I’ve dated men in 25 countries around the world — here are the best, worst and weirdest places for romance, from ‘magical’ New York to ‘chivalrous’ London and ‘chauvinistic’ Mexico
From getting picked up in the pouring rain in Milan to taking a helicopter ride over Central Park, this American woman traveling the world in search of love has certainly had her fair share of interesting dates.
Anne Marie Hagerty began a “global search” to find her husband two years ago after splitting from a man she thought she was “going to marry.”
Since then, she has visited 25 countries, exploring the dating scene in each country and collecting anecdotes such as souvenirs. She posts her dating adventures on her TikTok account (@annemariehagerty), where she has amassed 50,000 followers.
The 28-year-old spoke to MailOnline Travel about her international encounters and shared details about the most romantic spots and places that failed to capture her heart.
Anne Marie Hagerty (above) has dated in more than 25 countries on a ‘global quest’ to find a husband. She is pictured above in Mykonos, Greece
MailOnline Travel spoke to Anne Marie about her dating adventures. She told us about the most romantic places in the world and places that didn’t capture her heart. She is pictured above in Petra, Jordan
Before her dating quest, Anne Marie was certainly no stranger to travel. She moved from a small town in North Carolina to New York, has flown everywhere from Japan to Panama, and even lived in India when she was 18. But, she said, dating abroad opened her eyes to a “whole different side” of travel. .
The most romantic places, she claimed, are New York, Italy and Croatia. Anne Marie described New York as her “number one” place so far. And said it’s a “big part” of why she moved there.
She explained: ‘The serendipity of the city is magical, plus the fact that you are surrounded by millions of people, but when you find one special person it feels like you are living in a super romantic movie.
“I love grand romantic gestures and unique experiences, and New York is the best place in the world to make those things happen. For example, I scheduled a meeting with a man to fly in a helicopter with doors over the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Central Park.”
New York is Anne Marie’s ‘number one’ place to find men. She said it “feels like you’re living in a super romantic movie.” She is pictured above in the West Village
Anne Marie said dating in different countries opened her eyes to a “whole different side” of travel. She is seen in the photo on the left in Plitvice National Park, Croatia, and on the right on a beach in Split, Croatia
And Italy also left her swooning with delight. There she experienced one of her ‘best dates’. In Milan, Anne Marie was picked up by a stranger in the pouring rain. “He walked up to me and said, ‘I think you’re beautiful, I’d like to take you out to dinner,’” she said.
Lake Como was another passionate place. She said it is “hands down the most romantic place I have ever been in my life.” But overall, she claimed it was difficult to find dates in Italy.
Meanwhile, Croatia, she said, was just as romantic and easier to meet people than Italy. She explained: ‘It has the charms of Italy, with a more off the beaten track feel. And people were generally friendlier and open to dating early on.”
Although not as romantic as some places she has visited, Anne Marie said London was one of her favorite places so far.
Anne Marie is pictured in Notting Hill, London. She claimed that the city is one of her favorite places in the world so far
Anne Marie has not enjoyed the dating scene in every country. She found it difficult to meet men in Switzerland. She is pictured on the left in Lucerne, Switzerland. Anne Marie said: ‘I noticed that the Swiss are more insular’
She found an ‘interesting combination of men’ in the British capital, and wAlthough she had some “weird encounters,” she said most were “sweet, reserved and quite chivalrous.”
What made it stand out? She said: ‘There is a sense of global connectedness and the ability to connect with the world in some way.
‘There’s something sweet about British culture for me too. There’s tea, there’s Sunday roasts, it’s just very sweet and very family oriented.”
But Anne Marie was not impressed by the places she visited. She said Colombia is an “amazing country” with “cool food” but the dating scene is “not for me.”
She explained, “There’s a little bit of this throughout Latin America, but it’s a very machismo culture that I don’t buy into.” Mexico was another place where she found men “quite chauvinistic and pushy.”
She also struggled to connect with men in Switzerland, where she said it was “difficult to get to know people more deeply.”
She added: ‘I discovered that Swiss people are more isolated and tend to stay within their group. I respect it and they are very nice, but they are not the most welcoming to newcomers.”
While Anne Marie visited dozens of countries with the intention of finding a husband, she has not yet found one.
For now, she’s enjoying the process, meeting new people and exploring connections without “high expectations.”
For more from Anne Marie visit her TikTok www.tiktok.com/@annemariehagerty or Instagram www.instagram.com/annemariehagerty.