'I was sick of my local dating pool so now I travel to date men in different cities'

Kirst Irvine has transformed her dating beingness acknowledgment to a little-known house-sharing app that has allowed her to walk up to a period astatine a clip dipping her toes successful aggregate cities

A pistillate who was near frustrated by her section dating excavation has decided to spice up her emotion beingness by hatching a blase home-trading strategy that has taken her crossed Europe.

Kirst Irvine, 40, from Newcastle, moved to Edinburgh much than a decennary agone aft surviving successful London, but has recovered the Scottish capital's dating country lacking. She said she ended up having to "cross-check" with her azygous friends to guarantee they weren't dating each other's exes, and likened the metropolis to a "village".

Instead of accepting a less-than-ideal emotion life, the Geordie decided to up sticks and indulge successful a European tour, and she has participated successful a big of once-in-a-lifetime experiences acknowledgment to a home-sharing site. She credits HomeExchange for allowing her to bask moonlit Vespa rides done Paris, spontaneous margarita dates, and cosy home-cooked meals.

Kirst told Edinburgh Live she spends up to a period astatine a clip overseas utilizing the app - which facilitates location swaps overseas - dipping her toes successful aggregate European cities portion sharing her two-bedroom, two-bathroom flat. She uses her clip overseas to research caller dating horizons portion working, allowing her to support beingness "varied and lively".

She said: "You should effort to summation the aboveground country for serendipity. I'm gathering much people, I'm expanding my community, and portion I don't privation to beryllium azygous astatine this age, I've recovered the tools to support beingness varied and lively, acquisition surviving successful caller places and physique a beingness I truly like.

"It keeps beingness interesting." Kirst started her travel by swapping her Edinburgh level for a akin London spot for a fewer weeks successful July 2023. She moved connected to Paris for a fortnight successful October 2023, and past enjoyed a two-week travel to Lisbon successful March 2024, followed by a week successful Amsterdam successful July, and period successful Berlin successful September.

While staying successful European cities, Kirst said she uses a premix of Hinge and Bumble to organise dates, immoderate of which person proven unforgettable. During a archetypal day successful Paris, she was picked up by a antheral connected a Vespa and whisked done the city's streets earlier they stopped for wine.

She said: "That was beauteous magical. Even though the existent day itself wasn't amazing, that volition enactment with me. Vespas person featured rather heavy successful my dating overseas - a feline I dated successful Berlin for a period had a Vespa and we spent weekends hopping connected and off, a java here, a brew there.

"I dated a feline who picked maine up successful his Tesla and we went for margaritas connected a Thursday night, I've been cooked for successful people's homes, it's been fun. Being British and blonde - adjacent though it's by nary means exotic - you bash basal retired a bit." Her caller dating beingness is simply a show antithetic from what she experienced successful Edinburgh, she added, which occasionally saw friends going retired with idiosyncratic different idiosyncratic slept with "a mates of years ago".

She said: "You spot the aforesaid faces implicit and implicit again and you besides person to cross-check with your different azygous girlfriends. You tin beryllium retired for brunch with a woman and accidental you're going retired with a feline adjacent week, but they've slept with him a mates of years agone oregon they've crossed paths - the dating excavation is rather small."

But they aren't ever perfect, arsenic immoderate of her experiences person been unusual, Kirst said, adding: "In Berlin, I went connected a day with a feline who came connected truly beardown and bought maine acheronian chocolates due to the fact that helium said we could usage them for an aphrodisiac later... helium did not execute his aim.

"There's besides a truly celebrated spa successful Germany called Vabali and due to the fact that it's Europe, you don't deterioration swimwear. One feline suggested we spell autochthonal and spell determination for our archetypal date. I'm beauteous bold but not that bold. While I'm up for amusive dates, I besides support successful caput my information and yet I'm looking to conscionable idiosyncratic much serious."