to travel just to meet that person. Maybe if that person is just a few blocks away. But to travel to another country? I won't. Maybe your friend had fallen for the girl that's why he's eager to meet her.
@tiffnkeat (1673)
• Singapore
13 Mar 11
What does your friend do? Is flying to Singapore cheap? Is he very rich?
And is the girlfriend Singapore person? it is quite interesting if singapore girls have become so open.
I won't even meet people from same country, not until i know them well enough, then again, that would be a long time....
Interesting friend you have there. I hope he doesn't come back disappointed.
@cassandra88 (15)
•
13 Mar 11
I would not do that simply because I'm a woman. It's kinda adventurous of someone to fly abroad for a blind date. I understand that your friend wants to meet the girl but somehow 2 weeks is too early for him to do such a thing. I think a constant chatting say about 3 to 6 months is fine for someone to meet his chat mate since they have established a rapport by that length of time. I must say, that flying abroad just to be with someone you meet online is a gamble for love.