I’m going on 50 first dates to try and find love. Here’s what I’ve learned (and my most cringeworthy moments)

A young single woman goes on 50 first dates in the hopes of finding ‘the one’ – and finding out where things went wrong in her love life.

Hannah Zaslawski moved from Sydney to London in April 2022 and last year, at the age of 30, she started documenting herself before every date and reporting on TikTok.

Depending on her work schedule, she has as many as two dates a week, but sometimes she doesn’t go on a date.

She dates both men and women and has had 34 dates so far, ranging from cozy pub get-togethers to more cultured museum and gallery adventures.

Last year, the 30-year-old started documenting herself getting ready for each date and sharing how it went on TikTok

Although she doesn’t have a specific ‘type’, Hannah is looking for someone who is down-to-earth, humble and driven.

“If we have the same morals and values, then those would be my non-negotiables – what we want from life,” she said.

On date 34 earlier this month – Hannah’s first date of the year – her mother chose the date after swiping through a dating app.

Hannah met the man for drinks in a pub, despite having her wisdom teeth removed a few days earlier and them being ‘complete opposites’.

While secretly recording in the bathroom mid-date, she said, “He’s sweet.” We are very different people. He is very disciplined and likes routine and I am a bit all over the place in my life. But maybe he’s what I need.”

Despite the wishful thinking, Hannah admitted at the end of the date that she thought he was looking for someone to “get their life a little more on track.”

“We both said ‘come home safe’ at the same time, and neither of us made any reference to the fact that we would ever see the other again,” she said.

Hannah told FEMAIL that she meets 70 percent of her dates through dating apps, but occasionally meets people through real-life interactions. When it comes to her “dating rules,” Hannah said there are no rules

On another date, she went to a man’s house for drinks and was shocked to see that he had nothing in his refrigerator other than “a jar of olives and half a bottle of roses.”

“You can’t even make a cup of tea,” she laughed.

Hannah drunkenly stormed out on another date after he kept ‘insulting’ her and saying she was ‘not being herself’.

She has also been arrested more than once, including once in Florence.

But for the most part, she said the experience was “fun” and most of the people she met were “nice.”

“Even if a date didn’t go well, everyone was a nice person who I had a good time with,” Hannah said.

‘It encouraged me not to hold on to things for too long. If I have a great date but it doesn’t go anywhere, I can just call it a great date and move on.”

Dating can also be exhausting and expensive. Hannah calculates that she spends an average of £30-£40 ($58-78 AUD).

Hannah told FEMAIL that she meets 70 percent of her dates through dating apps, but occasionally meets people through real-life interactions.

When it comes to her “dating rules,” Hannah said there are none.

‘I have definitely become better at setting my own boundaries. As a people pleaser, it can sometimes be difficult to say no or stand up for myself. But this series really helped me stand up for myself,” she said.

Dating can also be exhausting and expensive. Hannah estimated she spends an average of £30-£40 ($58-78 AUD) per date.

“I’ve worked out so far that it will be around £1,225 (€2,390), it’s expensive to try and find love,” she said.

“Dating burnout is a real thing. I think dating should be a fun and enjoyable experience and if it ever feels like a chore or monotonous then I think it’s important to take a break and focus on yourself until you feel ready to to date again.

“But your self-love is always more important than your desire to be loved.”

But the process has made her realize that she is not alone.

“It’s built an amazing community of women (online) who are experiencing the same thing. “It’s made me realize that it’s not actually that I’m doing anything wrong, it’s that I haven’t met someone right yet,” she said.

Hannah says it has boosted her confidence, reminded her not to settle for people and taught her what she wants in a partner.

“It started out as something fun to do, just to give my friends back home an update on my dating life,” she said.

“I’d been talking about 50 first dates for a while and my boyfriend encouraged me to go for it.”

Hannah hopes she doesn’t complete the full 50 first dates before meeting the love of her life and ending her dare.

“There’s no time frame to complete 50 dates – to be honest, hopefully I don’t make it to 50,” she said.

“When I turn 50, I’ll probably be the red flag at that point.”