A teacher who encountered her future husband during a solo adventure in China and relocated more than 5,500 miles – 9,000 kilometres – across the globe after just four in-person meetings has declared “you will find love when you least expect it”. Gillian Philip, a teacher, chose to “give up on dating” upon turning 30 and relocated to South Korea to begin afresh, where she could concentrate on herself and “enjoy (her) life”.

However, in October 2019, Gillian, now 39, found herself on a Flash Pack expedition to China after her initial holiday arrangements collapsed – and this is where she encountered Henry Philip, 42, a software developer, also from Scotland. They quickly developed a connection whilst discovering Beijing, riding motorbikes and witnessing the sunrise at the Great Wall, describing the experience as “unforgettable”, though neither “didn’t expect to meet anyone” romantically.

Despite residing in separate countries, they maintained contact through messaging and video calls, and Gillian chose to relocate across the world to join him in July 2021 after only four face-to-face encounters. Now residing in Edinburgh together, they have subsequently wed and welcomed their first child, with Gillian keen to inspire others to explore the world and “dream big”.

Recounting an amusing anecdote, Gillian said: “I remember talking to one of Henry’s best friends, and he said to me, ‘So what’s going on with you two?’. I said, ‘Well, it’s probably just a holiday fling that’s overrun’, and he went, ‘Why do you say that?’.

“I just said, ‘We live 9,000 kilometres apart, there’s a nine-hour time difference in our relationship. In reality, it’s going to go nowhere’. What’s funny is I said that to the person who ended up being the best man at our wedding.”

Gillian revealed she’d been in a long-term relationship during university but, beyond that, she explored the typical dating routes throughout her twenties. She tried numerous dating apps, including Tinder, registered for online services such as Plenty of Fish, and allowed friends to arrange potential matches – yet nothing materialised.

“I’d go on a date and I’d be thinking, ‘I could genuinely be doing anything else with my time right now’,” Gillian said. “I could be getting my marking done, I could be sorting out my emails instead of sitting in this pub.”

Upon reaching 30, Gillian made the decision to relocate to South Korea to work at an international school. While initially “terrifying”, she explained she wanted to prioritise herself and pursue interests such as walking, swimming and travelling.

“I just thought, I’m going to stop trying to do this stereotypical route – you work hard in your profession, you work up the ladder, then you buy a house, you meet a partner, you get married etc.,” she said. “I just wanted to go and enjoy my life.”

While in South Korea, Gillian embarked on her maiden solo Flash Pack adventure to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2018. Flash Pack is a social travel firm specialising in crafting bucket-list experiences for solo travellers seeking companionship, and Gillian found the experience thoroughly rewarding. The following year, after alternative arrangements collapsed, she opted for another Flash Pack excursion – this time to China.

“In 2019, I was originally meant to be going to the Rugby World Cup in Japan with my sister and her husband, but they couldn’t go in the end,” Gillian said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to do that by myself, so I just thought, ‘Actually, while I’m here, I’m not far from Beijing and I know Flash Pack’s a great company, so let’s just go and do that trip’.”

Gillian secured her place in September while Henry reserved his in August, and both departed for China independently that October with no anticipation of meeting anyone special. The 12-day expedition featured witnessing the Great Wall at dawn, discovering Beijing and receiving invitations into locals’ residences to craft dumplings by hand, alongside viewing the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an.

The party practised tai chi, wandered lantern-illuminated streets, sampled various food markets, travelled aboard high-speed trains, rode motorbikes, observed pandas and cruised by boat in Shanghai. During this journey she encountered fellow explorer Henry, though she confesses it wasn’t an instant romantic connection.

“The first time I met him, it was in a group in the evening, when everyone is introducing themselves,” Gillian recalled. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, wow, he’s amazing’, it was more, ‘He seems like a nice person’.”

Gillian recollects spending an afternoon with Henry during a shopping excursion, where he assisted her in selecting a jumper as she’d travelled with just 6kg of hand luggage. They subsequently found themselves “sitting and chatting” during multiple train journeys and exploring food markets, which enabled them to develop a deeper connection, with Gillian describing him as “really kind and really easy to talk to”.

“I thought by fluke we just ended up sitting next to each other on every train journey, but I found out later he planned some of that,” Gillian revealed. “It was nice to just sit and chat and, as we chatted, we realised we had a few mutual friends in common.”

While in Shanghai, they wound up “staying up all night talking to each other”, sharing their first kiss before departing for home. Nevertheless, Gillian assumed they wouldn’t cross paths again and even contemplated introducing Henry to one of her Edinburgh-based friends.

“I knew he was a great guy, but we lived so far apart,” Gillian reflected. “We did say that we travel really well together, so it would be great to travel again, but it was one of those things where you say that and don’t know if it will ever happen.”

Despite being separated by 9,000 kilometres, they stayed in touch and managed several reunions in December 2019, exploring Edinburgh’s Christmas markets and celebrating New Year together.

Following months apart due to Covid-19, endless messages and an “I love you” declaration during a video call, Gillian made the bold decision to leave her job and relocate across the globe in July 2021.

“If any of my female friends said they’re moving halfway around the world for a guy they’d met four times, I’d say, ‘What are you doing?’,” Gillian admitted. “Surprisingly, only two people turned around to me and said, ‘I don’t think that’s a wise idea’… but a part of me thought, if I don’t give this a go, I’ll always regret it.”

Following their move to Edinburgh together, Henry proposed in May 2022, the couple wed in July 2023 and have since welcomed their first child, now 17 months old. They’ve continued exploring the world as a couple, journeying to Alaska for their honeymoon and destinations including Toronto, Vancouver and Croatia, whilst cherishing “spending time as a family”.

Looking back on their story and offering guidance to others, Gillian reflected: “Henry and I say to each other, if we saw each other in a bar, I don’t think either of us would have had the confidence to go up to each other. Our paths were meant to cross, we just took the long way round to get there. It’s the old cliche which people used to say to me and I hated them saying it, but you will find love when you least expect it.”