Although most college students decide to go abroad for the cultural experiences available to them while living in a new city, there is no doubt that many students look towards being in a new city as a way to meet attractive singles that they wouldn’t be able to meet otherwise. Sometimes these meetups end up being hook ups, and others can even result in some serious dating, but in all cases, there are definitely important things to consider before diving into the realm of hook ups and dating while living abroad.
In terms of hooking up, there is no better way to do that than to simply go to clubs in the area and just experience the nightlife as much as you possibly can. The nightlife scene in Europe in particular is very comprehensive, meaning you don’t have to look hard to find a place to hang out with friends and hopefully go home with a stranger if you are lucky. You also have something going for you in the fact that you are an American. Most “locals” typically only hook up with other locals or even people from out of town in another European city. But meeting someone from America is fairly uncommon and plenty of people would jump at the chance to at least hang out and get to know them better, if not outright hook up with them. So use that to your advantage. So don’t be afraid to drop your American nationality into a conversation, as that very likely will get you into the door.
If you do plan on hooking up with anyone while abroad, keep in mind that your health is always the most important thing to consider, so always make sure that you use protection before having sex with anyone. It can be easy to overlook protection if you are feeling pressed for time, or if your partner insists on not using it for whatever reason, but any short-term satisfaction you may have is not worth the risk of disease or pregnancy due to having unprotected sex. If you are intending to hook-up with as many people as possible while you are abroad, it is even more so imperative that you get yourself the proper protection for every time you hook up.
On the flip side however, there is sometimes the case where one hook up leads to actual romantic feelings between the two of you. In addition, romantic feelings may spring up if you meet someone in a more innocent setting, perhaps starting out as friends but leading to deeper feelings rather quickly. In any or all of these cases, it is important to remember that when it is all said and done, you will be moving back to the states when your time abroad is up. Therefore it is important to be upfront about this fact before you start to actually date one another. If the other person is not comfortable dating for only a temporary time, then respect them enough to accept their decision and move on from them – no exceptions.
If they still want to be friends though, it would definitely be wise to take them up on that friendship. The great thing about friendship is that it has the capacity to last a lifetime, even more so than most romantic relationships. Even if you ultimately end up miles apart, social media today will inevitably give you two the opportunity to stay connected online, no matter how far apart the two of you may be physically. With this in mind, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there with potential romantic interests. Although the odds of the two of you maintaining a lasting romantic relationship are admittedly small, if there really is a strong connection, you can effortlessly maintain a fruitful and wonderful friendship even after your study-abroad program ends. – something worth infinitely more than some short-term dating!