So I’m probably going to get mixed reactions here, but I’m genuinely looking for advice, not a debate.
I’m a guy (24) from England and over the last few years I’ve been to Thailand a handful of times. Every trip has kind of shifted the way I look at relationships and what actually works for me. I’ve met a lot of people over there — friends, travel buddies, and a couple of women I clicked with — and it just made me realise how different the dating vibe is compared to back home.
I’m just going to be straight about it: I feel really burnt out with dating in the West. It feels like everyone’s either guarded, exhausted, or constantly playing games. I don’t blame anyone for that — it’s just the culture we’re all in — but I’ve gotten tired of feeling like I’m auditioning for a job rather than trying to build a connection.
When I’m in Thailand, or chatting with women from Southeast Asia in general, everything feels more natural. More effort on both sides, more straightforward communication, more warmth. I know there are cultural reasons for that, and I also know the money dynamic is a real thing — I’m not oblivious. I just genuinely feel more compatible with women from that part of the world. The way they show care, the way they approach relationships, how they value partnership — it just lines up with who I am and what I want.
To be super clear: I’m not looking for anything transactional or one-sided. I want a real relationship. I want someone who’s kind, grounded, and wants the same things I do — not someone who sees me as a walking cash machine, and not someone I’m trying to “rescue.” Just two people who get each other.
Honestly, I just want to find someone I connect with, and it seems like that connection tends to happen more with Southeast Asian women than with Western women. Not in a “they’re better/worse” way — just different vibes, and I mesh better with theirs.
Would appreciate any advice, stories, warnings, whatever you’ve got. Thanks!