Wanderlove, The Dating Trend That Just Might Transform Your Love Life

If you're seriously considering entering a new relationship with someone who doesn't live in your city, or even your country, then you're not alone. Bumble predicted a dating trend that's sure to transform the way many of us start selecting our partners: wanderlove. A portmanteau of love and wanderlust, the wanderlove dating trend combines people's passion for travel with their desire to find a romantic connection. As if love wasn't a big enough adventure already. 

The popular dating app formed this trend prediction using data gathered from a survey of over 10,000 users. In the survey, Bumble asked if its users would be open to starting a relationship with someone outside of their city. When a staggering one-third of its users said yes, the dating app decided to coin the term wanderlove. 

Wanderlove is a refreshingly positive dating trend that breaks away from its less ideal cohort of dating-related language, like situationshipsbreadcrumbing, and benching.

The benefits of wanderlove

Wanderlove sits at the intersection of long distance relationships and holiday romances. Not only do you get to reap the benefits of being in a stable relationship with wanderlove, but also experience the exciting adventures packed into the relationship due to its nomadic nature. From weekend getaways spent seeing your partner, discovering your area through their fresh eyes, or traveling to new locations together, the relationship is heightened by forming meaningful memories together that break you out of your everyday routine.

The link between quality time and traveling might be why there are entire industries dedicated to rehabilitating marriages with expensive retreats and why the positive effects of traveling on relationships have been so well-studied by research teams, like the U.S. Travel Association. One of the association's surveys found that couples who travel together report higher rates of satisfaction in areas like communication and intimacy. Notably, 63% said that they believe travel is an important aspect of relationships, from nurturing a relationship in its beginning stages to keeping it strong once it's established. Couples who made travel a priority also boasted better communication in their relationships. 

It's more accessible than you might think

The rise of wanderlove is symptomatic of a much larger revolution happening in the workforce: the WFH takeover. Remote work has become an increasingly available option to employees since the 2020 lockdown, with 22% of people citing the freedom to travel and relocate as a benefit they're most excited to take advantage of, according to a report from GitLab. The digital nomad population has been consistently on the rise since 2019, per a data report by Statista. This shift in work and lifestyle has undoubtedly impacted people's perception of an acceptable dating pool, specifically expanding it to singles who live outside of their immediate area. 

You don't need to be a digital nomad to experience wanderlove, just someone who enjoys travel and is open to making connections. According to a poll of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll for Exodus Travels, 23% of people met their spouse while on vacation. Even more interesting, the poll revealed three in 10 people have dated someone they met on a plane. 

It goes to show that wanderlove might be seeking you out, even if you're not looking for it.