A single woman has claimed dating in London has become “so bad” she felt forced to “go international”, shelling out £250 to fly to Spain in search of love.
Celeste Hartley was so fed up with the ‘bleak’ dating scene in London that she spontaneously decided to fly to Malaga, Spain, on Friday, April 19, to meet a man she matched on Hinge.
The 28-year-old who lives in Brixton, south of London, had a weekend of ‘surreal’ romance on her first date with a 28-year-old from Malaga, and swears that it has given her ‘hope for humanity’ in The relationship. world.
Celeste took to TikTok to document her whirlwind experience, sharing a video of herself at the airport with the caption: “When dating in London is so bad, you have to go international,” which has now garnered 235,000 views.
In the clip, Celeste tells her followers: ‘Regardless of what happens between said man and me, it’s worth it because of how exciting all of this has been so far.’
A singleton claims dating in London has become “so bad” she felt forced to “go international” – shelling out £250 to fly to Spain to try out one of his guys.
A follow-up post reveals a compilation of photos from the brief break, including a spontaneous trip to a tattoo parlor so the two could get tattoos, sightseeing, and lots of food.
Many users praised Celeste in the comments saying that “life is about adventures” and said they were “invested” in her decision.
Other users criticized the 28-year-old for spending “too much money” on a first date.
The owner of the marketing and consulting company revealed that after meeting the Spaniard, the pair immediately hit it off with a “very good conversation” and Celeste quickly agreed to fly out to visit him during a phone call.
Celeste said: ‘I saw it on my explore page but I didn’t like it. She sent me a funny message and we quickly got into a really good conversation.
“He was asking me a lot of questions. I’m pretty bad at answering there, which kind of fuels the problem. A pretty deep conversation ensued pretty quickly.
‘We decided to meet in Malaga, which is close to where he lives, but we wanted to have neutral ground.
‘I was happy to do it because of the adventure and because I’m pretty sick of London. I’m always looking for a reason to go out. Besides, in any case, I would enjoy a pleasant vacation.
Celeste Hartley admits she was so fed up with the “bleak” dating scene in London that she spontaneously decided to fly to Malaga, Spain, on Friday, April 19, to meet a man she matched with on Hinge.
He added: “I thought ‘even if this doesn’t turn out well, it’s worth it because of how exciting the preparation has been.'”
‘There was no point in thinking he would be someone he wasn’t. But he had people waiting in case things went wrong. I told a lot of people and they said, ‘This is for you.’
The 28-year-old admits flying to Spain for a first date was “not the most normal situation” but claims her impulsive decision “is what life is all about” and justified the £250 plane ticket.
After speaking regularly on the phone before the trip, the bachelorette, who admits she has a “tendency to romanticize everything,” was thrilled to discover that sparks flew during the 48-hour date.
Celeste said: ‘I was very nervous but also excited. I have a tendency to overly romanticize everything. You start to build an idea of that person in your head.
‘I met him at the airport and it was the most surreal experience I’ve ever had. We spent the weekend together walking and chatting. It definitely wasn’t the most normal situation.
“I spent a lot of time with one person, but he did everything he could to make me feel very, very comfortable.” He paid for the accommodation and was very generous.
“I felt like that’s what life is about: doing exciting things and taking risks.” Fortunately for me, everything turned out well.”
After speaking regularly on the phone before the trip, the bachelorette, who admits she has a “tendency to over-romanticize everything,” was thrilled to find sparks flying during the 48-hour date.
The 28-year-old admits flying to Spain for a first date was “not the most normal situation” but claims her impulsive decision “is what life is all about” and justified the £250 plane ticket.
Having been single for almost six years, Celeste admitted she is “fed up” with London’s “disposable” romance culture and has become frustrated with the “shallow” nature of dating apps which has prevented her from finding a partner.
Celeste said, “I was sick of this.” He was always sitting on the edge and waiting for someone to let me down.
“I’ve gone through stages where I wanted to get ahead and then I got tired and took a six-month break. I was struggling to find someone who aligned with my values.
‘Because dating apps are so popular now, there are always plenty of other options available, so people just chase this dream of perfection.
“When they don’t find it, they will continue to jump from person to person, rather than taking the time to get to know someone.” It gets really superficial.”
He added: “Specifically in London, everyone is so caught up in the rat race and focused on overcoming all the obstacles, like finding a partner, settling down, etc., that no one really knows what they want or what their values are.”
‘Dating ends up becoming very transactional rather than getting to know the other person.
‘Dating in London is a process of validation rather than true connection. It’s very disposable and it’s hard to trust people’s motives. It’s gloomy out there.
Having been single for almost six years, Celeste admitted she is “fed up” with London’s “disposable” romance culture and is frustrated with the “shallow” nature of dating apps which has prevented her from finding a partner.
Some users criticized Celeste for how far she went for a first date
‘I think dating in London specifically is very bad. So I think anywhere outside of London, do it. There is hope for humanity.’
The Bachelorette revealed that her getaway to Spain went so well that she has now deleted Hinge and he recently returned the favor and visited her in London for a weekend.
Celeste said: “We’ve decided to make the whole ‘nationwide’ situation work.”
Many users praised Celeste for her adventurous way of dating, with one user writing: “Have fun.” Life is about adventures.’
A second said: “I flew to Turkey last week and did the same thing and it was the best decision.”
Meanwhile, a third joked: “Good for you” and a fourth added: “Inverted.”
However, some users criticized Celeste for how far she went for a first date.
One social media user said: “Too much money to spend on a first date.”
Another chimed in: “It’s already a red flag if he doesn’t come to you first.”