A 27-year-old woman has stunned the world after flying over 7,000 miles from Bali to Italy for a whirlwind romance with the man of her dreams. Holly Marie’s bold leap of faith to meet her online match, Brandon, has captivated hearts everywhere.
Holly, who lives in Bali, was casually scrolling through the popular dating app Hinge when she stumbled upon Brandon’s profile. He was planning to visit Bali soon, and Holly, with a sense of adventure, took a chance and reached out to him.
“We started speaking at the beginning of February, he had his hinge set to Bali as he was arriving in a few weeks,” Holly recalled. “It was so weird because I’d actually gone on hinge to delete it before I saw a comment from a boy that asked me to ruin his life haha. I was bored and decided to roll with it.”
The pair instantly hit it off, and their first date in Bali was filled with excitement, even though Holly was a bit jet-lagged. However, Holly’s connection with Brandon was undeniable. What started as a casual conversation quickly blossomed into something special.
“I really do think I’ve realised if people wanted to do something, they really would. I knew him for a super short period of time and decided to fly over to Italy to see him again,” Holly said.
Despite the long distance, Holly was undeterred. “I met him in Bali when he eventually arrived and we honestly hit it off straight away. I feel like we are basically the same person because we have so much in common.”
Their romance took a huge step forward after they spent more time together, and Holly was surprised by how quickly things developed. “After he left, we were FaceTiming every single day and because I work remotely and I am my own boss, I had the ability to just pack up for a bit and fly to Italy!”
“I wasn’t actually thinking this was going to go anywhere because we live on the other side of the world so I had prepared myself for a mini heartbreak to never see him again but the second he left for the airport he told me he’d booked his flights back to Bali for the summer and was excited to see me again!” Holly explained.
Holly, who lives with her best friend in Bali, admits it wasn’t easy leaving. “I live with my best friend and we are together 24/7 so we both had a little cry when I left even though I was only going for 10 days! I also cried at the thought of leaving my dog because we are also attached at the hip!”
With nerves and excitement building, Holly embarked on the 10-day journey to Italy, taking three flights to reach her destination. “I was super nervous on my final flight (I took three flights) so I ended up buying some drinks on the flight and then had a laugh with the air hostesses as I was telling them about plans!”
The couple’s time together in Italy was just as magical as their initial meeting in Bali. “For the entire time he was in Bali, he was exhausted from jet lag and constantly doing tourist activities and I was exhausted because I was launching my new business, so actually being able to spend quality time together not rushing around was so lovely!” Holly shared.
Their trip was full of sweet moments, including a movie night where they indulged in their shared love of Star Wars. “We both love Star Wars so we decided whilst I was there we were going to watch all of them, so he cooked me food and made me dessert and then we had a movie night!”
Holly was also touched by Brandon’s thoughtful gestures. “He’d also messaged my best friend beforehand and made sure he’d got all my favourite snacks and drinks in the house which was so sweet!”
What made the trip even more special was Brandon’s heartfelt gesture. “After three days, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I literally thought I should be doing my part to encourage more people to get out of their comfort zones (and date out of their hometowns).”
Holly’s social media post about the relationship has garnered huge support. “I got such positive feedback from the journey too with loads of girls saying they’d done similar things or just rooting for me in general which was so lovely!”
Now, Holly and Brandon are navigating a long-distance relationship, with plans to see each other again soon. “We are currently dating long-distance, we’re doing a two-month European summer and he’ll be back in Bali in the summer!”