Writer Katherine Chloe Cahoon is getting some flak for her new book, A Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men and the accompanying videos on her website.

It may or may not be a hoax (she’s claimed that the videos are intended to be funny, but that the book is real), but either way, there’s little chance that you’ll snare a man by taking her advice.

Still want to have a holiday romance? These tips might actually work.

Learn the language: No, technically you don’t have to speak the same language to reel in a foreign romance but it makes things easier. Also, speaking a bit of the language makes you look more open and up for adventure. Don’t be afraid to mangle, either – it’s kinda endearing.

Hang out with locals: Sure, you can pull another tourist if you stick around in touristy places, but isn’t meeting locals one of the main reasons to travel? So ditch the guidebook places and ask around for places where the locals hang. Hopefully, the intrigue of a foreigner rocking up will take the first step.

Talk to people: This may come as a surprise to big city dwellers who are used to ignoring everyone around them, even when their armpit’s in your face on the subway. To meet your holiday fling, you’re going to need to get chatting with people. Not just the ones you fancy, either – you never know who your new friends might introduce you to. Being open is the way to go.

Be yourself: Katherine reckons she had the best success in a club in Europe (she doesn’t distinguish between the countries) by letting her hair down – literally – and performing a come get it kind of dance. Well, yeah, obviously that’ll get you attention. But it’s actually more fun (and a better ego boost) to get someone’s attention by being yourself. Basically, it’s like dating at home – you’re just already a little more alluring by virtue of being foreign.

Be safe: Something Katherine neglected to cover in her videos – it’s easy to throw caution to the wind while you’re traveling, but don’t forget to take the same precautions as you would if you dated anyone at home. Let people know where you’re going and who you’re with.