{"id":510040,"date":"2026-02-28T16:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T16:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510040\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T16:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T16:49:14","slug":"womans-brave-2000km-act-at-just-21-after-impossible-situation-with-aussie-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510040\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman’s brave 2,000km act at just 21 after ‘impossible’ situation with Aussie men"},"content":{"rendered":"

Single Aussies, particularly young ones, are massively broadening their horizons<\/a> in their search of The One. Back in the day, the only people you’d be able to fall in love with would be those you’d run into in your local area.<\/p>\n

Modern dating apps have gone a long way<\/a> in connecting singles with each other, but even then, those yearning for a relationship can be left feeling like the dating pool is still tiny<\/a>. That’s exactly how 21-year-old Claudia MacDonald felt before she met her boyfriend.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old told Yahoo Lifestyle that even though her city was fairly big, it was still tough to find love.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

“The dating scene on the Gold Coast can sometimes feel impossible,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I was single for seven months before I met Jacko and I think for many, it can start to feel like you’re constantly running into the same people or patterns and need a change of scenery for a fresh perspective.”<\/p>\n

Research from Tourism New Zealand found three in five Aussie singles are open to travelling overseas to meet a romantic partner.<\/p>\n

Gen Z is the most willing to jump on this trend, with nine in 10 singles up for finding love in somewhere that’s not Australia.<\/p>\n

And they’re prepared to go far, with the most popular places Aussies would be looking for a connection being the UK (a casual 17,000km away), New Zealand, and Canada.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com<\/p>\n

The more than 2,000km gap between these two love birds<\/p>\n

She met her boyfriend while she was on a holiday in New Zealand last year.<\/p>\n

They first crossed paths with Jacko at a party before a music festival and “immediately” clicked.<\/p>\n

She ended up spending every day with him during her 10-day holiday.<\/p>\n

“By the time it was over, I didn\u2019t want to leave,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Even though she had to head back to the Gold Coast, they kept in touch and less than five months later, she was back on a flight across the Tasman to move her whole life over to Auckland.<\/p>\n

“I felt a strong need to follow my heart. I realised that following my heart meant taking that big leap and building a new life,” she added.<\/p>\n

“Love finds you when you\u2019re least looking for it.”<\/p>\n

Why you should consider broadening your horizons<\/p>\n

Claudia has been loving life ever since she took the plunge and moved to New Zealand.<\/p>\n

She urged other single Aussies to follow in her footsteps if they’re sick of going on the same dates with the same people.<\/p>\n

“Switch it up and travel to a new country with an open mind, especially if the Aussie dating scene feels a bit brutal,” Claudia said.<\/p>\n

“When you’ve explored your usual circles and still haven’t found a deep connection, it can definitely make you search for something new.<\/p>\n

“For me, that feeling was a huge part of what made me so open to embracing a new adventure and finding that incredible, once-in-a-lifetime spark elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\"Claudia<\/p>\n

Claudia never thought in a million years she would give a person from overseas a chance, but she followed her heart and is so happy she did. Source: Instagram\/Claudia McDonald<\/p>\n

How far are Aussies willing to go for love?<\/p>\n

Falling in love with someone on a trip isn’t necessarily new and people have been doing it for decades, but it’s usually been something that’s happened by chance encounters.<\/p>\n

Many will also pull themselves out of the haze of a holiday romance, or not even allow themselves to fall into it in the first place, because of how difficult it would be to make it work long-term.<\/p>\n

But the tide is turning.<\/p>\n

People are now opening the dating apps when they land, organising first-meets, finding connections, and opening themselves up to the idea that they could make something work.<\/p>\n

SHOP:<\/p>\n

But if you want to stick to Australia to find The One, be warned of how far you cast the net.<\/p>\n

New research from insurance provider Youi<\/a> has revealed how far people are willing to drive for a first date.<\/p>\n

Nearly half (41 per cent) said they wouldn’t go further than an hour’s drive to meet someone, while 35 per cent capped out at 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

But there are some willing to go the distance, with 10 per cent saying they would travel more than two hours for a first date.<\/p>\n

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