A long-distance couple who met on holiday and lived 4,000 miles away on separate continents have got engaged.

Sydney Dohrmann, 27, and Joao Furia, 27, met while holidaying in Lisbon, Portugal, the day before Sydney was due to fly back home to Nashville, Tennessee, US.

Joao,

a financial advisor - who lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil - messaged Sydney the following day saying it was nice to meet her but the pair carried on dating different people.

Five months on, moved to Lisbon for four months to meet up with friends from back home.

Joao dropped Sydney - who was also single at the time - a text asking him to "swing by" and the pair's romance blossomed and they went travelling around Europe."

The trip came to an end and they both returned to their home countries 4,884 miles apart - before Sydney moved to Sao Paulo to be with Joao in July 2024.

Earlier this year, Joao popped the question and they are hoping to tie the knot in 2025.

Sydney, who works for a luxury travel company, said: "I would say that everything is very calm which was the main difference I noticed earlier on in the relationship. "

"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."

Sydney was holidaying in Lisbon, Portugal, when her mutual friend, Matheus, 27, introduced her to Joao in March 2023

The pair bonded immediately but Sydney didn't think they would see each other again as she was due to fly home to Nashville the next day.

Sydney said: "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."

While Sydney was back home in America, the pair would text every day but continued to date other people.

She said: "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 August 2022, Sydney decided to quit her job in real estate and moved to Lisbon for four months to find "a new lease of life" and Joao invited Joao to Sydney go and see her."

The pair rekindled their relationship and become an official couple in June, 2023.

She said: "He came back to Lisbon in June and said that he had other trips plans to go to Amsterdam and Madrid. "

"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."

The pair jetted off on a trip around Europe - visiting Amsterdam and Madrid- before heading back to their home countries in June 2023.

Sydney said: "This is where I realised that our relationship is peaceful. Travelling can be really stressful when you don't have similar interests. "

"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 two weeks travelling around Europe, Sydney and Joao went back to their home countries.

They went long distance for 13 months before Sydney moved her life to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in July 2024

Sydney said: "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 March, 2024, Joao got down on one knee and prosed to Sydney in Ilhabela, Brazil

Sydney said: "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."

"I thought about it a lot for the months prior months, and I knew I was going to say yes."

Joao said: "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 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."