I’m a free spirit, which means there are always other places to go and people to see. Unfortunately, living like this often means leaving a wake of ex-boyfriends in my path. I don’t believe in breakups or long, drawn-out goodbyes—I just move to another city.
- It started with my first love. My first relationship—if you can call Panera dates, backseat makeout sessions, and movies in my parents’ basement a relationship—was in high school. We dated for two years. It was all very sweet and innocent and we were “in love.” Then during senior year, two days before graduation, I found out from a friend that he was cheating on me. The next day I accepted admission to a university in Florida and ended up moving a thousand miles away, never to see or speak to him again.
- My college boyfriend didn’t fare much better. After spending some time being single in college, “finding myself” and the like, I met a guy who ended up living a block away from me. We spent the next year together in a 10 block radius. To me, that district was us—every cafe, every view, every person I saw walking down the street. After a year of being on and off, unable to move on from whatever we had going on, I decided my only option was to physically move. Bye!
- Next came the fling. By this point, I was a homeowner, I had a mortgage, and I wasn’t planning on packing my bags and fleeing town anytime soon. So when I met a guy at a hockey game who was being relocated for work in a couple months, I naturally dove right in. There’s something so easy and comfortable about dating someone you know there’s no future with. We had a fun, laid-back few months, then off he went with no strings attached.
- When I decided to relocate, I figured a pre-move fling would be fun. A year or so later, I made the decision that I was moving to Australia as soon as I found someone to rent my house. I was set to move at the drop of a hat and I felt like it was the perfect time to start up a relationship. While out one night, I ran into an old friend at a bar, and while drunkenly flirting, I invited him to a party I was having the next morning at my house. to my surprise, he actually showed up, from that point on we were inseparable. My apartment stayed on the market for a while until New Year’s Day, when I received a call from my property manager that I had a tenant. I packed a suitcase and booked a one-way flight to Australia. While I enjoyed the company of my new beau, I knew it wasn’t going to last, so rather than breaking up, I simply moved more than 10,000 miles away.
- An overseas love was next. When I moved to Australia, I had a six-month working/holiday visa—the perfect window of time to casually date someone before moving yet again. On one of my solo road trips along the country’s coast, I met a bartender. At this point in my travels, I was starting to feel a bit lonely so I entered a lukewarm relationship that dragged until my visa finally expired and it was time to move back home.
- There was a guy waiting for me once I got back. Shortly after arriving home, I started feeling restless yet again. With so much of the world to see, I couldn’t sit still or stay for too long, so I booked a one-way flight to New Zealand after Christmas. I had three months left at home before leaving, so like clockwork, I met my next fling at a wedding that weekend. Knowing I had an exit plan allowed me to relax into things. As much as I enjoyed this person, when my time was up, I was happily on my way.
- At one point, I did think I met “The One”… kind of. When I arrived in New Zealand, I camped and hiked my way around both islands solo—no plan, no destination, nothing tying me down. I think that’s the thing I struggled with in relationships and why I was seeking these short-term flings. Like anybody else, I crave close relationships, but I don’t want those relationships to prevent me from living my life on my own terms. So when I met a sweet French guy on the beach who was living and traveling like myself, we bonded. I already had my exit ticket to Bali purchased, so I felt free to get close to him and we spent the next few weeks traveling together. It was all so romantic, and then, just as quickly as it started, I was off.
- Finally, I’ve found the perfect guy. There was something about Bali, something magical. I had an overwhelming sense that something big was going to happen there and it did. Within a week of living on the island, I met an Aussie at a co-working space who was working and traveling the world just like me. I had no plan for what would happen after Bali; I had no outbound flight booked, no next destination in mind. Yet I was more open to this person than I’d ever been with anyone else… ever. He was a runner too. He couldn’t sit still and he was in love with the world. After two days, we moved in with each other, and on our third date, we booked a trip to Singapore. Within a month, we were off to Europe and we’ve been traveling together ever since. I’ve finally found someone to run wild with and it feels amazing.
