A couple that lived thousands of miles apart met on the last day of a mutual holiday in Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2023 — now they live together in Brazil and are getting married
A long-distance couple found love despite living 4,000 miles apart on different continents.
Sydney Dohrmann, 27, and Joao Furia, 27, first crossed paths while on holiday in Lisbon, Portugal, just a day before Sydney was set to return to her home in Nashville, Tennessee, US. Joao, a financial advisor residing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, reached out to Sydney the next day expressing his pleasure at meeting her, but they both continued to date other people. Five months later, Sydney relocated to Lisbon for four months to catch up with friends.
During this time, Joao, who was single then, sent Sydney a text inviting her to “swing by”. This marked the beginning of their romantic journey as they travelled across Europe together. Despite returning to their respective homes located 4,884 miles apart, Sydney decided to move to Sao Paulo to be with Joao in July 2024. Earlier this year, Joao proposed, and the couple are planning to get hitched in 2025.
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Sydney, an employee of a luxury travel company, shared: “I would say that everything is very calm which was the main difference I noticed earlier on in the relationship.” She added: “There are risks that I took as well, like moving away and giving up my job but luckily it has been a very peaceful experience.”
The couple’s story began when Sydney’s mutual friend, Matheus, 27, introduced her to Joao during her holiday in Lisbon in March 2023. Sydney reminisced: “On the last night my mutual friend brought this guy. I didn’t think much of it and we shared a kiss, I just thought I was having my moment.
“We danced all night long but I had to go to the airport at 4am, so I had no sleep whatsoever. He was definitely memorable, I knew Brazilians that can kiss and not really think too much of it — so I was shocked when he texted in the morning.
“At first, we texted a little bit about the friend and the rest of the trip. We were both dating other people, and we were loving our normal lives. It was really great for him to learn English and it was great to speak to him while he was learning. That went on for seven months and then we finally met up again.”
In a bold move, Sydney left her real estate job and moved to Lisbon in August 2022, seeking adventure, where Joao soon visited her. They officially became a couple in June 2023.
She shared: “He came back to Lisbon in June and said that he had other trips plans to go to Amsterdam and Madrid.”
Their bond grew stronger over intimate conversations and travels: “We went out to breakfast and had a really intimate chat. We couldn’t not be together, so I also ended up going to Madrid and Amsterdam with him.”
Sydney and Joao’s whirlwind romance took them on a European adventure, hitting up hotspots like Amsterdam and Madrid before returning to their respective countries in June 2023. Sydney gushed about the trip, saying: “This is where I realised that our relationship is peaceful. Travelling can be really stressful when you don’t have similar interests.”
She added: “We are very laid back and it felt like things were falling into place. We would walk round the cities and have a drink and go for food. It just felt very natural.” After their European escapade, they faced a long-distance relationship for 13 months until Sydney made the big move to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in July 2024.
Reflecting on her decision, Sydney shared: “I would say I was very sceptical about it at first. If it wasn’t with him, I wouldn’t have signed up to it. I came to a point in my life where I was getting tired of dating, and I was looking for a relationship. We were willing to try and see if it worked it out.
“We both knew we wouldn’t find anyone else. We met up every three months and so he came to Nashville, and I would go to Brazil.”
In a romantic gesture, Joao proposed to Sydney in March 2024 in Ilhabela, Brazil. Sydney shared: “We were very much on the same page. I didn’t know it would happen on that weekend, but I knew it would be soon.”
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She had been considering her answer, admitting: “I thought about it a lot for the months prior months, and I knew I was going to say yes.” Joao expressed his joy about their current life together, saying: “Now, we’re in such a great part of our relationship living together, seeing each other every day, sharing bank accounts and traveling.
“In the beginning she was this girl that I have been with for a total of 20 days that suddenly became my girlfriend. Her parents were nothing but good to me, but I understand how afraid they could be. I told them I am not crazy and I knew we’ve only been together for a brief period of time, but in order to be together we need to make faster decisions.
“I told him [Sydney’s father] it was my third relationship and then he gave me his blessing and so did her mom. That was the only way we could have a future together — so there was a time I had to do it or I thought I would lose her.”
