Why it’s so Difficult to Find Love in Barcelona
I talk to foreigners and some locals in Barcelona to find out why it's one of the hardest places to find a committed relationship. Barcelona is a city that attracts a big crowd of fun loving tourists and expats, a kind of adult playground, where it can be easy to get sucked into casual relationships that don't lead anywhere. How has this impacted the lives of people in Barcelona?
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Dating Beyond Borders is a Youtube channel that focuses on highlighting the cultural differences that come into play while dating people from other countries.
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Marina Iakovleva (host/editor)
/ datingbeyondborders
Valentina Andeeva (video assistant)
0:00 Intro
1:05 Dating scene in Barcelona
2:46 Is Barcelona to blame for this?
4:50 How do people meet?
6:30 Why are foreigners unhappy with the dating?
9:27 First dates in Barcelona
10:00 Spanish (Catalan) men
11:38 Spanish (Catalan) women
13:02 Sex & Open relationships in Barcelona
17:58 Conclusion
Filmed in Barcelona Spain
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Western Europe: progressive, Eastern Europe: conservative.
It depends. Portugal is much more conservative than Spain for ex but overall you are right
If you think about Poland then forget, women are not conservative. They even don’t how to cook simple meal. They speak about communication but doesn’t know how to communicate 😄
More like Western Europe: liberal. I never understood why people use the word progressive and liberal like they are interchangeable, when they don’t necessarily mean the same thing.
@@lissandrafreljord7913 Breathe, you’ll be okay.
@@neoreignnot cool your gaslighting
Happy Friday Marina ❤! Finding love in general is tough nowadays
Thank you so much for this insightful video! I’ve become a huge fan of your content. It’s not just educational; it’s incredibly eye-opening because it gives us a chance to see different parts of the world and learn about a variety of cultures. While it’s focused on dating culture, your videos offer much more there’s always something new to learn, and I truly appreciate the hard work you put into them.
Regarding Barcelona, I don’t think the situation you described is exclusive to that city. In fact, cities like Montreal, New York, and Berlin seem to have similar dynamics. Open relationships and the desire to avoid commitment are becoming increasingly common in many large Western cities. It’s not just younger people in their 20s who are engaging in this lifestyle many people in their 30s and 40s are also embracing it. It seems that age is no longer a defining factor in these trends.
Many people are still looking for stability and genuine connection, but others are trying to have the best of both worlds seeking love and sex without the responsibility of commitment. It’s a tricky balance, and I don’t think we can generalize too much. Even in a city like Barcelona, you’ll find all types of people: those looking for love, those seeking casual sex, some in open relationships, and others wanting commitment. Big cities offer a wide range of experiences and mindsets.
It’s challenging for both men and women alike. Men also struggle with finding committed relationships. What saddens me, though, is that many people today seem to reject traditional values, viewing them as outdated or uncivilized. I disagree with that perspective. To me, traditional values aren’t about oppressing women or dominance; they’re about mutual respect, genuine love, and building a meaningful relationship not just about partying or casual sex. Personally, I’m not into the party scene, and I value deep conversations and authentic connections.
However, it’s difficult to find like minded people who share these values. If you don’t drink, engage in casual sex, or follow the modern social trends, it can feel isolating, and people might even ghost you. But this issue isn’t unique to Barcelona it’s something that happens everywhere, unfortunately.
At the end of the day, I believe in the freedom of choice. Everyone has the right to live their life as they see fit, but it’s definitely tough for those of us who prefer a more traditional approach to relationships. It’s a challenge, to say the least.
Thank you for your sweet and thoughtful response! And I wholeheartedly agree with what you wrote. Couldn’t have put it better — Marina
I also dont drink and I absolutely hate parties. I really feel you
You need a whole episode with the French guy alone lol my guy!!
He was such a great representation of the city 😁
Have you noticed that this only happens in places where there are endless options? Do you know why?
Spain is the most liberal country EVER ,trust me , literally the most feminist and pro lgbt as well,I remember in the 90s I thought they were conservative 😂boy was I wrong
That is not liberal darling. That is woke progressivism.
In the big cities here in Spain they are very open. However, in the countryside there is still a lot of hostility towards the lgbtq community, to the point where they beat up gay people and the police don’t even do anything :/
@@ContrarianExpatriate Bingo.
@@ContrarianExpatriate for me it very liberal
@@ContrarianExpatriate You don’t even know what woke means.
The guy min. 7.42 talking about family and flow come on. Who are you kidding?
Great watch as always 🫡
Great video, fan of the channel. One request, can you make a video about Slovenian dating culture? I’m very curious what it’s like there.
Unfortunately I am not in Europe at the moment and decided not to go to Slovenia. I did make a few videos on Hungary and Croatia which might be faaairly similar in many ways
Some serious crumpet in Slovenia, actually.
Barcelona ther’s nothing to do with catalans it’s a city apart where there are a lot of people with diferent backgrounds and mix of cultures, majority of catalans we are not that way, actually we are shy people and not so open minded at the first time, so we dont fit in the tipical stereotype of spanish person, that’s more in the south. Stope using Barcelona as an example of spain.
Really nice and informative video. I’ve visited Barcelona for the past three summers. It was so nice to see familiar streets in La Ribera, and El Born district. Oh you’re making me miss it there so much. Barcelona kind of sounds like my home town NYC, where people are spoiled for choice. NYC however does not have any many transient people in the main dating pool. Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I’m going to look at my photos and vides and reminisce.
Thank you for this eye opener. I’m no stranger to Europe but still I found this to be a “WoW” experience.
p.s. in barcelona guys split the bill because they go out with around 10/15 ladies per month 😁. Imagine what financial tragedy would be for them to pay for all the ladies they go out with? 😁 they also pay a rent!
As a foreigner it would be hard to get together with a local Barcelona woman all because of other foreigners that are not from Spain that live there. Sad the way how things change in that way.
yeah exactly…ive been as an american for 5 years and 1 catalan friend…they AVOID ME…(and i have plenty of friends)
Summing it all up: a liberal progressive country/place is not for a traditional conservative family, much less for love, it is for fun and entertainment.
I think there is nothing in the middle. For example I really like traditional relationships but I dont believe in marriage and I dont want kids. Usually is either you want JUST to have fun (liberal) or either is VERY conservative (kids+marriage).
I honestly believe the big problem with modern dating is this hook up culture that has been extended worldwide, not only in Barcelona. As a Catalan who’s been living in Bcn for +10 years and dated guys from multiple nationalities, I can really affirm is not “a Barcelona thing”, it’s a deeper social and cultural problem. We are living in the era of fast-love, making no f* effort, treating people like objects, and connecting with others in a superficial level.
(Also, this “casual sex culture thing” is more of a men’s game, a lot of times related to their need of validation, poor values and weak self-steem.)
Hook up culture >>>
It’s kinda funny being a feminist and at the same time wanting serious commitment from men and a family.
Why?
@@diofromyozgat Well, feminists will say it’s about equality, but when you see the laws being created in favor of women and only women, it becomes clear that, at least in a societal level, feminism only benefits women and in many cases it comes to the expense of making things harder for men.
What it creates is polarization, division and mistrust between sexes.
Now, tell me, isn’t that the best possible recipe to worse relationships between both sexes and therefore less commitment and less family stuff?
Many feminists will also say that it’s “fine” and that’s how it’s supposed to be and that’s men’s fault.
Feminism is about separation, not union.
It’s actually difficult to find love everywhere in the world.
Am I the only one that does not want a marriage but I just want a relationship? ahah it seems like people either wanna f**k around or super strict demanding marriage, kids and babies LOOOOL.
you are not the only one. I also just want a relationship. No marriage, no Babies.
I loved the Frenchman’s Gallic shrug. Marvelous