'I travelled 5,000 miles to meet my online date from UK - and it was worth it'

14 February 2024 , 09:15

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Rachel and Joe have recalled how their trust in fate led them to being matched on a dating site overseas (Image: Rachel Heiser)

A love-struck nurse has revealed the chance moment that changed her life forever and persuaded her to move 5,000 miles to a new life in the UK.

Rachel Hieser, 34, from Utah, US, re-located to Bristol in the UK after matching with Joe De Silva, also 34, on a dating site during the pandemic. The pair shared a mutual desire to travel and began speaking online in May 2021. After three months of talking, they decided to meet up to ignite their spark in real life. But due to coronavirus restrictions, their options were limited.

The pair had no choice but to meet up in Ireland thanks to its looser restrictions, as Joe was unable to travel to the US unless he wanted to quarantine for 14 days. He said: "We had to meet in Ireland because, Covid restrictions were still in place and the UK was very strict."

That wasn't the only hurdle they faced, as their initial connection nearly went awry, after Rachel almost deactivated her profile before she decided to take one last look at her messages. In her inbox, she noticed a six-month-old communication from Joe, who works in digital marketing. Speaking about how their whirlwind romance began, Rachel said she signed up to a website called 'Meet British Guys', despite previously being only willing to date people "10 to 15 miles away from home".

She said: "We matched and he wrote the first message. I didn't see it for 6 months because I wasn't active on the dating website. I was actually thinking of deleting my profile, but I went through my messages one last time, saw his message and thought I'd write back even though it had been half a year. He replied back the next day."

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Rachel and Joe took their first picture together in Ireland (Rachel Heiser)

Joe enjoyed a basketball game during his first visit to Utah in November 2021 (Rachel Heiser)

Joe said he was "surprised" that she got back to him. "My first honest response was, 'wait, who's this?'! And then I looked at her profile again and remembered who she was. I think getting a response to my next message was the butterflies and excitement feeling." The couple said they had a mutual understanding of politics and knew what they wanted for the future. Joe added: "Speaking to Americans, I didn't want to speak to any Trump supporters. So it was clear early on that our views and beliefs aligned." Meanwhile Rachel said they both enjoyed playing sports like tennis.

And after months of endless messages and talking for hours on end on the phone, Rachel decided to go ahead and organise a "nerve-wracking" ten-day trip in August of that year. "I never moved as a child and as an adult have only lived 30-45 minutes away from where I was born," she said. After Rachel travelled for nearly 10 hours, the pair met up for the first time in the lobby of the hotel that they were both staying at. She said she realised early on in the trip that they had something "strong." She explained: "I had arrived hours earlier and was waiting for him. Nervous was an understatement.

"It was strange to meet someone for the first time that I felt I already knew from 12-15 hours of phone calls per week. It was awkward until we finally sat down at dinner and talked like we usually did and then it just felt like I knew him really well." And just a few days into their trip, the couple confessed their love for each other. By November of that year, coronavirus restrictions had lifted and Joe was able to visit Rachel in Utah. "When he met my family and friends, there was ease to it," Rachel explained. "I'm sure it was nerve-wracking for him, but he was very conversational and nice to everyone he met on his travels to Utah. It just confirmed my decision about him in my life so easily."

Rachel said despite having a "big social life" and knowing that she'd miss her family and friends, she knew it would be easier for her to secure work back in the UK. Now, she is happily employed as a nurse with Practice Plus Group at Emersons Green Hospital in Bristol. "I got really lucky in finding my company. Just because it can be really rough out there as a nurse, and I feel really supported here," she said.

Rachel and Joe on a visit to London (Rachel Heiser)

The couple spent Christmas together after Rachel's big move in December 2022 (Rachel Heiser)

After overcoming cultural differences and gaining a licence in the UK, Rachel was able to fit into life easier with the help of Joe and her dog Reggie, whom she brought with her from the US. She explained that seeing Joe "fall in love" with her pet made her "heart so happy". Whilst Joe said: "I helped Rachel with her visa, setting up a bank account and the complicated process of moving Reggie. Moving to the other side of the world is stressful enough, that I tried to take as much off her plate as I could. It's the smaller things as well like trying to find a can of pumpkin puree so her Thanksgiving here can feel a bit more like home."

Rachel explained that finding the love of her life made the "sacrifices worth it" and encouraged others to step outside of their "comfort zone." Rachel added: "It makes all the sacrifices worth it. I didn't have a doubt about Joe, just doubts about leaving my family and friends, selling all my belongings, leaving my prior job, the stress of moving my eight-year-old dog across the world. Taking risks and going out of your comfort zone can be worth it." The couple eventually plan to move back to the US so Rachel can be reunited with her family.

Monica Charsley