Finding love anywhere can often be hard. Yes, our family and friends love us deeply, but I am talking about that partnership between two people, that romantic everlasting love held between two people. Who knew that I would find love while traveling!

Traveling:

I was sitting in a TESL training class talking with a friend about her current boyfriend. She had met this guy while she was in Peace Corp and we had started to talk about finding partners while traveling. I had not traveled as much as she did, but she had some great insight to share.

When traveling, we meet lots of people that are like minded. We meet people that have the same concepts of fun and what life could look like.

Many travelers end up meeting many other travelers because they love traveling, seeing the world, learning new cultures, and enjoying new experiences.

I was told by many people when I left home that I would meet my wife. Maybe that is what people tell others as they go off to foreign lands, but I think there is a lot of truth in those statements.

My Tale of Love on the road:

Sitting at the age of 30, my friends were all getting married; some were even having kids. Sitting and watching this happen, made me realize that I needed a change of pace and something new.

I was thinking about moving away from America and doing some traveling. Life had thrown some curve balls, and sitting and waiting at a dead end job, was not the life I had imagined for myself.

I was soul searching and looking for a way to give my life a bit more purpose. There was the thought to go and seek some adventure and travel to see the world; to find something that is beyond the borders of the Continental United States.

People had said to me, “Steve you will find your wife.” Honestly, I brushed that off. I was not in search for my wife. I had finally come to the realization that I could be single for the rest of my life, so why not enjoy this part of life by myself.

The move to Taiwan:

Moving to Taiwan changed this thinking. A friend of mine suggested that I should get on a dating app to meet new people. It was a brilliant idea. I could go about meeting new people, exploring parts of Taiwan, and maybe find a partner. 

I had failed at relationships so far, so it was not as hopeful as it could have been. Then it happened. I jumped on an app called ‘Bumble', and came across a beautiful Asian girl. Well, I was in Taiwan and there are many beautiful people around but this girl’s profile caught my eye.

As a Christian, I have been more attracted to fun, outgoing, outdoorsy Christian type of girls. She said she loved Jesus, and I decided to pursue it.

What really sold me was that she was frugal and loved to travel. She was also an Aussie, so she had a cool accent as well. I never thought I would meet an Asian Aussie. I was a little naïve as later on, I realised there are tons of Asian Aussies.

This girl’s name was Sarah. We eventually started dating, and I took my first trip abroad, outside of Taiwan with her, down to Melbourne, Australia for a family Christmas.

Trips and Travel:

Sarah and I began to travel together. Since we worked at different schools, we had different holidays.

We were able to see Sri Lanka alone and together. I had to go to Sri Lanka first for my winter break, and Sarah joined me half through my trip.

We then took a 3 day trip to the Maldives, and came back to Sri Lanka for a few more days.

It felt special traveling with Sarah. I had done tons of reading of blogs to learn about travel. Sarah had lived travel for most of her life. She had spent two years traveling the world. One year was spent on a mission trip, and the other year was spent seeing some of America and some of Europe.

It was quite impressive listening to her stories. We began an adventure together, traveling the world one place at a time.

Eventually, Sarah and I got married.

The Cummings Team:

Sarah brings a wealth of traveling experience in the relationship that is something I cannot fully grasp as of yet. I bring the knowledge of getting cheap flights, finding cheap accommodations, learning how to collect points in order to travel more and travel cheaper.

Together we have become a great team. It is not everyday you meet a great teammate, but on this road of life, living in a new country, I found love.

Right now, we reside in Taiwan and welcome anyone to visit. We love to take people around, eat food, adventure in the many outdoor activities Taiwan has to offer, and spend time with each other.

We have had several friends couple up now as they have traveled to new places, and it is amazing to see the world change around us.

Other Love Stories:

I can obviously share my love story of the open road, but as I grow older, wiser, and grow in my relationships with people, I find that more and more of my friends eventually meet partners while traveling.

I can count at least 10 of my friends that have coupled up, gotten married, or even engaged while traveling. It is so hard to believe that you can find your love interest while doing something that is incredibly enriching like travel.

Not all love stories start off with people leaving for far away lands to meet the love of their life, but it is amazing how many people I have met that have met their significant other while traveling.

I believe because of common interests, styles, values, and the curiosity of new experiences, people do find their partners in travel.

What is your love story?

If you have a story of meeting your love while on the road, let me know. It is great to listen and read about other people's stories.