Fans of phones and holidays will be delighted to hear about a new EU ruling which will dramatically reduce your data roaming charges if you’re using the internet on your mobile while travelling in Europe.
It might not help you if you’re travelling further afield, like the teenager who racked up a £9,000 bill when she was in Antigua. But if your vacation plans aren’t taking you off the continent, it could be time to explore the possibilities of a brand new location using your old phone apps. And we’re not just talking about Googlemaps.
You don’t have to be single to know that in the summertime, Tinder comes into its own. It’s not just that everyone is constantly out, in their shorts, off their face on Magnums and up for it when you’re at home. It also makes it a little bit easier to line up some action when you’re away.
Whether your holiday romance high-point involved being furtively felt up by Jean Paul, the sexy, sulky Gallic deckchair attendant you met on a school exchange (fantasy) or copping off with a lad from Leeds after you both vomited into the same fishbowl during your post A-level excursion to Malta (reality), Tinder gives you a chance to raise your game and your expectations.
If you’re single and sick of the resort bar crawl scene, but hoping to exercise your sexy rights as an independent woman, it means you have a chance of seeing action without accidentally getting stuck on a rugby tour.
I tried out Tinder on the hotel Wi-Fi. I didn’t think I’d meet anyone, but I ended up going on a few dates, and had much more fun than I’ve done on my wildest holidays!
‘I love our annual girls’ holiday, but it’s turning into a bit of a cliché –- you know, stay somewhere a bit grim with a coin operated air con unit, then drink neon, diabetes-inducing cocktails until you get off with someone or throw up, then go home,' Jenny, 27, an events manager, tells* The Debrief. *‘This year, we’ve talked about how we want to do something a bit more grown-up. We’re staying at a nicer hotel, and we won’t be hitting the booze quite as hard, but some of us are single and we do look forward to the going out and meeting guys part of the trip.'
As she does at home, she's turning to her iPhone to help. 'I’m hoping Tinder will work as a good filter, and I can use it abroad in the same way that I do at home. I have enough hilariously bad sex stories with idiots I’ve met in bars. I don’t necessarily want a holiday romance, but I am up for flirting with guys in a slightly more engaged way and seeing what happens. With Tinder, you can tell if someone is a twat when they’re messaging you. When you’re drunk in a club, sometimes you’re not as fussy as you ought to be.’
Lisa, 25, a copywriter agrees. ‘I just got back from a work trip to New York, and in my downtime, I tried out Tinder on the hotel Wi-Fi. I didn’t think I’d meet anyone, I was just bored and wondering what was out there and who was around. But I ended up going on a few dates, and had much more fun than I’ve done on my wildest holidays! Because I was there for work, I was motivated to try to make some friends and explore the city, and I felt a bit weird about just approaching people in bars. I think the guys I met quite liked the idea that I was only there for a short amount of time, it meant the pressure was off.'
Using Tinder gave her a real insight into the local men. ‘I only actually slept with one of the people I met, and it was great because we’d been able to build up some genuine chemistry on Tinder. But all the other guys were courteous and friendly. I think American dating culture is slightly different from ours, and it was great to get the chance to experience it first hand. I felt like an anthropologist!”
Someone at work told me that her single friends all gave themselves fake Tinder names when they went to Tenerife – they even set up specific, separate Facebook accounts just for that
It’s worth mentioning that even when you’re in your late teens, twenties and beyond, stranger danger never, ever goes away. None of the women I spoke to had any scary experiences with Tinder while they were away, but chatting to someone on the internet doesn’t mean you know them, and it’s vital that you’re just as vigilant as you’d usually be.
Jenny reveals: ‘Someone at work told me that her single friends all gave themselves fake Tinder names when they went to Tenerife – they even set up specific, separate Facebook accounts just for that. One of them had a problem with a stalker years ago, so she’s extra cautious, but I thought that sounded like a really good idea, just in case you do get stuck with a weirdo. I’m going to suggest that my friends do the same.’
The biggest risk most Tinder Tourists I spoke to seemed to face was the expense – everyone admitted that the addictive nature of the app means it’s easy to get caught out by roaming charges. Jenny adds: ‘I tried to stick to areas where the internet was free – the hotel lobby, Starbucks, etc – but ended up with an enormous bill from trying to find all these bars and cafes on Googlemap.’
Mari, a library assistant adds: ‘I thought I had a package from my network that covered using foreign 3G, but my holiday bill ran into the hundreds. I had to borrow money from my mum to pay it back, and I couldn’t tell her why it was so high. The worst thing was that I didn’t meet anyone. I just had the usual lads asking me if I was ‘DTF’. I suspect that’s as highbrow as it gets around Sunny Beach. Next time I try holiday Tinder, I’ll make sure I’m in a classier resort.’
I suspect it’s only a matter of time until Tinder introduces some vacation specific features – branded condoms, sponsored poolside Wi-Fi hotspots, or perhaps Tinder towels, which act as a signal to the person on the next sun lounger that you might be up for a beer.
For now, it’s down to you to treat it like an all-inclusive breakfast buffet – pace yourself, try to make healthy choices, don’t touch anything that doesn’t look clean and swerve the guy who sits down each morning and tucks into a massive bowl of peas.
Follow Daisy on Twitter @NotRollerGirl
Picture: Ada Hamza
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.