The irony.

When this site was created, we had no idea what Open Minded would eventually come to mean.

At the time, it was simple. It meant looking at the world with a fresh perspective. Traveling internationally. Being curious about other cultures. Questioning assumptions. Being willing to see life somewhere other than through the lens you were handed at home.

That was it.

Or so we thought.

Today, open-minded means something a little different.

It wasn’t until fairly recently that we really began to recognize that the phrase carries another connotation internationally — particularly in communities built around alternative relationships, ethical non-monogamy, swinging, sex-positive culture, and people who simply don’t organize their lives around conventional expectations.

And there is something wonderfully ironic about that.

Open Minded Traveler spent years writing about dating, relationships, cultural differences, and what happens when people from very different backgrounds try to connect.

Then the site evolved.

And so did we.

Now, fully embracing that evolution and beginning to see travel, relationships, and human connection through another lens feels less like a rebrand and more like a strange kind of synchronicity.

Synchronicity

Carl Jung used the term synchronicity to describe meaningful coincidences — events that may not appear causally connected, but somehow seem connected by meaning.

How apropos.

Because Open Minded Traveler somehow arrived at its name long before we fully understood where the journey might lead.

Our own exploration of ethical non-monogamy began in early 2026.

There were conversations first. Then visits to lifestyle clubs. Then conversations with people already living inside these communities.

Couples.

Singles.

People in open relationships.

Swingers.

People whose relationships didn’t fit neatly into any category at all.

And the further we looked, the more natural the subject felt.

Not because everyone should abandon traditional relationships.

They shouldn’t.

But because not everyone is built for exactly the same relationship structure.

Some people want monogamy.

Some want multiple romantic relationships.

Some enjoy swinging together.

Some value enormous amounts of independence.

Some don’t particularly care what their relationships are called.

And some of us were simply meant to be a little more playful.

Then We Found Relationship Anarchy

That was when the idea of Relationship Anarchy became particularly interesting.

Relationship Anarchy, or RA, challenges the assumption that relationships need to follow a predetermined hierarchy.

Romantic partner first.

Everyone else somewhere underneath.

Instead, RA emphasizes things like autonomy, individual choice, non-hierarchical relationships, and allowing relationships to develop according to what the people actually involved want rather than according to a script society has already written for them.

It is often associated with non-monogamy, although Relationship Anarchy and non-monogamy are not exactly the same thing.

And it certainly isn’t identical to swinging, polyamory, solo poly, or any of the dozens of other labels people use.

For us, the useful part is much simpler:

Not every connection has to look the same.

Not every person who enters your life needs to occupy the same role.

Not every meaningful relationship needs to follow the traditional progression of dating → exclusivity → marriage → house → children → forever.

Some relationships are romantic.

Some are sexual.

Some are intellectual.

Some are adventurous.

Some last decades.

Some last a weekend.

Some people walk into your life and change the direction of it without ever becoming anything society has a convenient label for.

There is something liberating about recognizing that.

So What Does This Have to Do With Travel?

Quite a lot, actually.

Travel has always had a strange ability to expose the assumptions we didn’t realize we were carrying.

You arrive somewhere else and suddenly people eat differently.

Date differently.

Flirt differently.

Dress differently.

Raise their children differently.

Talk about sex differently.

Structure relationships differently.

And sometimes the things you assumed were universal turn out to be very cultural.

Alternative lifestyle communities make that even more obvious.

The atmosphere of a lifestyle club in Colombia is not necessarily the same as one in Mexico.

European attitudes toward nudity, relationships, jealousy, and sexuality can feel completely different from those in the United States.

An app like Feeld can feel radically different depending on the city you’re using it in.

Even the words people use — swinger, libertine, lifestyle, ENM, open relationship, polyamory — can carry different meanings depending on where you are.

That is where Open-Minded Travel starts getting interesting.

We aren’t talking about traveling simply to have sex.

That would be a pretty boring interpretation of what this site is becoming.

We are interested in what happens when travel, culture, relationships, curiosity, sexuality, and unconventional lifestyles intersect.

And there is a very big world sitting at that intersection.

This Site Is Changing

Colombia isn’t disappearing.

Neither is dating.

Those subjects are part of Open Minded Traveler’s history, and there is still plenty left to talk about.

If you’re interested in dating in Colombia, keep reading.

If you’re curious about what relationships look like across cultures, stay close.

But Open Minded Traveler is becoming larger than that.

We’re going to talk about alternative lifestyles.

Ethical non-monogamy.

Swinging.

Relationship Anarchy.

Lifestyle clubs.

Resorts.

Dating apps.

Boundaries.

Consent.

Jealousy.

Discretion.

Travel.

And, perhaps most importantly, what real people actually experience once you move beyond the terminology and start living it.

Some of that will come from our own experiences.

Some will come from other people willing to tell their stories.

Some will come from research, interviews, and visiting places ourselves.

And some of it will probably challenge things we currently believe.

Good.

That’s part of being open minded.

If Something Has Always Felt a Little Off…

If you’re over 18 and have occasionally felt like something is missing from the relationship script everyone handed you, this publication might be for you.

If you’re perfectly happy with monogamy but curious about how other people live, you’re welcome too.

If you’re thinking about visiting Colombia and dating is part of the adventure, we’re still here.

If you’re interested in alternative lifestyles but tired of the nonsense, stereotypes, pornography, moral panic, and bad information surrounding them, we want to make this a place where you can actually learn how these communities function.

Without pretending everything is perfect.

Without pretending everyone should participate.

And without pretending there is only one correct way to build a relationship.

Open Minded Traveler started as a travel site.

Then it became a dating and cultural site.

Now we’re curious about something bigger:

How differently could we experience the world if we stopped assuming there was only one correct way to travel, connect, love, date, and build relationships?

Maybe the name knew where this was going before we did.

Time to shake things up.

Stay tuned.