Airplane Mode
Single in the skies
Being single is something I’ve always been good at. In a few months, I will have been single for the past six years, and it’s been some of the best ones yet. A part of me would like to find someone that puts a little pep in my step and shows me what a new kind of love can look like. However, I am in no rush to get there — the last thing I want to do is settle for someone that doesn’t truly make me happy. I will go on dates, flirt and put myself out there as much as I can, but at the same time I’m not often seeking it out.
Dating in the 2020s was hard enough — a pandemic, lockdown and dating apps didn’t help me find “like,”— let alone “love”. Then, I added the hardest job to maintain a connection to my resumé. Being a flight attendant is a sexy sounding job, and it’s something that a lot of people want to romanticize and chase after, but the reality is that I have gone on fewer dates in the last six months than any other six month stretch.
My schedule has me away from home at least 25 days of the month. That leaves a scattered five or six days left to try and get stuff done in Vancouver. I already have a plethora of people in my life that I love, and I struggle to make time for everyone as it is. I do not have it in me to spend one of my days off going on essentially a blind date, trying to break through an awkward barrier of questions I’ve already asked 100 times. What do you do for work? Are you close with your parents? Should I be worried you don’t have any furniture in your house? It’s exhausting and I would much rather spend time with the people I don’t have to be scared to be myself around.
Dating apps also become an issue while on the road. I will match with someone and then end up in a substantially different timezone and the communication will dwindle after the initial “Where are you off to next?” I get it, I would have a hard time wanting to talk to someone that didn’t have service for up to 12 hours a day and only texted back at five in the morning. So instead of trying to find the one through online services (that only really give me the option for something short term), I have decided to rely heavily on the good old real world. Seems like a lot of people made it work for them before the internet, so I’m giving it a shot.
So far I have gone on a few organic dates, which have felt much less forced, and have created some fun memories. One way to meet people while traveling is by hitting up spots people your age might also be interested in. In Montreal I had a layover that allowed me to have an evening out on the town. I donned my favourite dress and headed to a local mezcal underground speakeasy. I was genuinely excited to try the drinks, but as luck would have it, I was seated next to someone that turned out to be more interesting than the atmosphere. We ended up sitting together, getting into both light-hearted and deep discussions and suddenly the lights were coming on and we had inevitably closed out the bar; the last two remaining. It ended with a goodbye kiss, but turned into nothing more than a good travel tale.
People always ask if I ever meet people while working on the plane. The short answer is yes, but the long answer is that it’s complicated. I have met some very attractive people while working my flights, but I have to remain professional and don’t often accept advances from guests, because that is neither the time nor the place. I have held up a steadfast no dating within the workplace rule for many years, but I have accepted a date with another airline employee while in Halifax, who I had met while they were a guest on my flight (in uniform). It felt less inappropriate to chat with someone in the back galley that was in the industry and it formed a base connection. The date led to an experience on the East Coast I wouldn’t have had the chance to do otherwise. While it didn’t progress past a first date — it was one I’ll never forget.
Finding romance around the world sounds like it should be no problem, but it hasn’t been the easiest during my short time on the job. I am content to keep exploring the globe on my own or with my friends, but I will keep an open mind to the possibility of meeting a special someone in person, and I will keep packing a nice dress on layovers just in case.