UrbanUpdate

Take your dwindling PTO and GTFO of town. Or…go on that business trip you have to take because your boss says so. Either way, the next time you travel, consider opening Tinder for the occasion. The app has the amazing power to push your boundaries. Sure, it could yield a lackluster coffee outing, but it could also lead you to an exciting experience you would never have found otherwise. You never know! But you do know there’s a few ground rules for best travel Tinder practice, right? There are, and here they lie, below.

Start swiping immediately.

Swipe a couple times as soon as you have a connection post-landing. You don’t have to go nuts, just enough to make Tinder realize you’re not in Kansas anymore. That way, your geolocation adjusts and you’re discoverable to hot local folk. (You can also download Tinder Passport, a $10-a-month premium feature that lets you set location ahead of time.)

Be up front.

You don’t owe your Tinder matches much, but a little honesty is courteous. Edit your profile to explain that you’re traveling, or at the very least be up front about your situation in your early messages. If you’re not really trying to wait (I’ve had dudes ask for dates two weeks ahead of time), include your schedule in your bio. “I’m visiting New Orleans till Thursday. Show me your city’s best sazeracs” is sure to expedite that hang—in whatever capacity you two decide. After all, there’s no law against swapping out “sazeracs” for “strip club breakfast buffets,” if that is genuinely what you find enjoyable on a first date. Also, if you have a monogamous partner at home and are looking exclusively for friends, say so. Don’t be a misleading asshole. Also, don’t be a cheater.

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Set a generous radius.

Unless you’re staying in a highly populated area and truly have no desire to trot outside that range, set your discovery radius in the neighborhood of 25 miles—or 50, if you have flexible travel plans. It’ll expand your likelihood of matches and inspire you to explore outside your immediate coordinates.

Have realistic expectations.

Sure, you might meet the love of your life and find the fiery kind of connection that inspires you to leave Tulsa for good and take up residence in Bali to spearhead a permaculture camp for kiddos with a foxy new soulmate. Your beautiful children would entertain campers each night with their family band performances! But probably not. Set the bar low. More likely, you’ll find some decent conversation, a cool bar or art exhibit you wouldn’t have visited otherwise, and possibly a non-regrettable one-night stand. Vacation Tinder is a bit like Regular Tinder: Some dates are dope, others rob you of an hour of precious time and $12 for a cocktail. Like my dad always says, it’s better to be pleasantly surprised than totally disappointed and back in Tulsa.

Tap into locals’ knowledge.

Don’t forget you don’t have to actually meet up with any matches. Locals will always have the latest word on where to hang and what to do—and that is far more valuable than what any Lonely Planet book could offer. When I was traveling in Mexico with a girlfriend last winter, matches gave me great bar and live music tips, as well as advice on scoring weed. It wasn’t a conscious decision to never hang with any of them IRL so much as we just ran out of time, but it worked out all the same. That being said, if you’re looking for an in-the-flesh museum-exploring companion—

Do your research or, at the very least, meet in a public space.

If you want to open yourself to the whims of the universe and your match has a wide-open schedule, consider doing a tiny bit of research on this person. Chat with them a bit on the app to help actualize them as a semi-normal human and not a slicey-dicey clown type. Run at least a preliminary Google on their first and last name, as well as the current city. Perusing local food halls is very different from jumping on the back of an actual stranger’s motorbike in search of a secret waterfall. Decide what you’re up for and plan accordingly. If you’re traveling with a friend and have a phone data plan that will allow it, consider sharing your location with them, in case of emergency. Sharing your location with a trusted travel pal won’t totally secure you from sketchy strangers (just like it won’t in your hometown), but just as with sex, safe Tindering is great Tindering.

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