DATING CAN be a daunting proposition for many people but not for the people who are in Travel for Love, a reality lifestyle show from TLC Southeast Asia, featuring five “hopefuls” who will try and find love while travelling through the region.

The show, which airs on Fridays until April 17, follows self-professed Filipina “island girl” Samantha who flies to Kuala Lumpur for a change of scenery, while Parisian fashion designer Honey flies to Bohol for an island adventure.

Also part of the show is Violet Lim, founder of Lunch Actually, a 16-year-old dating service which started in Singapore and aims to deal with the complexity in finding love.

“I found Samantha very attractive because she’s a confident woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. She is also very family-oriented, which is a trait that Asians tend to look out for,” Ms. Lim told BusinessWorld in an e-mail interview. (See related story)

As a woman whose company has arranged dates for more than 120,000 people, Ms. Lim said that she had a lot of fun being part of the show and seeing the cast make connections and dates.

“I do realize as I’m watching the show is that, on dates, people may do or say certain things that, as a pure third party, we would be wondering ‘huh? Why did he/she do or say that? Or even like, oh, they shouldn’t have done that!’ But I think — what we see for our own clients as well — sometimes they don’t realize they’re doing it. And that’s why date coaching is very valuable as well, because just by having a neutral party point it out, and help them make small tweaks, it can make a huge difference,” she said.

Beyond the show, Ms. Lim pointed out that “every generation has their own challenge when it comes to finding a long-lasting and meaningful relationship.”

“In the past, it might be the challenge of choosing your own partner as your parents insist on an arranged marriage, or, just a decade ago, it would be the opportunity to meet up with enough people. Today, with dating apps, it is no longer difficult to meet up with many potential candidates. The challenge is choosing the right one. And some are also reluctant to settle down and choose when there are so many more choices out there,” she said.

“My advice for singles is — know who you are, love yourself first, know what makes you happy. Do not look for love in search of finding someone who will complete you. You need to be complete first. When you are comfortable in your own skin and you know what you want, it is much easier to know who the right fit is when he or she comes along,” she added.

Travel for Love airs every Friday at 9:25 p.m. until April 17 on TLC (Sky Cable CH 32/Cignal TV CH 64/Destiny Cable CH 62 ). Visit the TLC Facebook page for more information and content. — Z.B. Chua

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