Why the Best Romance Books Set Abroad Feel So Transformative
The magic of two characters in a romance book falling in love can be just as special as the place where their story unfolds. Secret kisses in the boss’s office or getting hot and heavy with your new roommate are one thing, but a kiss with a stranger on a moonlit balcony in Florence? That’s the heart of a romance book in Italy, and it just hits different. Sharing only one bed with your nemesis on a Kenyan safari? Holding hands with your brother’s best friend as you explore street food stalls in Bangkok? Those stories are completely different. Romance fiction books set in foreign countries immerse readers in new landscapes, cultures, and possibilities that help us view love in a new way.
The Allure of Travel in Romance Books
Travel and romance aren’t all that different from each other—both are about mustering your courage and stepping into the unknown. The second you enter that unfamiliar territory, every sense becomes heightened, every moment more memorable.
In vacation romance books or romances abroad, one or both of the main characters take a chance to leave behind the ordinary. The journey won’t be without its challenges, but as readers, that’s what we’re here for!
Even if you’re a complete homebody, fiction books set in foreign countries can be your passport. You can experience different cultures, climates, and cuisines from the comfort of your own home. Reading is an opportunity to see life through other people's eyes, and who knows? It might even inspire some of your own personal travels in the future.
Next Stop: Conflict & Tension
When characters are thrust into a new environment, strong emotions rise to the surface. No more hiding behind a day-to-day routine like a demanding job and no more patching a theoretical bandage on big feelings. Through the challenges of being somewhere different, a character has to be willing to be torn down a bit and then build themselves back up.
Take my novella Match Made in the Maldives, for example. Luna and Finley have known each other for years, but it’s not until they’re at a dreamy island resort that their chemistry becomes too hot to handle. The feeling of an escape from the real world cracks open their hearts, but it also gives them a lot to think about. Is this just a fling? How will they tell Luna’s family, who basically sees Finley as an honorary member? There’s drama, there’s doubt, but ultimately, love will prevail. The setting isn’t just a backdrop here; it’s a catalyst for what happens between them. It becomes a character in its own right, amplifying tension, intimacy, and vulnerability.
Cultural Influence in the Romance Genre
Writing romances abroad isn’t just about slotting a love story into a postcard-perfect location. The best romance book set abroad will give readers the chance to experience the destination in an authentic way. Authors might weave in local traditions, foods, and customs that shape the characters’ experience, and these little details make the romance feel alive.
I’m not the first author ever to publish a romance book set in Ireland (here are some romances set in Ireland, if you’d like to add to your TBR). With the country’s warm, welcoming people, sweeping ocean views, and dramatic cliffsides, it’s easy to see why readers would want a story set there! But I put in the work to make my representation respectful and real with my debut novel, The Half of It. I not only did research in Ireland, but I consulted with multiple people on culture, customs, and language. The result? A sweeping, romantic story that makes readers feel like they’re there.
Specific elements about a location can fill the story with built-in conflict. Language barriers, family expectations, and even the ticking clock of a return flight home can raise the stakes of a love story. Readers love rooting for the couple to overcome the odds, even when it seems sometimes like the two characters come from vastly different worlds.
Escapism Meets Realism: Why Choose?
I always get a sparkling sensation in my gut the second I land somewhere and head out to sightsee for the first time on a trip. It’s such a fun feeling, and I try to give it to my readers with the destinations I write. I want them to be just as excited to be there as I am! And, funny enough, this feeling is very much the same as when you get those butterflies in your stomach from seeing someone special. It’s a bit of both in the pages of a book.
And let’s face it—love stories set abroad are just plain fun. Who wouldn’t want a romance with a little trip to Spain like in The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas or a journey to India like in Kiss & Cry by Mina V. Esguerra?
Romance fiction books set in foreign countries blur the line between our real world and the desire to escape. Readers often dive into books because they want to get away from the world, even for a short while. They desire mentally heading someplace where the main characters are flawed and doing their best, and where, despite all the challenges they face, their love ultimately wins. And if it can feel like an actual trip where they packed their bags, then even better.
🎶 We Found Love in a Foreign Place 🎶
When love unfolds against a memorable backdrop of relaxing beaches, quaint mountaintop villages, or glittering foreign cities, the story feels bigger, dreamier, and sometimes even more transformative. Characters exit their comfort zones, just like travelers do the second they get their passport stamped, and that bravery is reflected in the relationship.
Romances abroad remind us that love can happen to us anywhere, and sometimes the most magical journeys are the ones that take us far from everything we thought we knew.