SEATTLE — She grew up in Spokane and lived and worked in Seattle. But, these days, Loni James has no fixed address.
"At this point in my life, I'm prioritizing travel and I've created this life of being able to explore and see these places I've always wanted to see," James said.
While recently grieving the loss of her mother, and closing in on 40, the medical sales professional decided it was time to follow her dream.
James said, "I was actually on a hike here in the Northwest when I told my friend, I was like, 'I'm finally going to do it. I'm going to pull the plug. I'm going to quit my job. I'm going to travel.' And I'm single, so why not date?"
She updated her Tinder account and hit the road.
"If I go on dates, then I'm meeting someone who's from that culture," James said.
Her quest captured a lot of attention, from "SNL's Weekend Update" to ABC's "Good Morning America" show.
The current total is 45 men in more than two dozen countries.
"Quite a few of them, I would go out on second, third, and fourth dates depending on chemistry, depending on how long I was in the location they were in," James said.
From dinner dating in Cairo to courting while canyoneering in Amman, it can be tough to keep track of all these guys.
"Do I have a spreadsheet with all their information? Yes. Am I going to share that? Absolutely not! It's really important to me that they stay anonymous," James said.
James protects their identities so she can freely share other details with her online audience without embarrassing anyone.
"The one that comes to mind is the time that I was not prepared for my date to confess that they were a part-time magician and proceeded to whip out a deck of cards and started doing card tricks at the dinner table. And I was just, like, this is happening?" James laughed.
James prefers active encounters.
"Go on a walk, go on a hike."
A man in Turkey took her paragliding.
"In the air, over the turquoise coast, and it's stunning," James said.
But it's not all romantic bliss.
"I have not had any experience abroad that I haven't had in the States," James said.
James was stood up in Cyprus and stuck with an expensive dinner check in Switzerland. But those are the exceptions.
"I met some really lovely humans," she said.
The truest journey is the one that follows the heart.
"I get the privilege of getting to know somebody. I get to know their story, I get to ask them questions, I get to learn something," James said. "For me, learning something is never a waste of my time. So I can't help but keep going."
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