Influencer asks strangers to kiss her at famous landmarks

'I've never had a bad kisser': Kuqi has had only willing participants for her romantic photos. Photo / Getty Images

Some backdrops are made for sharing a kiss at.

Or so the influencer Kristiana Kuqi would insist, and travelling solo shouldn't stop you from sharing a kiss on the lips with a stranger.

While travelling in the cities of Rome and Paris she decided that she could ask the help of strangers to inject a little romance into her photos.

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Hi it’s way to cold for this outfit, when did winter decide to show up. Is it too early for mistletoe kisses? 💋

A post shared by Kristiana Kuqi (@kristianakuqi) on Nov 13, 2019 at 1:40pm PST

Originally from Kosovo, Kuqi told Travel Insider that she first got the idea as a student while travelling abroad. Although she was travelling without a 'significant other' it didn't mean she would have to miss out on the perfect photo op. She said she decided to "channel [her] inner confidence" by asking complete strangers to participate in the photo by giving her a kiss while her friend took the snap.

It's a trick she first tried – with great results – on a trip to Paris in 2016.

"When at the Eiffel Tower, ask a random man to kiss you. It's good luck," she captioned the photogenic kiss.

I hope this guy i met at the Eiffel Tower and asked for a pic of us kissing so i could pretend i had a romantic time in Paris is doing good. pic.twitter.com/KD4mxMI9NX

— kristiana (@KristianaKuqi) November 1, 2019

It's a memory that has lingered and only intensified with time, as she shared the photo to twitter asking if the man she met was well. The saucy snap earned 460 thousand likes online.

She has asked for a kiss in front of the Colosseum in Rome, in the streets of Paris, and even once from a firefighter who turned up to douse the flames at a wedding she was attending.

While some people might not know how to respond to such a request, so far Kuqi has had no trouble finding willing strangers.

"They all responded so pleasantly, and were more than happy to do it," she told Insider. "No one has ever said no."

And the fireman who responded to a fire at a wedding i was at in Kentucky. Hope he’s good too <3 pic.twitter.com/vYWp3z3WIa

— kristiana (@KristianaKuqi) November 1, 2019

She insisted that no one who agreed to appear in the kissing photos was under any false impressions, being told that it was all for the picture.

In spite of the romantic results and scenic backdrops, she says that the experience of taking the shots was less romantic than it might appear. The willing participants couldn't "ignore my laughing friends holding the camera," she said.

"I've never had a bad kisser — each time it was natural and passionate," she said.
"I developed from those moments, and it really changed how I felt about myself and boosted my self-esteem," Kuqi told Travel Insider. "As a woman, asking men for a kiss with no intention of falling in love or keeping in contact is powerful in a way, and breaks the stereotype that women are hopeless romantics just looking for love. We want to just have momentary fun, too."

While her advice to anyone looking for a snog with a stranger is to 'pick your moment', it has to be suitable setting and both of you need to be there for the right reasons.

And secondly, she advises would be kissers to wear lipstick or lip-gloss. "I think that made them notice my lips and definitely want a kiss," she said.

Photos of Kuqis travels and romantic requests can be seen on her Instagram and Twitter feeds.