It all started pretty promisingly. “The tale begins only a few months back,” Hanson says. “I travelled up to Sydney for a work shoot. It was only meant to be for the day—a little FIFO moment if you will. Shout out to FIFO. But while I was up there, I immediately started chatting to this Sydney man. Let’s call him Brad for the purposes of this story.” “Now, while chatting via text, Brad suggested we go on a date in two days time, which would obviously mean I’d have to organise my own flights and accommodation to extend the trip. But the real kicker? We had already tried to go out on a date two times prior, but he had cancelled on me last minute, both times.”
“I remember those moments like they were yesterday. It was probably about five years ago and we were meant to go to the beach. And I was like, cool, amazing. I'm going to buy a new towel and new bathers. I pulled out all the stops for this man and he pulled out the day off, which was awesome.”
But by the time Friday night rolled around, he was getting worried. He’d heard “absolute crickets” from his potential suitor, having messaged him the day before to confirm (as any good date should do). So he turns to fellow comedian, friend and Sydney local Lucinda Price (aka Froomes) for advice.
“We're having a bit of a back and forth at this point. She's like, ‘Keep me posted. Surely he’s going to respond. Surely you’re going to go out on this date.’ I’m like, I don’t know. I don't have a good feeling about this.”
An hour before dinner, the fateful message arrives.
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When the saying “once bitten, twice shy” was coined—the creators didn’t take Louis Hanson into account.
A writer, actor, and comedian, Hanson is never one to shy away from an unplanned adventure, which is exactly how he found himself being ghosted by a man in Sydney—who’d done the exact same thing twice before.
I mean, why not? It's hard out here. You have to really take the chances when they come. And he was also really hot.”
Hanson made the most of it—booking into the Ace Hotel and soaking it in. “As it turns out, the hotel room was incredible to enjoy by myself. I was on the bed. I’m in the hotel robe. I’m raiding the snack bar and some of the drinks—as you would.”
“So I send Lucinda this meme of a man putting on clown makeup. I had built up this idea of finally meeting the man of my dreams, and now I’m sitting there alone at the hotel—having a gorgeous time, mind you,” he adds. So what were Hanson and Price to do? Make the most of a bad situation, obviously. Swooping in to save the day, Price rallies the troops. Hanson recalls, “I'm like, ‘Lucinda, what are we going to do? I'm already here in Sydney, I've booked this luxe hotel room, we may as well just enjoy the rest of this little stay.’ She's like, ‘No worries. I got you. I'm going to Chin Chin in an hour with a group of friends. You haven't met them before, but you'd love them. Come and let's just have cocktails.”
Luckily for Hanson, Sydney is always buzzing, and there’s always an opp to rally last minute. “I wipe off my metaphorical clown makeup. I'm wiping that off because I'm now back to me. I'm independent. I'm here for the friends. I'm here for the girlies.”
“And I get to Chin Chin and end up having the most amazing night. Margaritas on tap, martinis on tap, incredible food. And I met the most amazing group of friends. We even end up going back to Ace Hotel, having more martinis. They’re all like, ‘Fuck this man.’ I’m like, ‘I know I got ghosted for a third time.’ And they were just amping me up the entire night, making me feel amazing.”
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by a2 Milk™ by Anchor™ and proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.
To join Wright in recreating nostalgic noms and finding connection through food, pick up a fresh bottle of a2 Milk™ by Anchor™ and some of your favourite Kiwi pantry staples and hit the family kitchen.
By Ben Madden
Flying
But, never one to give up on love, Hanson had a decision to make: extend his trip and risk it all, or head home? The choice was clear.
“I had to take the plunge,” he says. “So I booked flights and accommodation at the last minute with theWotif app. I was meant to fly back to Melbourne that day, but I was like, no, I’m staying here and I’m having a little vacay, a spontaneous vacay, purely in the pursuit of love.”
How Louis Hanson Turned Ghosting Into An Unforgettable Adventure
24 October 2025
FEATURE
For
Love
I’m actually just gonna have dinner with my mates tonight."
While it was a spontaneous trip that started in the pursuit of love, it turns out that Hanson was reminded of something even more valuable: self-love.
“The moral of the story is I had a spontaneous, impromptu, amazing night with my new friends, without any date and without any man.”
“Will I take an impromptu trip for love again? Hell yeah. Even if they ghost me for a third time. But maybe it’s not about the date, but the friends we made along the way. And the martinis, and the margaritas.” And what could be more luxurious than that?
When the saying “once bitten, twice shy” was coined—the creators didn’t take Louis Hanson into account.
A writer, actor, and comedian, Hanson is never one to shy away from an unplanned adventure, which is exactly how he found himself being ghosted by a man in Sydney—who’d done the exact same thing twice before.
