Travel Tip #4: Tinder Can Lead To More Than Sex
If you’re brave enough to Tinder at home, you’re brave enough to THOT it up abroad. But something I learned while using the app overseas was that there’s a lot more to gain from those superficial connections than sex.
There’s really no better perspective a visitor can get of a city than that of a local, and Tinder is a great way to meet locals. On any given day, there are at least one or two people more than happy to give a swiped-right mate a walk around their town, or at minimum, some tips on things to do and see that aren’t necessarily in the tourist guide.
Tinder is gaining in popularity internationally, with users in Europe, South America, Australia, Asia and Africa. And it’s not just the locals on the apps, but other tourists. That means on those lonely nights some of you solo travelers experience on occasion, you’re likely to find others in the same situation. Those connections can often to lead to days of exploring a city together with a stranger, or having a cocktail with someone who speaks your language in the evenings. It’s romance, even if fleeting.
I’ve used the Tinder app several times in Europe. In Spain I relied on it to pick the brains of a few women who were more than insightful when it came to things to see off the beaten path. In Morocco, I used it cure what had become a very lonely and isolating trip by having a cup of coffee and nightcap with a Swedish girl. And in Denmark, well, I used it to find my wife.
We connected on Tinder+ weeks before my trip to Copenhagen and our messages moved from the app to iChat to FaceTime. Within an hour of landing in her city, we were meeting for a glass of wine, and now we’re married.
So … do Tinder abroad, you never know what can come from it.
