Have love, will travel

Posted Sunday, November 02, 2008, 7:04 PM by Lonely Planet

Everyone knows the real international language is love. So it's hardly surprising that so many of us are willing to relocate to far-flung places in the name of romance. I did it once. It ended in tears after two years, and actually messed me up good and proper, but I wouldn't swap my experience for anything.
Moving to the other side of the planet where you don't know a soul except your beloved puts you in a scary position. Your support circle is gone. You're dependent on your partner for your social life, emotional succour, everything.
It's a start from scratch.
But my experience is mild! At least I could speak the language and got a job relatively quickly - and it still took me about a year to feel settled. It must be a whole lot more daunting when you don't speak the language and you're not legally allowed to work, or where there's a significant culture-shock factor. Imagine what it must have been like for disco dolly Jemima Goldsmith when she married Imran Khan and moved to Pakistan!
To cut a long story short, my relationship eventually imploded and I returned to Australia. But I don't regret those two years in Manchester one bit. I made some amazing friends, saw a lot of England, got my first publishing job - and did a lot of character-building.
Have you ever relocated for love? Did it last, or did you live to regret it? Any advice for globetrotting romantics?

-Susi Watusi

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