Top 5 Tips if You Are Dating a Foreigner

For many people, traveling to a far-flung land and falling in love with an exotic stranger would be the ultimate fantasy, and there’s no reason that falling for someone from a foreign country should be anything but wonderful. However, there can be difficulties with dating outside of your culture which can be tricky to overcome and a little bit of guidance from us could really improve your chances of making it work. Here are our top five things to consider when starting a relationship with a foreigner.

1. Are Your Cultures Compatible?

Love is a wonderful, primal thing which can sometimes blossom in spite of your differences. However, while these differences can seem fun during a short-term holiday fling, sometimes they can make long-term compatibility almost impossible. Having an honest conversation about your morals and values will help you to realize if you’re on the same page as long as you’re both totally up-front about what you want from life. Will you or they be expected to convert to a religion before you marry or have kids? Will you live in your country or theirs? Do they or you even WANT kids? All of these things should be talked about at length.

2. Can You Live Elsewhere?

Unless you choose to live somewhere in the middle, there’s a good chance that one of you will have to move to where the other one lives. If you’ve not got much of a connection to your home country or like the idea of living abroad, then that’s great, but for many people living abroad is not an option as it means living away from friends and family, as well as needing to learn new languages and customs.

3. Do You REALLY Know Them?

The allure of dating a foreigner is often in the mystique that surrounds them, however, we’ve heard many stories from people getting entangled in relationships abroad which don’t end so nicely. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement but always keep your safety at the forefront of your mind. It’s possible to be completely blindsided by someone, even if you feel you know them well, so try not to jump in with both feet too quickly.

4. Language Barriers

If neither of you is fluent in the other’s language then, eventually, you’re going to run into trouble. While their pigeon attempts at whispering sweet nothings may be charming at first, constant misunderstandings are going to get old quickly. If you’re serious about the relationship then taking an online course to get you up-to-speed in their mother tongue would not only be a great help to your relationship but your loved-one will also probably be eternally grateful for the effort you’re making.

5. Ignore the Haters!

No matter how happy or compatible you and your foreign beau might be, there will ALWAYS be people pouring doubt on your relationship. It’s normal for your nearest and dearest to have your best interests at heart and want you to be safe and happy, but beyond this, they need to pipe down. They may not agree with your relationship, but if they love you they’ll come around. Don’t let their negativity get inside your head because it has the potential to wreck things before they’ve even begun.