Ph.D. Investigates A Foreign Affair (LoveMe.com)

As the most prominent international matchmaker still offering one on one physical introductions and singles tours for men, A Foreign Affair has also become highly visible in mainstream media.

With the recent Amazon Prime Love Me documentary, millions of viewers have become familiarized with the good, bad and ugly of dating overseas with AFA.

Critics of the international dating industry often illustrate companies like AFA as being an avenue for desperate men to shop for mail order brides. Through the research of scholarly academics like Dr. Meszaros, this rumor could not be any further from reality. No, men are not able to purchase a mail order wife or internet brides from AFA, but they are offered the opportunity to meet interested foreign women whom they may otherwise not have ever known existed.

Sometimes cast as sex tourism, hindered by propagated rumors of foreign romance scams, dating with A Foreign Affair presents the same risks that any man or woman should come to expect while using similar platforms operating domestically.

In 1995, John Adams and his partners established AFA as a means to meet single women in Russia. As the Soviet Union had only recently dissolved, the idea of dating Russian women sparked the interest of the first adopters of the world wide web, as the internet was also just taking shape. The idea also sparked the interest of AFA staff as each founding member of the company eventually found Russian brides of their own.

Despite being unable to guaranty a match, the mechanisms behind international matchmaking focuses on helping single men who dream of romantic connections through dating foreign women overseas.

While dating Russian women may not be as exotic to Western men as it may have been in 1995, AFA continues to match couples and offer singles tours in Ukraine, Latin America and Southeast Asia. AFA Ukraine dating operations remain one of the most popular destinations for visiting men to date overseas, as the plentiful amount of single Ukrainian women often dwarfs the domestic male population in staggering numbers.

The internet has become filled with anonymous users sharing their experiences via romance tour reviews, any of which paint the industry in varying lights. John Adams of AFA believes nearly 95% of men who have considered dating overseas have never actually traveled to do so. Despite the high visibility on romance tour companies in the media and on YouTube, many men are content to construct digital relationships rather than leaving their comfort zones for physical dating interactions abroad, with or without an international matchmaker.

Most dating agencies involved with international dating acknowledge that using such a service cannot guaranty a match, but for singles who dream of romantic connections, having solid advocacy abroad can provide an edge not found in first time solo travel.

Other global destinations that attract men who attend singles tours include Colombia and China. Colombian women seeking marriage with a foreigner are often very down to Earth, traditionally feminine and insistent on having a family of their own with their future husband. Colombian girls who have yet to marry domestically beyond the age of 25 understand that many of the single men in their culture are simply disinterested in monogamous relationships. This makes international dating a very real option for single women in Colombia.

Chinese women are plagued by the unique phenomena of Sheng Nu, which translates to " Leftover Women " in English. As Chinese girls build themselves high social standings due to academic achievements and success in business, dating in China becomes more difficult. In modern Chinese dating culture, many men are hesitant to date women who have achieved a higher social standing than that of their own. Chinese girls who remain unmarried beyond the age of 25 are considered leftover women in many domestic circles.

00:00 Investigating A Foreign Affair (LoveMe.com)
00:43 About Dr. Julia Meszaros
02:05 Impressions of Men Dating Foreign Women
03:29 Misconceptions of Dating Women Overseas
04:58 Mail Order Bride Stigmas
05:52 Dr. Meszaros' Impression of Ukraine Women
06:32 Are ALL Westerners Better Off?
07:12 Comparing Americans to Ukrainians
07:59 Types of Foreign Men Chinese Women Are Dating
09:58 Interracial Marriage and International Dating
10:43 Men Who Hesitate to Date Abroad
12:25 International Dating Affect On Our Perspectives
13:13 Dr. Meszaro's Message for Single Men