Should a Man Pay For a Woman’s Flight For a Visit?
I gave our instagram community a scenario and asked them what they think should happen.
The scenario:
You’re getting to know someone that you haven’t met in-person yet OR you have met before but currently live in different cities. The guy invites you to visit him. Should he pay for the flight, or should you?
Here is what the collective answer was from 129 men and 127 women:
73% of people believe the guy should pay for the flight.
27% of people believe the girl should pay for her flight.
The breakdown between men and women:
Men’s Beliefs:
76% of men believe the guy should pay for the flight.
24% of men believe the girl should pay for the flight.
Women’s Beliefs:
70% of women believe the guy should pay for the flight.
30% of women believe the girl should pay for the flight.
SO… Should a guy pay for your flight if you’re visiting him?!
The data says YES — the majority of men AND women (187 out of 256 people = 73%) believe the man should be paying for your flight if you’re going to visit him for the first time.
Keep reading for my only caveat in this situation.
The F word (finances) can make things pretty dang awkward at times. If you truly do not want to pay for the flight and you’re not picking up on the vibe that he is offering, I would say something along the lines of “put me on a flight and I’m there ;)” — make it playful! If he suggests that you book it and you’re annoyed by this, you may need to shift your perspective and consider this as an investment into your potential relationship with this guy. It’s very likely he will be paying for everything once you get there and he may believe that’s an equal investment to you purchasing your flight.
Regardless, like, I get it. I’m not trying to drop hundreds of dollars on a flight to potentially not have a great time with someone I’m just getting to know, but guess what… they’re thinking the SAME thing. So I would weigh out how much you like this guy, but most importantly… if he’s a good guy (lol). It’d be a shame to drop hundreds of dollars on a flight for a fck boi.
If you cannot afford the flight at the moment, I would be honest about that. People who genuinely want things to happen, make them happen - this I promise you.
He offers to buy you our plane ticket to visit him
The Caveat:
Originally, I would have said, yes, absolutely the guy should be paying for your ticket if you’re going to visit him during the early stages of dating but my perspective changed. When you are going to visit a guy, you’re out of your environment and comfort zone. You’re essentially being delivered right to his door step with a pretty little bow. The true effort on his end would actually be him going to visit YOU, where he is out of his environment and comfort zone.
People likely won’t admit this but there IS an unspoken expectation when a man pays for your flight to go visit him. The unspoken expectation: a hook up. Of course you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But perhaps paying for your own flight gives you a sense of control and comfort over the situation. Either way, you cannot be naive about the potential situation you’re putting yourself in.
I hope this information helped clear things up for you if you’re deciding who should be paying for flights between the two of you during the early stages of dating.
Thank you to all the men and women who voted from our Instagram community!
