London is an increasingly cosmopolitan and diverse city. We have thousands of international students and professionals coming in every year. The never-ending flow of people allows you to be surrounded by a myriad of characters and customs, which makes finding a right-fit partner just a bit easier. However, we want to dig into what an “international relationship” can actually mean.

It is indeed a unique place to be living in. Not only for the cultural and social reasons, but also because you don’t have to travel halfway across the world if you’ve always dreamed about dating someone from Latin America or if you simply love that Australian accent. London brings them all to you!

How to approach international dating?

Now, international dating is all super exciting in our global world. However, let us not forget that as much as foreign culture makes your potential partner unique, it might also mean that he/she has a different mentality and perception of the world. Therefore, to make it easier for you to match with the person of your dreams, CLiKD has thought of some tips on how to make your multicultural dating experience successful:

1) Drop these stereotypes

If you are going on a date with that sexy Spanish guy from a magazine cover, do not ask him to dance flamenco with you and sing along to all of the latest Enrique Iglesias songs. Also, ordering a shot of vodka instead of aperetivo for a Russian lady might not be the wisest of ideas.

2) Be curious, ask questions

Learn about the person’s character first, as you are dating a person, not a country. Then, in the process of getting to know each other, you can get quite an accurate understanding of their culture. However, in order to prevent misunderstandings, do ask their opinion, instead of confronting them with common archetypes!

3) Beware of cultural differences

Coming from a different background, a person may have a very dissimilar perception of dating as a whole. Some may take it more seriously than others, and certain things may be regarded as unacceptable in one’s mentality. Therefore, it is imperative to set up a friendly atmosphere, where you would both feel comfortable talking things through with each other at any time.

What can go wrong?

Breaking these rules when trying to build an international relationship may result in some uncomfortable situations, where the person may feel like you have a biased opinion about them because of their cultural background. It may also lead to conflicts where both of you would feel stubbornly entitled to your opinion and refusing to compromise. However, the problem could just lie in the fact that you have had different upbringings and treatments of certain situations and beliefs.

Also, sometimes your foreign partner, especially at the early stages of the relationship, maybe shy to tell you about certain opinions that he/she inherited from their country that might be different in London.

Nevertheless, the benefits outweigh the negatives….

Now that we have put forward our disclaimer and warnings, we want to highlight the undoubted pros of dating and having an international relationship:

1) Broaden your horizons

As cliché as it sounds, it is one of the most rewarding things to do. Being open-minded, unbiased and curious will get you far in life. Being in a relationship with a foreign partner will give you all of these qualities.

2) Travel the world

Perhaps your new friend/partner will invite you to their home country, and you would never be able to find a better guide to get an insider experience of the culture. It is a unique opportunity to learn and fall in love with another place on our beautiful planet!

3) Learn/practice a language

What a sneaky, but effective idea – meet a boyfriend/girlfriend who is a native speaker of a language you are learning. A massive improvement, along with slang knowledge, is guaranteed.

4) Eat delicious national food

Explore some new recipes and taste the authentic cuisine!

5) Meet new people/get inspired

You are sure to meet your partner’s friends/family that come from different places too. You’ll have new company of friends, form connections and get inspired by the people and minds that surround you!

So, we hope that helps…

… And encourages you to go out and build international relationships with different people that London hosts. Who knows? Maybe your “one and only” has traveled miles to meet you here! To help you with that – download CLiKD by clicking on the link below!

By Maria Tsarkova