Do you date outdoors? If not, here’s why you should…

Wild-ling, you make my heart sing…

Tinder. Noun, ‘a dry, flammable material, such as wood or paper, used for lighting a fire.’

Before the word ‘tinder’ was gobbled up by a couple of tech-savvy entrepreneurs and morphed into a dirty dating app that revolutionised the daily delivery mechanism for rumpy pumpy, it in fact carried a very different use.

Sadly the word is now largely synonymous with awkward conversations, casual drunken sex and head-hanging walks of shame (or head-high heel clicks for the lucky ones).

As fun as mid-week bonking with strangers may be, the majority of us are looking for something a little deeper; the chance to connect with someone awesome, getting to know what makes them tick, and creating some happy-infused memories.

The odds are that nights spent in dirty back street boozers won’t necessarily accelerate this deeper connection. Dating outdoors, however, almost certainly will. Here’s six reasons why you should date outdoors:

1. It’s a Cheap Date, Perfect for Tight-arses

Forget dropping $20 on an exotic cocktail served up in an antique goblet; spend half of that on a map and head for a mountain! Walk, talk and get to know the fibre of each other’s fabric. Hire some surfboards and learn to surf. Rent a SUP and head for a paddle. You’ll save your moolah and figure each other out far quicker by dating outdoors.

 

2. Happiness Is Only Real When Shared

Sharing experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly) is how you really build relationships; they’re the moments you’ll look back on and smile about. Outdoor adventure dates are literally teeming with possibilities for that. ‘Remember that time we found that secluded swimming hole and jumped in with nothing on but a smile?’

 

3. No Regrets

By removing the booze emphasis from the dating equation and instead focusing on an activity, you’ll keep your clarity of thought and decision making. Go for an outdoor date like a coastal walk or to an indoor climbing gym. Fresh air is conducive to removing the chances of a walk of shame, which is never a bad thing!

 

4. Sex and the City outdoors

Not sure what tree Carrie Bradshaw was barking up but she had it fundamentally wrong: Sex out of the city is much wilder and more memorable. ‘In the jungle, the mighty jungle…’

Want to have sex in the bush? Here are some tips.

 

5. Builds the Foundation for a Life Spent Outdoors

Life should be filled with travel, new experiences and dreaming big. It’s important to test the water early with your partner in crime to see whether notions like vanlife, building a cabin in the woods or just exploring the big, bad world together are things you both believe in. If not, probably best to swipe right.

 

6. Less Is Really More

Those with a hankering for an outdoors life tend to assign greater importance to experiences and not monetary or physical things. Finding someone who shares these ideals and who understands that tinder is used to start campfires, for example, means you’re far more likely to be onto a #winner.

 

 

PS don’t go off to a state forest with complete stranger – start small and get to know them a little first before escaping to the wild with someone you barely know!