Woo hoo! It’s finally vacation time, baby! Pack your bags, iron your Hawaiian floral shirts, and hit up Amazon for a wide selection of SPF 50 sunscreen you’ll inevitably forget to use wherever you’re headed.
Sunscreen aside, you’ve got bigger fish to fry. Among the various considerations to make when on your spectacular vacations, one that springs to mind is what to do with your dating app profile on vacation. Should you use a boost and attempt to find a vacay bae quickly, or do you put them all on pause and relish in your break time with your family and friends?
Your Dating App Profile on Vacation
Only you can decide what type of vacation you want to go on. When it comes to using online dating apps while away, you can utilize them in many different ways. Here are a few options for using online apps when you’re having a little fun in the sun.
Remain Signed In but Change Your Location
Don’t forget that Match, Zoosk, Tinder, eHarmony, and every other dating app goes wherever you go. So, if you’re traveling to another country or even out of state, your online dating accounts will show where you are.
But I need a break from dating apps, so what if I don’t want anyone to know where I’m going?
You can adjust for that, too. If you don’t want to date anyone where you’re going, you can always pause your accounts or easily change your locations so that it appears you’re in your area of choice.
Unless you’re on datinginkalamazoo.com, all apps have this capability–at least the popular ones. If you want to change location, go to settings and make your adjustment. However, you’ll likely have to pay for this action, but you can avoid a fee by using a virtual private network or VPN.
This way, you’re not using an online dating app to swipe through people you never intend to meet. If you find a match, be sure to tell them you’re on vacation and won’t be able to talk much. This is also a quick excuse to get their number immediately.
Before Traveling, Get Their Number
It’s annoying when you’ve been talking to someone you really like and have a lot in common with, only to have to leave town for an extended period.
You’ve put in the time, energy, and work, built up an attraction, and you’re about to ask for their number, but then BOOM! Your vacation pops up and puts the kibosh on all the setting up you craftily cultivated.
Of course, you’re excited to go on vacation, but now what? It’s an annoying situation, but relax because it’s not the end of the world. Women admire men who have their own lives and vice versa.
And because you’re such a big-time jet-setter or someone who enjoys relaxing camping excursions with friends, they’ll be even more interested.
But be sure to let them know you’re going away for a few days so they don’t feel like you ghosted them. Here’s what you do; ask for their number.
Tell them something like:
“Hey Matt, I’ll be out of town for a few days, but I’ve enjoyed talking to you so much that I’d love to hang out sometime when I get back. If you give me your number, and when I get back, we can make some plans.”
After making initial contact, encourage the exchange of your social media. While on vacation, make sure to post all the cool stuff you’re doing so you generate more interest, which gives you more to talk about when you get back.
Detour: Be Honest with What You Want
This is slightly off track, but it needs to be reiterated. On many apps, trans people openly state that they’re trans. They do this so they don’t waste their time or yours.
They understand that many people aren’t interested in dating someone from the trans community. This same logic should be applied while vacationing.
Only some people are interested in seeing someone for a few days before never hearing from them again. Others aren’t because they don’t want to invest emotionally in a relationship with an expiration date.
Some men and women are cool with this kind of relationship, so for this reason, you want to be clear about what you state on your profile. Say when you’ll be on vacation and give them the dates.
You can state you’re searching for a casual fling, that you only want to grab a few drinks, or need a companion for some big-time excursion you’re going on. Whatever the case is, you don’t have to waste lying.
When you’re open, you’ll save much more time in the long run, and it can lead you to people more receptive to your temporary situation.
Transparency in your profile is an excellent idea. However, you want to ensure it’s still exciting and can compete with all the others out there. So, always make sure your dating profile is the best.
Do People Actually Use Online Dating Apps While on Vacation?
Many people have gone on many vacation dates and now don’t take vacations without at least two dates. So, the answer is, yes, they do!
People find it exciting to meet someone from another town or country. Plus, these hookups can become some of the most exhilarating romantic encounters of all time.
The critical thing to remember is to make sure you’re not plugged into your phone and social media 100% of the time while on vacation.
Relax
It’s 100% up to you whether or not you use dating apps on vacation. You log in daily, swipe around for an hour, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get some matches. If not, you’ll go to bed and do it again the next day.
If you feel the dating app blues, try taking a break and recharge by putting down the apps while vacationing. Focus on enjoying your life in the present and have fun with the people around you.
Another reason to chill with dating apps while on vacation is that people sometimes become over-reliant on them. Sometimes the best way to meet someone on vacation is to do it in person. Apps are great and can make dating life easier, but you should also know how to interact IRL. Knowing how to meet in real life helps improve your social skills, boost your confidence, and casts a wider dating net.
Should I Really Date While Out of Town?
If you can date while you’re away, we say go for it!
Even if you won’t have a LTR with them, dating this person is another opportunity to fine-tune your dating skills and discover new things.
You can also learn something new about how people in different locations of the world operate, which can help you up your dating skills when you get home. Also, what if that perfect person doesn’t reside in your hometown? The Universe may be setting you up to find your soulmate, so don’t miss the opportunity.
Vacationing with Family and Friends
That said, if you’re hanging out with family, DO NOT neglect them to swipe right on a dating app. Using apps depend on why and where you’re traveling. When traveling for work and you have some time to spare to see what single people in the area do, by all means, go for it.
However, if you’re spending quality time with family or friends you haven’t seen in some time, it’s probably best to chill on the dating. If you’re headed to a place with limited reception (if there is still such a place), we’d say pause the apps but don’t forget to tell your matches your currently talking to what the deal is–and ask them for their phone number before pausing.
What to Do When You Return Home from Vacation
You’re back and refreshed with sand still in your shoe. Now is the time to log back into those apps and start swiping.
But if dating online was a bust for you before, what makes you think that situation would change when you return from vacation? If you want more matches, more dates, more connections, and eventually a partner, get your game together and start fresh, starting with a brand new hot profile pic of you on your vacation.
What if There’s No Reception?
When you get a match but don’t respond, it won’t help the situation much, especially if your preferred app is Bumble, since matches expire if you don’t send a message within 24 hours after the initial connection.
You might be off on a hike in the mountains for a couple of weeks; therefore, you won’t get good service.
If this is your situation, consider pausing the app while on vacation. In Bumble, it’s called Snooze mode.
If you know beforehand that you won’t have service in your vacation spot, you can request the people you’ve been messaging for their numbers and let them know that you won’t have service for a few days or however long you’re away.
The Best Dating Apps to Use While on Vacation
eHarmony
eHarmony is a premier online dating app with a user base well into the millions. People use it because it’s the #1 trusted dating app. It also has a very high success rate. eHarmony is a user-friendly site with an equal amount of men and women users.
People looking for long-term relationships find this site among the best. Users of this dating app aren’t usually signing up for casual one-night stands. They offer a limited free trial, but you won’t see all premium features. It may be more costly than other online dating sites, but the price may be worth it if you’re searching for a quality relationship.
Zoosk
Zoosk is one of the better options if you’re looking for a long-term serious relationship. You can use their advanced features to personalize your search. They also offer a free account, which is good if you want to peruse the site before investing in a full membership. However, the free version only gives limited features. Premium members can message, but depending on your budget, the price can be slightly higher than other apps. Zoosk is a quality dating app, so the cost is worth it.
Elite Singles
Elite Singles is a premiere app for people looking for a fling and a long-term relationship. Unlike some other apps, Elite users are highly-educated singles looking for the same. Only members who pay for the premium option can view their matches. It’s best to specify which type of relationship you prefer (casual, fling, LTR) so you’re using your time and energy effectively.
Tinder
Tinder users are all over the world in over 190 countries. (That’s a lot of daters!) It’s one of the most widely-known dating apps worldwide, and people use it for finding long-term relationships and easy, casual hookups. It’s an excellent app to use while on vacation because users can change their location to browse in every city in the U.S. with the “Passport” feature. For the price, it’s a decent app.
JDate
JDate might not be as widely known as some other apps on this list, but it’s a great app for faith-based vacationers. Some of the pluses of JDate are that it has an activity tab that allows you to keep tabs on members you’ve viewed and those who viewed you. They also have an excellent customer service team that can help you seven days a week. The cost is about $30 for six months after your free trial.
Match.com
This is one of the most popular and mainstream dating sites in the world. Its users consist of over a million single men and women hoping to find their perfect match. There are so many people on Match.com it can take several weeks to go through everyone when you initially sign up. If you go on vacation, they allow you to hide your profile so it’s no longer visible and won’t appear in search results.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, when you go on vacation, it’s your choice whether or not you want to meet up with people. If your main objective is to get a little R&R, you may want to chill on dating apps. However, if you’re looking for a quick fling, hooking up with someone is an option.
The good news is that making a connection takes little time, so you don’t have to decide immediately. Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas–and that goes for everywhere else, too! Relax, see some sites, and if the mood strikes you, hop on an app and have yourself a short-term fling.
