Tinder seems to be the new thing among travellers. Not only does every second person state that they are into travelling, but you will also swipe through a significant amount of people, who are using Tinder while travelling. It looks like Tinder has long outgrown its reputation as a simple dating app. It’s a place where people connect on different levels. Some because they are looking for a romantic adventure, others simply because they need a friend in a foreign country. In fact, you see so many travellers on Tinder, that I have started to identify distinct profiles of the different types. Here is my list of 5 different types of travellers you will find on Tinder:
P.S. Sorry boys, this post is about you…
1. The show-off
The show-off is a world nomad and he wants you to know that. The 46 flags in his bio show off all the countries he has been to. Sometimes he will even add a few more to show you where he is going next. To underline his love for travelling, he chose pictures from 5 different continents:
1. Trekking in the Himalayas
2. Playing with kids in Nigeria
3. Surfing in Peru
4. Standing in front of the Eifel Tower
5. Diving in Australia
What is he doing on Tinder? No one really knows. He can’t be looking for anything serious but he usually doesn’t come across as a player either. Is he really just on Tinder to connect with people from the current location he is in? I don’t know. Maybe if you swipe right he will finally find a reason to stay in one place.
2. The cheater
The cheater is a sneaky weasel. He is usually in town for a boy’s weekend with everything that goes along with it. And of course, he is looking to hook up with a nice local girl. If you match with him, you can be sure he will be the one to write first and it usually doesn’t take much for him to want to meet you either. The catch? He actually has a girlfriend back home but he wants to use his weekend getaway for a little adventure. How do we know this? Because the cheater is not only a cheater, he is also a little bit stupid. Or does he really think we believe him that the girl on his Instagram pictures is his sister?
3. The whiner
This is definately my least favourite type of traveller on Tinder. His description reads something like “I have been living here for a year and I don’t have any friends. I am on Tinder to meet people…” Really? Is this the way you want to present yourself to women? The first thing that crosses my mind in such cases is always: Why doesn’t he have any friends? Is something wrong with him? No question, I will swipe left here, no matter how good looking he is.
4. The exchange student
This type of traveller on Tinder is pretty harmless. Of course, he wants to meet people but he already has his group of friends, mostly other exchange students. Typically, he will have a picture of himself with friends from across the world, drinking beer in a bar. Usually they used a selfie stick to take the picture. His main interest is to expand his circle of acquaintances. It’s all about the network when building a career, right?
5. The genuine
The genuine is only in town for a short while and his description says something like “I am in town till Tuesday. Looking for cool people to hang out and show me around.” And he actually means it. Of course, he wouldn’t mind having a hot romance for a few days but he is also just happy to meet locals and hang out. It seems a significant amount of travellers are using Tinder to connect with people during their travels, not exclusively because they want to hook up but also because this is an easy way to get in touch with locals. What’s wrong with that? Nothing really but I am not sure I would ever swipe right, just to show a stranger around town.
Hahahaha. Hilarious. Have not used tinder much lately but think can write an exhaustive account of Indian/Asian sub continental males who are all travelers, start up owners and management consultant at the same time. I feel you :p
HAHAHAHA!!! This is such a funny post! I have used Tinder while traveling several years ago – it was the best way to get the local scoop on best places to eat, drink, hang out and watch the sunset, etc. EVEN if you don’t have any intention of meeting up and just get the tips from them on the messaging system.
Gosh even if I’m not on Tinder I met SO many show-offs! They don’t even realize how annoying they can be! Reading the types of travellers you’ve found makes me feel so lucky to have snatched my hubby! 😀
This is pretty accurate! I really only use Tinder as a Friday night drinking game with friends but living in a small city Infind the guys are either known to me, are passing through, claim to have worked on The Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings or they’re working on whichever cruise ship is in port! Avoid avoid avoid.
Haha what a great list! I’ve been with my husband for over a decade so I’ve never had the pleasure of using Tinder 🙂
Haha this is hillarious! I have never used tinder and really do not know much about it!
I too have never used or even explored the App, but I have plenty of friends who do. It is usually discussed in a mocking fashion, although I realize it’s used as a serious dating app and way to meet locals as well. Pretty fun article!
Ha, I’ve used Tinder off and on for years and can totally relate to this. It was invaluable for meeting new people while I was living overseas… but those who fall into the “genuine” category were few and far between! It’s been permanently deleted now, everyone just seems to have the same five profiles as you have so correctly pointed out!
Hilarious post, thanks for sharing. I’m using Tinder myself and it’s much better when traveling than in my home city. Must be the guys here… 😉
Ha!!! I never thought of Tinder as a travel app…never looked hard enough to see how often people mentioned travelling. But this is hilarious!
Lol! I never thought of tinder had anything to do with travel. I’ve got to be honest. I’ve never actually been on the app and now I’m just curious to see all the personalities you’ve described and smile.
You should try Tinder. It can actually be a lot of fun if you don’t take it too seriously 😉
Oh, ich konnte ihn nicht auf Deutsch lesen, irgendwie. Aber anyway – ich kenn diese Typen so gut! Es gibt auch noch einen, den ich hasse: Der, der nach einem Touriguide sucht. Ein bisschen wie der letzte Typ, den du beschreibst. Soll der doch eine Tour buchen, haha! Ich swipe bei allen solchen immer weiter, weil ich auch ganz gerne Leute mehrmals treffe, wenn es gut läuft und bei Reisenden geht das natürlich nicht.
Liebe Grüße,
Malin
Hey Malin! Diesen Post habe ich nicht auf Deutsch übersetzt und deshalb hast du ihn auch nicht gefunden. Normalerweise würde das aber schon funktionieren. Ich wünsche dir noch viel Spass und vor allem viel Glück mit Tinder 🙂