People slam traveller’s unconventional tactic for finding women to date

If you happened to find love while travelling, you wouldn’t be the first person to do so.

However, for one group of men who call themselves “passport bros”, finding a woman abroad isn’t just a lucky coincidence, but a key goal of travel.

The unconventional approach to dating has received a mix of harsh criticism and adoring praise online.

After being first used online in 2004 then petering out in 2007, the term “passport bro” has been revived on TikTok, where videos tagged with #passportbros have gained almost 420 million views.

One such video shows self-described passport bro, Austin Abeyta, explaining the benefits of dating in different countries.

“Passport bros are right; dating overseas is easier for a variety of reasons,” read the caption of the video, in which the American offered three reasons.

First, an American accent was nothing special in the US, but abroad, Abeyta claimed it made men seem “exotic” and more interesting to women in other countries, compared to local guys.

Secondly, because people love showing off their countries, dates become more engaging and enjoyable as they can show the visitor around their favourite places and explain their culture.

Thirdly, Abeyta claimed there was a stereotype that Americans are rich, making them more appealing people to go on a date with or spend time around.

Abeyta said this was “kind of true” because the US dollar was a “global currency” and tended to go further in other countries.

“If you make $60,000 a year, you can live like you made $120,000 a year pretty comfortably,” he explained.

What is a passport bro?

According to Urban Dictionary, passport bros are men who prefer to date foreign women in other countries.

This is because they believe “Western women have been influenced by cultural and societal pressures to behave in a certain way”, the description states. Therefore, relationships with foreign women seem more genuine, satisfying and peaceful.

The former part of the definition is typically what earns criticism from people who believe the dating approach is prejudiced against women from a “bro’s” home country.

Viewers appear to be divided as to whether the unconventional dating approach is fair or not. More than 1300 people weighed in on Abeyta’s video, leaving comments.

“I think it’s weird to solely go to another country, especially the poorer ones, just to get at women bc ur Americans,’ one person commented.

Another asked how it was different to a mail-order bride, for a similar reason.

However, the majority of comments appeared to be in support of Abeyta’s lifestyle and dating approach.

One hit back at suggestions that passport bros paid or exploited women.

“People from the US are so ignorant..they automatically assume that if American men date outside the US… Men are paying/exploiting women to date,” they wrote.

Others agreed they had also found it far easier to find dates while abroad.

“Spent the last year living in South America. You’re on point,” one viewer wrote.

“Being a tall white dude with even a small amount of money relatively was the biggest cheat code in Peru dude,” another added, implying dating was like a video game with a ‘cheat code’.

Another person suggested the lifestyle was not exclusive to men.

“I’m about to become a passport sis,” they wrote; something Abeyta “supported”.

Many were more interested in how the young American managed to live as a digital nomad.

“Dating aside, the cost of living in these places is less. If you’re a digital worker, it makes sense to move there. You have a better quality of life,” one person wrote.