I flew 6,000 miles to meet a stranger for a date
Among the passengers who boarded the packed airliner from London to Vietnam last November, one in particular was lost in deep thought. And little wonder.
Lucy Rout, 30, was about to fly 6,216 miles on a whim to have a date with a man she'd met months earlier at an awards ceremony in London.
After three years as a singleton who had given up on romance, she was heading out to join the virtual stranger on his tour of Southeast Asia.
It was to prove the gamble of her life. 'I was so super-nervous but also really excited too,' she tells Metro.
'He was sending me lovely messages throughout and we spoke on the phone during layovers which definitely helped to ease the nerves a bit. But of course, I was thinking, 'What happens next? What if this is a terrible mistake?'
To add to the plot, Lucy's flights and trip were funded by holiday company G Adventures, who spotted her callout on social media and decided to help.
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Lucy texted her date during stopovers. 'He met me at the airport with a mango smoothie, which is my favourite,' she says. 'We had a huge hug and it felt normal and completely natural straightaway.
'When I got to my room he had blown up two huge '30' balloons as it had been my birthday the week before and left some really thoughtful presents for me.'
So what happened next? 'We spent a blissful 10 days looking at temples, kayaking down the Mekong river, playing Monopoly Deal and getting to know one another,' says Lucy. 'It was pretty much perfect.
'I got inundated with love stories while I shared my story on social media, too. I heard from women who travelled to China for a second date and now they've got four kids. I got a message from a woman who flew to Sierra Leone for a second date and ended up married for 30 years before the love of her life passed away.
'I heard so many true love stories that sometimes get silenced by the noise of online dating. It gave me the courage to follow my heart.'
Lucy's journey to romance began with that awards ceremony in the capital.
'We ended up bonding over the fact neither of us won and had a couple of drinks,' she says.
'There was definitely a connection but after a first date a few weeks later and a coffee catch-up, I was due to go to Colombia for three months. He suggested we get together before we both went home.
'We decided to go for dinner on a cold Monday. It was miserable, the worst day of the week for a date and we'd both worked really long hours beforehand. But the minute we met, there was suddenly an instant connection and I fancied the pants off him.
'We had a glass of wine or two and he suggested I come to Vietnam to see him while he was there. We both joked about it but after the date we went from texting every day, to calling one another every day, and it started to become slightly less of a joke and a bit more serious.
'I asked my followers on Instagram whether I should travel all the way to Vietnam, where he was, for a fourth date and I was overwhelmed by thousands of them telling me that I absolutely should, so I did. I also reached out to G Adventures, who offered to support my trip.
'Reading the messages I was sent online and seeing that 97 per cent of women on my Instagram told me to go for it, made me realise that it's OK for women to make the effort.'
She continues: 'We're not in a fairy-tale narrative waiting for a man to come and rescue us or ask us to dance, we can be brave and chase what we want romantically.
'I arrived in Vietnam for our official fourth date in November and we've been together since then – and I'm the happiest I think I've been.'
Brian Young, managing director at G Adventures, says his team were inspired by Lucy's courage to fly halfway across the world for love. 'We knew we knew we were the people to help her on her mission,' he says.
Lucy's route took her and her date from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city, on to Bangkok and then sailing to Phuket.
'I know how bizarre it sounds and how intense it seems, but we're so happy and I'm not sure I'd have taken the risk without such support from my social media,' says Lucy. More Trending
'Through sharing my romance so far, I've had women tell me they've been brave enough to give a guy in a coffee shop their number or ask someone out they've wanted to for ages.
'I know we're in the early days of our relationship but we've talked about the future and we both want the same things. Travel and adventure are a big part of our plans.'
So too, it seems, is love.
Classic Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city – ten days, starting from £1,019 pp excl flights. Key locations include Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue and Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh city.
Cambodia Experience: Nine days from Ho Chi Minh city to Bangkok, Thailand. Starting from £829pp excl flights. Ho Chi Minh city to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, then on to Bangkok.
Sailing Thailand: Ko Phi Phi to Phuket – four days, starting from £699pp excl flights, taking in Ko Phi Phi, Ko Racha Noi, Ko Yao Yai, Phuket.
See gadventures.com to book.
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