After meeting on OkCupid, online daters Clara Bensen and Jeff Wilson of Austin, Texas, decided to skip getting coffee on their first date. Instead they took a 21-day excursion across eight countries in Europe, packing only what they could fit in their pockets.
Bensen, who recounted her crazy first date in a Salon.com article, originally joined OkCupid to meet a range of men, but was quickly smitten with Wilson. "My original idea was to make my life a little more interesting. That was my friend's recommendation," she told HuffPost Live Host Nancy Redd.
"So I got on and I was planning to do this sort of social experiment where I dated one guy for each day of the week. So I created my account, and about two hours later I found his profile and my original plan kind of went out the window."
When Wilson asked Bensen to join him on a 21-day trek across Europe for their first date, she didn't hesitate to accept. But she wasn't initially keen on the suggestion that they would literally leave all of their baggage behind.
"The part that I didn't think was going to stick with her was when I suggested that we go without any luggage-- that we wear the same pair of clothes for 21 days," Wilson said. "And I said, 'I'm going to do this. I'm already fully in.' She initially sent me a text within about 30 seconds saying, 'you go ahead and do that. I'm going to be bringing a backpack.' And then something switched."
"What's the worst that could happen?" Bensen added. "It's just three weeks. If I hate it, I can buy a backpack."
The couple is now planning their next adventure together. "We cashed in all our miles and decided that we're headed to South America this December while Jeff's on his break," Bensen said.
But this time around, she will bring one crucial item she learned she can't travel without: a tube of toothpaste.