About three years ago before I started traveling full time, I started to get worried about the U.S. economy. Real estate prices were tumbling for months on end, and most people in the main stream media were forecasting a booming recovery. There were a few people who I happened to catch by luck that seemed a bit more realistic, and who were predicting a huge downturn.

I read up on both sides of the story and the “dooms day” people seemed to have a lot more common sense and facts behind them.

Many of these “dooms day” investors had been recommending investing in foreign markets for the past 10 years and they had seen much better returns then in the U.S. markets. Regardless of this, most of consensus among mainstream investors was that the U.S. was by far the safest place to invest, hands down, no questions asked.

I decided that the mainstream media was just propaganda, and I decided to listen to the few investors who were investing abroad because this strategy made more sense to me.

I don’t have a lot of money to invest but I decided to move the little I had over to foreign markets, which by mainstream standards was the riskiest move of all.

Three years later, I can tell you from personal experience, that I made the right choice. Many of my acquaintances, co-workers and friends got killed in 2008 in the U.S markets, and they still haven’t recovered to this day. Meanwhile I’ve seen my investments increase dramatically, even with all the volatility in the global markets.

So this brings me back to my original point. If you ask 90% of people they think your crazy if you invest in foreign markets and not in the U.S. but all these people missed the boom in foreign markets over the past 10 years.

It’s the same with International dating. Most people will throw out objections and reasons why you shouldn’t travel to Colombia, or Costa Rica, or Brazil or a host of other places to meet women. But those are the same 90% who probably missed one of the best investment opportunities of the decade: investing in foreign markets and precious metals.

Yes there are risks to traveling to places like Colombia. Mainly safety. But the risks are well worth the rewards. And it’s not a warzone either. It’s not like you’re heading into Baghdad. There’s probably more petty crime in Colombia then your own back yard, this is true, but if you take the recommended safety precautions, and don’t let yourself get taken advantage of, the risks are minimal and the rewards are probably better that anything you’ve experienced.

You can call me the Dr. Doom of U.S. dating. I’m telling you dating abroad is the better option. I’ve written a book about why it IS the better option, and I’ve listed all my research including government, and international statistics that are hard to argue against. It’s called The Global Dating Revolution. I’m not telling you it’s risk-less, nothing in life is risk-less, but the risk of staying local and not really having the options with women that you really want are much worse in my mind then having a bit more physical risk in a place like Brazil or Colombia but being satisfied with your relationship or your dating life.

I’m not sure exactly how it came up. But it wasn’t the first time I’ve heard attractive women complain about the tough female competition in Latin America.

The thing that always gets me, is that I’ve never heard a woman complain once about the tough female competition in the United States. But in Latin America, no matter what country I’ve been to, I always run into women who complain about the dating environment.

I’ve heard it from Ecuadorian women, Brazilian women, Colombia women, Peruvian women, and even Bolivian women, just to name a few. Not every girl complains but enough women complain to the point where you start asking yourself? Is there really something to this?

But when it comes to American women I’ve never had one complain in my presence. I read an article on a website about an American woman who couldn’t compete with the Latinas in Miami, but other then that, it’s never happened.

So what gives? Are Latinas just whiners? Or is there something else going on here?

10 years ago I might have just chalked all this complaining to coincidence. But today I’m a much more experienced guy, and I know the REAL reasons why so many women complain in Latin America. I’ve cataloged and detailed everything in my book about International Dating and Foreign Women. Once you read it, you’ll have the upper hand over all those guys that have no clue why Latin American women complain about their local female competition.

Here’s a small excerpt of the article:

When Mahesh Murarka graduated from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in June 2009, he shunned the traditional B-school path of accepting a job in banking, consulting, or marketing in New York, London, or San Francisco. Instead, he returned to his native India to work for a reinsurance company with headquarters in Switzerland. “There is a lot more opportunity here right now,” he says. “The change in India is mind-blowing.”

Many of the nation’s top business schools report an increase in the number of students who are interested in working overseas in emerging markets such as India, China, Russia, and Brazil. Roughly 25 percent of recent Wharton M.B.A. graduates are now working abroad, compared with 16 percent a few years ago, and the trend no longer applies simply to international M.B.A. students who opt to return home after earning their degrees. In addition to working in finance and consulting, these M.B.A. students are moving overseas to work in real estate, investing, energy, and infrastructure. “It definitely feels like it’s not a temporary hiccup,” says Michelle Antonio, director of the MBA Career Management at Wharton. “The students feel like that’s where the action is.”

What’s good for the MBA is good for the average guy who wants to better his dating results. If there can be more opportunity abroad for a person’s career. Or if there can more investment opportunities abroad. Or if companies can see more opportunities to expand abroad. Can there also be opportunities to better your dating results abroad?

The answer is: Can I Get a Hell Yeah!?

There are places on this planet where dating, and meeting women is tougher (from a man’s point of view). There are also places in this world like Latin America, Eastern Europe and South East Asia where meeting women and dating is easier. Of course nothing will be handed to you on a silver platter. There are obstacles to overcome, like language, culture, time constraints, etc.

Despite all international dating obstacles it’s never been easier to expand your search for women, love, and romance abroad. My global dating program and international dating guide, will walk you through the entire international dating process including how to navigate International dating websites, marriage agencies, travel, scammers, and everything else you need to know to have international dating success.

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But regardless of all the obstacles the bottom line is that there is more opportunity abroad, both for recent college graduates, and for regular guys who want want to improve their dating results.

But some places are different, Latin America included. In Colombia, there’s a saying that goes something like this: “No de Papaya” which translates into “Don’t give Papaya.” That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t share your papaya with anyone. It’s a saying in Colombia that basically means “Don’t be careless and attract unnecessary attention to yourself or get taken advantage of.” Basically it means to have your wits about you, and have some street smarts. Don’t get taken advantage of by women, thieves, sales people, taxi drivers etc.

I’ll give you a couple of examples of giving papaya.

Example 1: You’re in a club and you have your phone on you. You leave your phone on the table and go to the bathroom. If you were at the table alone, you’re really giving papaya, but even if you’re with a group, leaving it there would be a bit careless, it’s still giving a bit of papaya, especially if it’s an expensive phone.

Example 2: You’re paying for a taxi and you take out a wad of cash in front of the taxi driver or when you step outside to pay for the taxi. Your giving papaya because anyone passing by will see you reach into your pocket and pull out a nice big chunk of cash, and you’re attracting unneeded and unwanted attention. Chances are nothing will happen, but you’re still giving papaya.

Example 3: It’s your first night in Cali, Colombia and you don’t know the city well. You get all dressed up and wear a nice shiny, expensive gold chain. You’re going out alone you call a taxi service (not giving papaya), but you fail to take a cautionary step and leave the fancy stuff at home, because first you need to get a feel for the city and the places you’re going to frequent. Not leaving the chain at home is giving papaya. You’re compromising your chain, money, and maybe even your safety.

So what happens when you give Papaya:
Eventually if do it enough times, you’ll run into someone who’ll want to take advantage of you. Leave your cell phone on the table and someone will snatch it when no one is looking. The taxi driver that sees your wad of cash might say he doesn’t have change to give you because now he’s seen you have a lot of money. Your gold chain attracted the attention of the wrong person and as you walk from Club A to Club B a young kid runs by and snatches it, or worse threatens to attack you if you don’t give it up.

Moral of the story: Don’t give Papaya

One of the best conversational tools you can use with Latin women is: Food. Every culture is defined in part by it’s food. And Latin America is no different. Although the dishes and foods throughout Latin America have many similarities, each country and even each region within a country has it’s own specialties and even different names for what may be the same dishes. There’s a million things you can ask about the food from her country and region.

A conversation on food can lead to many places. Does she know how to cook? If she does, she might have to cook for you sometime. What’s her favorite dish from her country? Does she know any places that have good typical dishes from her country/region? Suggest a nice dinner at the places she mentions.

I know dinner dates have lost their glitter in the eyes of many. But dinner doesn’t always have to be in a restaurant. You can ask her to come over, go shopping together for all the ingredients, and help her make a typical dish from her country. Add a bottle of wine (or some other alcoholic beverage) and some music and it not only makes for a small little adventure into the super market and the kitchen, it makes for a great date.

There’s just something about eating together that creates intimacy. That intimacy gets even stronger when you’re both making the bread you’re going to break. If you think about it, most major world religions have some sort of a traditional ritual feast. Breaking bread together just brings people closer to each other.

I’m sure you’ve heard that “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Latin women take this very seriously, but now you can use her stomach as a way to build rapport, setup great dates, and add some interesting topics into the conversation.

Whether your dealing with a Latin women at home or abroad, you can use your lack of knowledge of her language to your advantage. This particular tip is especially useful if your dealing with a Latina at home where you both speak English or if your interacting with a Latin girl abroad who knows English. I’m assuming you’ll both be communicating mostly in English, but you’ll need to use the little Spanish or Portuguese that you know to add some flirtation and fun into the interaction.

One important thing to remember is that you don’t need to be fluent in either Spanish or Portuguese to make a good impression. Like the tittle states, a little knowledge of the language goes a long way. In fact you probably know some common phrases already, like: “gracias”, “como estas?”, and “estas muy bonita” (you are really cute). I bet you knew or have heard at least two out of those three phrases. If you put a little effort into it you can probably learn 20 to 30 phrases in a weeks time.

Most latina women will find your knowledge of her language very endearing. They may asked you where you learned that? Or compliment you on your knowledge of her language, even though it may be very little. You might get a chuckle because you pronounce something wrong or because you mixed words up. The point is to make your use of her language fun and lite hearted, but at the same time you must be interested in it, and willing to learn more, particularly from her. In many cases you can use your lack of knowledge of her language as an excuse to make her your language teacher. This can be a good reason to exchange phone numbers and contact information and an even better reason to setup another date.

Your lack of language fluency can also come in handy when you find yourself in those awkward moments when neither of you have something to say. A good safety net is to just think of something or look around and ask her how you say that in her language. Many Latin women will appreciate the fact that your taking time to learn her language and culture.

This tip applies to Latinas but it can also apply to other foreign women you may meet either locally or abroad. As long as you can communicate in another language with the foreign girl (most likely English), you can use your lack of knowledge of her native or second language as useful conversational tool.

How To Make Brazil Affordable, Even Cheap:

For those who are looking to take advantage or the lower cost of living in Brazil obtain a comfortable lifestyle for a lower cost, it can definitely be done. Like I mentioned above, you’ll want to rent an apartment in a middle class part of town. Don’t rent in the fanciest part of town. If you’re staying long term, don’t rent a furnished apartment. Rent an unfurnished apartment and get in the news papers and buy some used furniture found through the adds in the paper. Take public transportation and don’t rely too much on taxis. Don’t eat out at all or very little, instead shop for your groceries and cook your own food. If you live in one of Brazil’s smaller or medium size cities the cost for rent, utilities, cell phone, internet, transportation, food, health insurance, medical costs, clothes, haircuts, gym and miscellaneous expenses could range anywhere from $2,500 dollars to $4,000 per month. You can increase these costs by 50% if you move to the larger more expensive cities in Brazil.

Here’s a sample budget to show you how much you would spend per month in a small, medium size city with a comfortable lifestyle, taking some taxis, going out on weekends, having internet at home, etc.:

The Expensive Side of Brazil

Brazil use to be a lot cheaper because Brazil’s currency the “Real” was a lot weaker a decade ago. Since then, Brazil’s currency has appreciated greatly against the dollar and modestly against other currencies. For this reason, the cost of living in Brazil has increased greatly for foreigners who rely on currency differences to get great bargains. If you’re the type of person that only likes to take taxis, or wants to by a car, live in a fancy apartment, eat out often, and treat yourself lavishly in Brazil’s most well known cities you’ll find that the costs add up. Although you might save some money compared to say, the same lifestyle in New York, places like Rio and Sao Paolo wouldn’t fall to far behind on cost.

So How Much Does It Cost?

Although Brazil is not as cheap as it was, say 10 years ago, there are still various ways to live comfortably at a lower cost then most places in North America. However, it all depends on location and lifestyle. If you want a penthouse in the best part of Rio, and give yourself a lavish lifestyle, you could end up spending big bucks. By applying a more modest lifestyle you can end up living comfortably in Brazil at a very affordable cost.

#1 He stayed locked up in his apartment.
He didn’t go out at all or very little. He told me he spent most of his time in the apartment because he didn’t know anyone or where to go. If this was 1970 I would accept that excuse, but today with the Internet, the wealth of information and all of the free social networking sites, there’s not reason you should not have friends to just about anywhere you want to travel. And there’s no reason you shouldn’t have some idea of where to go and what to see, at even the most remote of destinations. All you have to do is a quick google search and bam!

#2 He didn’t learn the language:
One of the reasons he didn’t want to go out was because he didn’t know the language and he didn’t even know how to ask for directions or the most basic of phrases. Apart from that he was miserable in the apartment because since he didn’t know the language, he couldn’t understand anything on the television.

#3 He didn’t meet new people there
He didn’t have any online friends before he got there and he didn’t go out to meet any new people. In this situation, who wouldn’t be miserable. He probably felt like he was in a jail cell.

The moral of this story is that there are some basic things you must do in order to have an enjoyable trip. If you’re traveling alone and not with a buddy or a group these things are even more important. Go meet foreign women online. If you didn’t know already, foreign women make the best tour guides and provide you with a lot of safety. Do your research and find out as much information on a city as possible, including restaurants, shopping centers, tourist attractions, bars, night light, clubs etc. Finally and most importantly, get some conversational fluency in the language. If you’re in a group some of these things might not be as important, or you may have someone in your group that is taking care of these things, but if your a lone traveler, you need to your homework.

On a side note, don’t let one bad experience ruin the entire trip. I was told by a friend about a guy that traveled to Brazil and he got robbed the first day he got there right outside of his hotel. He ended staying in his hotel for the entire trip. Don’t let this happen to you. If you take my 13 steps to a safe trip you should be ok, but even if you do get robbed, or stood up by a girl or something, don’t let this ruin your trip.

Generally in Latin America anytime you greet someone from the opposite sex you extend your hand do small handshake or hand clasp and then pull her in for a small cheek to cheek kiss. This move includes the first time you meet someone.

The following is an excerpt from my book The Global Dating Revolution on page 175 explaining the whole process:

How To Greet People In General In Latin America

It’s also important to greet everyone in the room when you enter. North Americans are notorious for entering a room and just giving a “hey, howdy, hey!” to everyone. That is considered very rude to a Latin. Here you enter a room, and go around the room greeting each person. Kiss every woman on the cheek, even older women and younger women, and shake every man’s hand. When you depart from a gathering, you should generally also say goodbye to everyone individually. The handshake or kiss is repeated at departure.

Cheek Kissing Videos:

This first video is a video that explains the origins of the cheek kiss, and gives you some great examples and explanations of the cheek kiss:

This second video is from a Latin American soap opera. You’ll notice that the father kisses the mother and daughter both on the cheek but with his lips. The guy dating the girl gives her a kiss on the cheek goodbye but it’s a bit more intimate because their lips come very close.

For more great information on international dating and foreign women get The Global Dating Revolutionwith the 5 bonuses included for free.

• How well you know the language
• How fast you find the best night spots or if you know where they are
• How fast you find the best day spots or if you know where they are
• How fast you get use to the culture
• Overcoming stereotypes of you as a foreigner

These main barriers are the usual road blocks abroad. The most important one being language. But all of this doesn’t mean that dating environments abroad can’t be better then your local dating environment. Sometimes it just takes time to hit your stride.

Although language can be barrier, as long as you obtain some conversational fluency, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

What you need to do is focus on the obstacles and overcoming them…

Overcoming stereotypes:
One of the main stereotypes you’ll encounter abroad, especially in Latin America is the fact that people will think you’re a rich American who’s only there to bang prostitutes. I’ve seen this all over Latin America. A lot of these stigmas come from past Americans and past foreigners who have come to Latin American countries for just that. These guys have given the rest of the “gringos” a bad name, but it is something that will change with time. The only way to get by this stereotype is to stay away from the “prepagos” or working girls, and in some cases from the places where these women frequent.

Overcoming style differences:
If you have an eccentric style like that of a rocker in the U.S.A you might have a tough time fitting in unless you find your perfect niche inside the city you’re visiting. American rock isn’t that popular throughout most of Latin America. In some cities the music might be popular but the style is pretty much non existent. The same can be said for a hip-hop type of style with fitted caps etc. You might find certain venues that cater to the music in certain large Latin America cities but in general these styles won’t help in Latin America. In these cases I would suggest you try to fit in more by changing your style a bit, to something you feel more comfortable with, but something that is more common throughout Latin America.

Finding The Best Night Spots:
In large cities the size of Buenos Aires or Bogota or even Medellin sometimes it’s taken me up to one month to find the really good night spots. I’m talking about the spots where you might be the only foreigner in the place and places that are loaded with single women. Also, these same places might be the best places to approach women who don’t speak any English.

It takes a lot of trial and error, asking around, checking different places out on different nights. In the first week you’ll find the most well know, places. Usually people will point you the priciest most well known place in the city, for example if you’re in Medellin and get in a taxi or ask anyone, they’ll tell you to go to Mangos or El Poblado, but I’ve found they’re not the best place to meet single women in Medellin.

If you’re lucky you’ll find the best places on the first week, but I usually don’t expect to find them until week 3 or 4, sometimes longer. And you’ll only find these places by being persistent and going out often.