Travelling overseas to find a romantic partner is nothing new.
But in recent years, the trend of ‘passport bros’ – a man, usually from the US, Canada, Western Europe or Australia who chooses to travel or relocate abroad – has dominated social media.
Dating is often the main motivation, but other factors such as cost of living and quality of life can play a part too.
But now, a man has claimed that ‘passport bros’ have ruined the image of the male solo traveller.
He shared his views on Reddit though his account @too_many_inquiries.
He wrote: ‘I planed a trip to Colombia in December a few months ago and due to recent events and advice from some of my friends changed it due to safety concerns in the region.
‘Know I would probably still have been ok going but it was stressful for my parents so I decided to do Peru instead.
‘However one other factor that did play a role was the reaction I get when I would say I am solo travelling in Colombia for a month.’
In recent years, the trend of ‘passport bros’ – a man, usually from the US, Canada , Western Europe, or Australia who chooses to travel or relocate abroad in search of a better lifestyle or love interest – has dominated social media
He added: ‘I have been on two dates where I have mentioned this trip to them about how I wanted to learn Spanish, about how I thought the history was cool, about how I was staying away from super touristy spots.
‘One date just said straight up – “well that’s a red flag.” And the other got noticeably uncomfortable when I brought it up, and I had to defend myself.
‘Also co-workers and friends say, “Oh, you going to meet someone there.”’
The traveller said he knows some of these comments are intended to be humorous.
But he added: ‘I honestly find “passport bros” detestable and the whole movement is gross.
‘Due to the security issues I may have made this decision anyway, however constantly having to defend myself for wanting to go to this country that I thought was cool got kind of exhausting and definitely pushed me over the edge.
‘I have solo travelled before so this is not a crazy thing for me to do. Have any of y’all experienced this before or maybe I just give off that vibe? And if I do give off the passport bro vibe I think some introspection is needed.’
Many readers noted they had similar experiences too.
But now, a man has claimed that ‘passport bros’ have ruined the image of the male solo traveller (stock)
One wrote: ‘Here now, can confirm. Got straight up accused of being a sex tourist.’
Another chimed in: ‘Despite having a son and being happily married, the number of comments and looks every time I mentioned I was going to Thailand was stupid.’
A third responded: ‘Passport bro-ing has been a thing in East Asia and Europe for decades.
‘The image of the solo male traveler was already ruined decades ago by the East Asian and European escort/prostitution-seeking men.’
