Misconceptions about European Swingers

Swinging can be considered as the act of sharing yourself and your partner with other couple or couples, with the full awareness of all participants. Individuals or couples engaged into this type of activity are commonly known as swingers.

Although swinging began in the United States in the late 1950’s, this lifestyle became widely popular in other parts of the world including Europe. Nowadays, there are swinger venues and clubs all over Europe catering to German, Spanish, French, and Portuguese swingers. Just like in the U.S., European swingers also have online sites, dating services, online chatting, and swinger parties and activities although rules may vary due to cultural differences.

There are quite a few false impressions about the swinging lifestyle. One most common misconception is that swinging is taken to be the same as wife swapping. Although swinging was originally known as wife swapping, this was changed as the term is not broad enough to cover all the activities involved in swinging. Wife swapping is only one of the activities that swinger couples and swinging wives may try with another couple or other couples. Swinging is also thought to favor the male partners but this impression is inaccurate insofar as swinging involves the full participation of both partners.

Another common impression about swingers is that they are most commonly older couples bordering on perversion. This is quite untrue; the swing lifestyle is composed of couples of all ages, including the typical next door type couples representing marital bliss. As a matter of fact, one of the requisites for couples before joining a swinger party is that they should be reasonably happy and content in their relationship. Swinging is aimed at making the bond of the couple stronger, not to be used as a means to break away from or as a substitute to a miserable relationship.

Most people would never think of allowing their partners to have casual sex with others whether a stranger or not. But for swinger couples, this is an acceptable form of social recreation. Activities in swinging are as varied as the swingers. They typically include soft swinging of soft swapping wherein everything is done with another person except sexual intercourse. Open swinging or full swapping is done with couples actually swapping partners and having intercourse with them in the same room or bed. This covers threesomes, orgies, and others.  Closed swinging is the same as a full swap but intercourse takes place in separate rooms.

The reason for swinging in Europe is just the same as anywhere else in the world. Couples want to take their relationship further by exploring sexual fantasies with others without cheating. Couples may also just be getting bored with their sex life and spice it up by adding a variety to it. Some may do it simply for fun.

But whatever the reason is for swinging couples and wherever they are, it is important to communicate with their partners to make sure that they want to go into this kind of lifestyle. While swinging offer some type of adventure and excitement to the couple, it also carries certain risks and liabilities which can also destroy the relationship.