Cindy and James took another long walk soon after their Everest Base Camp Trek. Photo / Supplied
Cindy and James took another long walk soon after their Everest Base Camp Trek. Photo / Supplied
Looking for love? You may want to get off the apps and onto a plane somewhere far away according to research from Harvard University.
According to Harvard University’s Dr Holly Parker discovered travel can set us up for romance by both surrounding us with people who are different and framing this as an avenue to growth. While abroad, travellers will meet people of all different cultures, backgrounds and ways of life; something that can seem exciting and attractive.
Meanwhile, Dr Arthur Aron, a professor at New York’s Stony Brook University found physiological stimulation can create strong initial romantic attraction. The excitement you feel when travelling and experiencing new things often makes us more physically stimulated, which sets us up to embrace feelings of love and affection towards new people.
At least, this was the case for one Kiwi-Australian couple.
Although Cindy was Australian, working in Papua New Guinea and James was a Kiwi working in London the pair met in Nepal, hiking the Everest Base Camp Trek in 2014 with Intrepid Travel. James was looking for adventure and solitude, and Cindy wanted a challenge but out amongst the mountains, they both also found love. Eight years later, married and with two kids, the couple still remembers how their romance came to be.
Cindy is all smiles in the Himalayas. Photo / Supplied
“I was looking for the adventure and solitude that walking in the world’s most famous mountain range offers,” said James, who admitted that his first impression of Cindy wasn’t perfect.
“Cindy bounced in late to the pre-departure briefing with her trip roommate, and I thought to myself, “Oh god, a loud American,” because she didn’t seem too worried and was still laughing with her roommate as she sat down.”
“We were laughing because we were embarrassed about getting lost!” she explained, before adding that she immediately took to James.
“What stood out for me was that James was tall, handsome and quiet – and carried a huge DSLR camera like mine. Then when he told me he was a Kiwi there was that instant compatriotism that Aussies and Kiwis always have.”
During mealtimes in the teahouses along the trail, Cindy would order items and share them amongst the group and James, being tactical, made sure he sat close to her so he could get first dibs.
“My food strategy also meant we got to chat a lot too and we turned out to have a lot in common,” he said.
Whatever he said during those mealtimes, made an impression on Cindy.
“He would often make jokes or say encouraging things, which kept me going when I was daunted by ‘Nepali flats’ (uphill walking),” she said, adding his positivity and kindness meant she’d seek him out during the rest breaks.
At the end of each day, the pair would always venture away from the group to explore the surrounding village. One evening, on the fourth day, they happened upon a monastery in Phortse, where they sat and watched the sunset.
Cindy and James on an evening walk around Phortse Temple. Photo / Supplied
Years on, the couple can’t remember who made the first move but they knew they had a little help.
“Whatever happened, it can be blamed on Long Island iced teas from the infamous Irish pub at Namche Bazaar,” joked Cindy. “Because it is the first bar on the way back down from Base Camp and many of us had abstained from alcohol as per medical advice on the way up, our whole group really made the most of the opportunity to celebrate on our descent.”
As hours went by, people slowly peeled away, while Cindy and James continued chatting. However, as is the case with many overseas romances, parting ways presented a challenge.
“It was pretty clear that we shared a lot of the same values and wanted the same things out of life, but we lived in different countries,” said Cindy. So, the couple quit their respective jobs and spent most of 2015 travelling around Europe and Asia together, including a hike along the 300-kilometre Camin Primitivo in Spain.
Things moved quickly after that. The couple moved to Sydney in 2016, bought a house in 2016, were married in 2017 and had their first child in 2018, followed by a second child in 2020.
Cindy and James on their wedding day. Photo / Supplied
In 2022, Cindy was offered an international opportunity and, in the spirit of their relationship, the family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia and have made the most of travelling around Asia.
“We have a lot of pictures of the Himalayas around the house, so our daughters are very interested in visiting the place ‘where Mummy and Daddy met”,” said Cindy.
“We’d love to take them on the Everest Base Camp trek when they are a little older.”
Do you have a story of overseas love? Send it to travel@nzherald.co.nz, we’d love to hear it.
