Around the World in 80 Dates Read Online Free

Wranglers in their own right. I’d already talked to everyone about my plans, but it was now time to send out a briefing email and get the team to work.
    Dear Date Wranglers
    A few of you have asked what kind of person I’m looking to meet and what I want to do on the date (thank you, Sophie—José the Chilean sheep farmer sounds lovely. And Jo, yes, Jason the Buddhist lawyer in Nova Scotia might be perfect). I’ve pasted a Soul Mate Job Description below. Please read it carefully. If it sounds like a single someone you know anywhere in the world, and they’d be willing to date me, please let me know. I’ll then sit down with a list of potential Dates and pick the ones that look most promising and fall relatively easily into a route around the world. Dinner at my house on the 12th for questions/brainstorming/reality check.
    Lots of love, J xx
    Soul Mate Job Description
    I am a 38-year-old writer living in London. I’ve done a bit of traveling over the years and am planning another big trip soon. When not schlepping my backpack on and off Indian trains, maxing my card at Macy’s, or eating gelati in Italy, I love London Life. Sunday papers and coffee with my friends, plus shows, gigs, and movies. I’m a bit sporty, especially running (though not very far or fast) and cycling (see “running”). I’m bad at spelling but good at cooking. I sing along to music and always seem to forget Xmas cards till the last minute. I’m fairly laid-back about most things, though get pathetically competitive playing poker.
    And what am I looking for in a man ?
    I’m pretty tall at five foot eleven but old-fashioned enough to want to feel “ladylike,” so looking for someone over six foot. What else? Well, I’d like to meet someone who makes me smile, lets me read them bits out of the newspaper, has beliefs they’re willing to arm-wrestle for, and tells me interesting things I didn’t know. Like me, you’ll believe that life is short and you should make the most of it; unlike me, you’ll probably realize that TV isn’t real and remain calm when Lassie doesn’t come home. An interest in music and books is good, a sense of fun and adventure essential.
    The response was instant, overwhelming, and very reassuring: everyone was fired up with suggestions and ideas. Maybe all my competitive friends just wanted to prove they each had the best contacts, but I actually think everyone genuinely wanted to help and believed that they had just the person for me.
    Queries started flooding in. Sophie bluntly asked:
    Do you want to sleep with them all or just dinner/chat about life etc…? Lemme know, it’ll influence who I put you onto. Love S
    I have to be honest, this panicked me a bit. My journey had already been dubbed “Around the World in Eighty Lays” by most of my friends. I automatically replied with an It’s not about sex, it’s about romance mantra but was secretly worrying whether every date was going to end in a wrestling match.
    Posh PR Emma rang and asked in cut-glass tones if I wanted to date a count. Her impeccable accent made the o completely silent. Realizing how it sounded, she kept repeating the question, which drew attention to the mispronunciation, making it worse. I felt like replying: “Ems, I’ve already dated so many.”
    As my DWs went to work and word of what I was doing began buzzing around, potential dates started pouring in. Every morning I would log on to find up to a hundred emails from people looking to get involved.
    First-generation DWs introducing me to second-generation DWs:
    Jennifer, meet Abigail, she is the most high-flying woman in New York—head honcho, inspired party gal, groovy traveling companion of many years and dear, dear friend…AND I think she has the perfect date for you…she will tell you more…I can’t wait to hear the outcome…SJ xxxxxx
    Third-generation DWs