The Dating Experience

I have already written on the type of women that show up at these Russian tours and I will write a little more on them in the near future. Since many of you are curious as to what type of man would make these tours, I thought I would share my observations.

First off, there were a few guys like me: I am interested in finding true love but I am also realistic with my expectations. I try not to allow my judgment to be clouded by a room full of beautiful women. I know there are some here just for fun, some that are looking for a meal ticket or sugar daddy and some that are truly looking for love. As with all of my dating, I treated this as a chance to make new friends – let’s keep expectations realistic. I also saw this as an opportunity to see a fascinating part of the world.

There were also men that came with great intentions but that were way too serious and business-like about it. For example, one guy knew nothing about courting – his dates were not dates but interviews. I spotted him several times at a hotel with several different women. Each time they would sit at a table and he would pull out his paper with a list of questions and then write down their answers and his notes.

I later asked him how his tour was going. He answered that things were going great and that he thought he had found his future wife. Knowing about his “courting” techniques, I asked about his most romantic moment. He really did not have a response and instead talked about his future wife. He even came prepared with a ring! To him, this was a shopping trip. I don’t think he even considered that his chosen one might say no to him. If anyone was going to be taken advantage of or heartbroken, this guy was it.

At the other end of the spectrum were the guys that were just there to have a good time and get laid. I met one guy who had been to several of the tours and had more planned. To him, it was all just about down and dirty sex – no romance. And if he did not succeed in bringing one of the ladies back to his hotel he would resort to plan B: hire one of the hotel hookers. During breakfast one morning, I mentioned that I was unable to sleep because one of the girls I had met before kept calling my room. His response was something like “you should have invited her over – she’s fun and she’s clean”. (More on this woman on a later post.)

I will admit that I had a great time hanging out with some of the guys. In-between dates we would meet at a bar, have a few drinks and exchange some very funny stories - some even related to our dates.

A couple of years ago I ran across a Russian mail order bride website. Well, the website was dominated with profiles of Russian women but it also included profiles from Latin America, Europe and other parts of the world. But, it was the Russian women that caught my attention. The website offered more than just contact information. The website also had tours to Russia.

I knew I would be in Russia on a business trip so I started corresponding with several of the women. I also signed up for the website’s tour although I met up with the group in St Petersburg and then I continued on to Moscow.

I have to admit, I had a great time! The company hosted several parties where you had the opportunity to meet lots of women. All the men on the tour (about 20 of us) were asked to select several women to invite to parties. At the parties, the ratio of women to men was something like 10 to 1. And the women were beautiful and fun to spend be around.

We tend to have the impression that these are desperate women looking for a way out of Russia. Women that will say ‘yes’ to the first men that proposes to them. While I did meet some women that I felt fell under this category, I met more women that were interested in meeting a great guy regardless of whether he was Russian, European or American. I actually met quite a few successful women that were like me: this was just another way to meet members of the opposite sex. If you asked them if they wanted to leave Russia the response for many was that they were happy in Russia and would be OK continuing to live in Russia. But, if they found true love outside of Russia, they would be willing to move.

Honestly, I was very impressed with many of these women. They may not have the large wardrobe that women in the USA have but they always looked sharp. I never saw a Russian woman heading to work with flip flops or sneakers – they were always in heels (and they do walk a lot). Even in Russia’s cold winters, it was not uncommon to see them heading to work in skirts.

I don’t want to sound like I am focused on the physical (but it is impressive!). The ladies I met were both book and street smart. Some of the guys on the tour sighed about not being able to pull their usual stunts with the Russian women they met. Almost of the women held college degrees and most had good careers. I also found it refreshing to be able to talk to these women about many different topics especially the arts. As someone that loves the arts (especially ballet), I never had a shortage of women inviting me to the ballet (and I am talking about the Mariinky and the Bolshoi – WOW!) or museums. The arts in Russia definitely don’t have the snob factor that they have here in the USA.

Many of these women were also well traveled. We think of Russians as not being able to travel because of the expense and because of visa requirements. But, the majority of the women had been all over Europe, the UK and especially Egypt (apparently, they can get some very good rates).

If you get a chance to take one of these tours, go for it. Even if you do not find true love, I think you will enjoy the trip – St Petersburg and Moscow have a lot to offer. Just bring plenty of money because these two cities can be very expensive.