Trips are bad, mmmm-kay?

Did you ever notice how often people go on vacation? It seems like everyone I meet goes at least once a month. For instance, I met Alyssa F and we went on two dates. She told me how she was going to Utah for a week with her parents and her teenage brother. Our second date was the night before she left and that was the last time I would ever see her again. A couple of days after her return, I called her and asked for date number three. I received an email the next day:

AlyssaF: "I'm going to have to decline your offer for tomorrow. I just recently started seeing someone. I wish you all the best!"

Did she find a guy in Utah who was a wife or two short this month? If not, when did she have time to meet this other guy? I was with her the night before she left and now she is exclusive with someone a couple of days after her return? Wow. That's fast. (That was a week ago, so no doubt they have kids and a retirement plan by now.) Then again...maybe the part about her parents and brother was fictional and she actually had a romantic getaway with a guy she met before I was in the picture. (Although, Utah isn't high on my list of most romantic destinations.) While I'm awkwardly taking girls to dinner on a second date and debating in my head when is too soon to invite them over to see my place, other guys are inviting them on second dates in other time zones for a week.

If that wasn't the case, I really don't know when she had time to develop this relationship. And for those of you playing the date game at home...Utah isn't the only place not to allow your dates to venture. North Carolina, Australia, St. Louis, and San Francisco are also places where I've had one of my dates go on vacation...only to return to DC as part of a couple and give me the "best of luck" email. Why do millions of people join online dating websites? Simply book a trip somewhere...anywhere...and you're as good as hitched!

I must admit...sometimes this "vacation relationship" does have an explanation. I was dating Francesca C and she was from Italy. During conversation, she informed me about her upcoming trip back to Europe. I assumed it was to see her family in Italy.

Francesca C: "No, it's to Austria."
Biff M: "Oh. Why Austria?"
Francesca C: "To see my boyfriend. I haven't seen him in months. I miss him."

(Were you missing him when you were kissing me? Obviously, I saw this coming as I met her weeks earlier AT A SINGLES EVENT! Do I chalk that one up to cultural differences?)

Do you think Alyssa F keeps a boyfriend in Utah???