I’m dating a man in every country around the world – I won’t stop even if I find someone I like
AN adventurous woman has embarked on a speed-dating excursion with potential suitors from around the globe.
Worldly bachelorette Starly Santos set a goal to date one man in every country — but not necessarily to find love.
“I want to do at least 100 dates, even if I find someone I like,” Santos told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview.
Over the past three months, the 27-year-old has spent time with men in 12 countries: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and America.
And only Mr. Indonesia was a major disappointment.
Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Starly has always had the itch to live the life of a nomad.
After college graduation, she began reviewing hotels and restaurants for work, never staying in one place for too long.
She was being paid to experience every country’s culture — and by herself for the most part.
“I was traveling. I was going on dates naturally,” she said.
Starly had two long-term relationships: one guy from the Netherlands and one from India.
So, she’s no stranger to finding love in faraway places. In fact, she prefers overseas romance.
But it wasn’t until a friend said she found Starly’s life more interesting than anything on Netflix, that she was inspired to embark on and document the ultimate dating journey.
Starly decided she would limit herself to one date in every country and spend only four or five days in each place to ensure she hit 100 in a year.
She explained: “I was curious about where else in the world I could fall in love.
“Not just with the person but also the place. And I wanted to just do something unique while I was still young.
“I don’t want to do this for the next 10 years. Eventually, I want to find someone and get married and all that.”
Although she does get lonely on her solo trips, her desire to explore and meet new people overpowers the feeling of isolation.
Right now, Starly’s focus is tasting the world’s platter to see what and who she likes.
Since embarking on her emotional expedition, Starly’s met a guy at a hotel, has gone out with mutuals, and has started rolling applications for interested men who want to take her on a date in their country.
She has also met some of the men on dating apps.
The spontaneous woman trades cryptocurrency and uses the money she makes to pay for her travels.
However, the dates are mostly funded by the men.
Generally, every guy is from the place she’s visiting. However, Starly’s had to make exceptions.
“So for example, the guy in Colombia, he was born and raised there, but then he moved to the U.S. from like, 14 onwards, and we went to college together,” she said.
“But he’s still Colombian, so we have some sort of heritage tie. The idea is to find someone local.
“If I’m in a Middle Eastern country where the locals really don’t date because it’s not common in Islamic cultures, maybe I’ll see a foreigner who’s lived there for a couple of years or something like that.”
Every suitor has to be OK with Starly filming and photographing the date to post on social media.
If a man isn’t comfortable with that, she won’t entertain them.
Language hasn’t been an issue because the men usually speak English, or Starly will speak Spanish with them.
While she remains open to strong connections, she’s unwilling to cut her quest short for anyone.
She has no problem extending her trip to a specific location for a couple of days, but not indefinitely.
Every man knows about her short stay and is OK with seeing her for a single date or two back-to-back — if she’s interested enough and has the time.
“The line of thinking is that even if I do meet someone that I really like, I want to keep traveling,” she proclaimed.
“We can stay in touch for at least a year. That’s kind of how I would know if it’s the real deal. If they’re serious about me, they can come to meet me in another country in that timeframe.”
All her dates treat her to incredible cultural experiences.
Starly’s been impressed by most of the men — Mr. Bombay and Mr. Venezuela specifically.
Her two-day affair in Venezuela included island-hopping on a boat.
But Mr. Bombay blew that experience out of the water.
She said: “He invited me to his birthday party, which was like on a yacht with his friends. And then the next day, we had a one-on-one.
“We walked by the water at sunset and then we did Harry Potter trivia because we’re both super nerdy. So he’s my strongest connection so far.”
Her no-drinking policy and vetting system had proved effective in finding good matches.
Starly hadn’t encountered a situation where she felt unsafe until Mr. Indonesia.
She admitted: “He was just a little too creepy. He was a little too touchy.”
Within hours, Mr. Indonesia mentioned marriage and asked to shower in her hotel room.
Starly was taken aback, feeling very anxious and uncomfortable.
“Then the next day, after our date, he kept video calling me. I didn’t answer and he sent a voice note, cursing at me for not replying to him. He was just a little unhinged.”
“I think all the guys want to touch or kiss or whatever because that’s how guys are. This one was just over the top.”
“I am a little fearless without as much concern for my physical safety as I should, but I have my locations always shared with my family on my phone.”
Contrary to what some might think, Starly described herself as “conservative.”
Making out with Mr. Bombay was the most physical she’s been with any of her dates. She knows her boundaries.
Starly never goes on a date with any expectations or preconceived ideas.
She said: “I’m obviously open-minded. But my mindset is I want to keep dating. I want to keep going.”
On having high expectations, Starly admitted: “I think that’s more pressure and can ruin things.
“And I feel more free and confident, knowing that it’s not that high of an investment.”