Man determined to find love the ‘old-fashioned way’

By Samuel Wightwick via SWNS

A man has ditched dating apps and set himself a challenge to go out to places alone to find "the one."

Sean Taylor, 34, has been using Tinder or Hinge on and off for five years but has yet to meet his life-long partner.

After several failed dates where he was either catfished or there was little to no chemistry, Sean realized he had to find another way to meet someone.

Three weeks ago, he decided to try the "old-fashioned way" by going out to places alone every day in the hope of meeting the one "organically."

Sean, who's originally from Cape Town, South Africa but now lives in London, said: "It's a harsh world out there on dating apps.

"I wanted to give it a try in the way we used to meet people - by talking to them out and about."

Sean, who works in marketing, decided to record his experience and upload the videos to the social media app TikTok

The first few attempts saw Sean going out to restaurants, bars and libraries on his own but not really speaking to people.

After uploading the videos online, the response was so overwhelmingly positive that it spurred him on to push the challenge further.

Sean said: "I was mainly just saying hello whilst crossing street and that kind of thing in those early attempts.

"But I had so many messages from others saying I'm inspiring them to do the same thing that this pushed me to continue experimenting and interacting with more people.

"I actually realized that it was just about having real life interactions. I've met so many nice people."

Whilst on a recent trip to Mexico, Sean realized that his new-found confidence was having an positive impact on his life.

He said: "I was in Mexico for work and started a conversation with this woman, just by saying hello.

"She then walked me around the area, showing me the sights and the best taco bars. It was great.

"I would never have had that experience if I never I had the confidence to just say hi to her."

Now on day 10 of the challenge, Sean has yet to meet the one but he is determined to continue until he achieves his goal.

He said: "I have came across an influencer recently who has reacted to my TikTok, labeling my approach as creepy.

"This criticism was hard to hear, especially since my intentions were purely to engage in real-world conversations.

"It’s struck me that we're so accustomed to virtual interactions these days that a simple 'hello' can now be seen as out of place or even unsettling to some viewers online.

"Despite any of the criticism, I believe that reconnecting in person, even in small ways, is valuable.

"Talking to people isn’t a crime and when you’re comfortable in a real world setting- you may meet the love of your life."