Meet Me Outside Dating App
Combine two of your favorite passions — dating and traveling — and you have a winning combo. You may hear of people traveling far for love, but what about joining a dating app that specializes in travel and activities? After all, isn’t dating about getting OUT there and doing things with somebody while getting to know them in the process IRL vs. just endless messaging? Plus, fun activities and travel destinations make for less pressure on the date — you can concentrate on your mini golf game or trying not to fall off your stand-up paddleboard instead of trying to think of conversation-starters.
In fact, new research even shows that Millennial daters prefer to meet someone while traveling. A recent study by Topdeck Travel, the number one provider of group travel for 18-30 somethings, discovered that one in eight Millennial men hope to find their significant other while on vacation, while one in 20 women do. It may sound counter-productive, but just because one meets someone outside of their city doesn’t mean it has to stay that way — long-distance relationships can eventually morph into same-city ones.
Topdeck’s study, by the research firm YouGov, showed that 1 in 11 postgraduate Millennials did meet an significant other while traveling abroad. Even though texting-based dating apps seem to be more popular than ever, Topdeck discovered that Millennials have other priorities, too — like traveling. And with traveling comes meeting-someone-while-traveling.
Yes, you can use Tinder, OkCupid, or other apps when you travel, but they’re not travel-specific, per se. And, sure, you can use the AroundMe app for date ideas no matter where you are, but to find like-minded daters, check out the travel-and-adventure-minded dating apps below—because there’s no shortage of outlets to meet someone like you, who wants to go explore a new city or activity.
1. MissTravel
MissTravel’s tagline is “Never Travel Alone” and there you can find someone who loves to travel as much as you do. You can send members trip proposals, indicating the location (your city, theirs, or a new place), dates, and what kind of trip you’d like: Luxury, Adventure, Romance, Foodie, Local. You can also choose who pays, you, the other person, or split it 50/50 — no awkward bill-sitting-on-the-table-forever moments.
Recently, Bustle’s Sex and Relationships Editor, Michelle Toglia, tried out this app and flew to Portland to meet Ray, a guy MissTravel paired her with after she chose from five potential matches. I’d try it!
2. MeetMeOutside
Meet single outdoors people in your local area at OutdoorsyFriendsDate.com, the Legitimate FREE Outdoorsy Dating Site for singles who have a passion for the great outdoors. Hiking, gardening, strolls in the park, whatever your nature passions are, Outdoorsy Friends Date is the Ultimate Single Community for outdoor people. Another option is Contiki, an eco-conscious company that appeals to younger travelers (think 18-35). Whether you prefer to cycle through Vietnam, or eat your your way through Paris, there’s a tour for you. Even you don’t meet your soul mate on the Inca Trail, you’re growing as a person, and that’s always attractive. Asks you to communicate outside of the dating app or social site you’re on. Good evening Lovely. A space just for Dating. Your Facebook Dating profile and conversations won't be shared with anyone outside of Dating. And everything you need to start your separate Dating profile is already on the app you know.
This fairly new app does exactly what it advertises — it wants you and your date to meet outside. As I always say, none of us want perpetual pen-pals on dating sites, and MeetMeOutside (MMO) gets you off your phone and out there, doing something you both enjoy. “It’s a dating app that is connecting users based on their shared passion for adventure and an active lifestyle,” MeetMeOutside Co-Founder Rob Hand tells Bustle. “We've made it our mission to take dating from AWKWARD to ADVENTURE. We do this by finding potential matches based on your active lifestyle interests and, once a match is made, we provide you with active date destinations nearby that you can suggest via chat.”
Yep, with this app, no more “What do you want to do?” or “What do you want to do?” exchanges. In the MMO app, users choose icons that rep their favorite things to do, including writing their Top 3 Bucket List items, adding their Instagram accounts, and, in the near future, the ability to connect their fitness trackers and wearables. Then, MMO suggests date locations, like SoulCycle, indoor rock climbing, or black light yoga. It’s a fact that Gen Y (85 million of them now!) is way into dating apps — 4 out of 5 users are aged 18-34 years old — andinto fitness apps and wearables, so MMO combines the best of both worlds.
3. TourBar
With TourBar, you can find a travel partner in the tap of a button on your phone. Some people don’t like to travel alone and, if you’re one of them, you’re in luck. Plus, there is NO PRESSURE to date — you can just use the app to find a local to show you around a new town. Or, if you want to play tour guide, you can show them around your city.
4. TravelMeetDate
Do you travel a lot for work — or fun — and don’t want to spend your downtime alone? That’s where TravelMeetDate comes in. You can find dates on your flight (!), or once you touch ground. It is a subscription-based app, though, in order to deter spammers, but worth it if it means finding someone fun to hang with, have a fling with, or even fall in love with. You can also post your travel details for other users to see. Who knows? Mr. or Mrs. Right may be just around the hotel bar corner. At the moment, the app is only $5 a month, the price of a fancy cup of coffee, or $40 a year.
5. HowAboutWe
You’ve may have heard about HowAboutWe, the dating app where you fill in the date idea, like “How about we… go kayaking this weekend?” They call themselves the “offline dating site,” and rightfully so. If you’re stumped and cannot think of a date idea to suggest, you can check out AroundMe for inspiration... or, you can see what other users want to go do and choose accordingly.
6. Skout
Skout is all about connecting you to someone with common interests, and it doesn’t have to be for a romantic outcome. You can use it both near and far, in your city or while traveling. Again, what better a tour guide in a far locale than a local? “We know meeting people can be tough, so we’ve made it our mission to bring people together from across the world to explore and embark on adventures together,” according to Skout’s website. “Use your mobile device as your guide to meet new friends wherever you go, a concert at Madison Square Garden, a bus tour in Barcelona, or a local neighborhood bar.” Sounds like a win-win — you could either end up with a new BFF or a new BF or GF.
7. Partake
Partake is a new “anti-Tinder” app where you can find like-minded people to do social activities with. It’s not a dating app, per se, but who knows? You and a fellow Partake-r may click over more than your love of craft beers. Whether a friend of yours cancels on you at the last minute and you have an extra ticket to a concert or want company to check out a new gastropub, you can post your suggestions on Partake — because isn’t it the worst when you no longer want to go to something because you don’t want to go alone?!
“Other meet-up apps are geared towards group gatherings, and dating apps are solely focused on romantic encounters,” Sylvester Fejokwu, Partake’s creator, tells Bustle. “Partake gives users full control over activities and offers something a little more intimate, but without the romantic overtones that come with dating apps.” Sounds great to me, not having that sometimes-awkward romantic pressure, but still doing a fun activity with other people. Speaking of which, you can plan it, as well as who joins you, or you can check out what others have created. Plus, the app is the first social activity app that has a points system that rewards users for enjoying activities with others. Currently, the app is available in New York and Washington, DC, then expanding to other cities.
Want more of Bustle's Sex and Relationships coverage? Check out our new podcast, I Want It That Way, which delves into the difficult and downright dirty parts of a relationship, and find more on our Soundcloud page.
Images: Fotolia; Michelle Toglia; iTunes
MeetMe is an online dating app that functions as a social network with the purpose of helping you meet new people. It is not geared to any specific type of person or audience. It can be best described as a general interest “friend discovery” app. In order to determine how effective it is — and to whom it would be the most useful — we conducted this MeetMe app review.
MeetMe Review Results
- Popularity - 88
- Value - 81
- Features - 74
- Quality of Members - 35
- Safety - 74
- Customer Satisfaction - 54
Final Word on MeetMe
MeetMe is a powerful little app that functions well for socializing. In our opinion, however, it has no business being in the dating, much less hookup market. The simple fact that minors as young as 13 are allowed to join should preclude anybody from using this app for dating purposes. Also, it is cluttered with people who probably don't bother to properly build out their profile and that is why you get inundated with matched members that really have little in common with you.
As a dating site, we rate MeetMe as POOR.
Pros
- Very popular app, over 100 million users
- Free
- Easy to download and install on iPhone and Android
Cons
- Many members are minors
- Better suited for socializing, not dating
- Display advertising is present in free version
When you think of a social network, your mind will first rush to sites such as Facebook or SnapChat — perhaps MySpace and Friendster if you are close to retirement age. Few of you, however, will make the connection to online dating sites. In a way, the majority of online dating and hookup sites share attributes in common with social media sites. After all, they all take a large grouping of people and then through a commonality of interests — brings them together in smaller, more intimate groups. True, this can take on many manifestations. On Facebook, this might mean reuniting with old classmates — while on Tinder, it might mean hooking up for a quickie during lunch. Either way, they are both bringing like-minded people together.
— A Little Background on MeetMe —
MeetMe started its existence as MyYearbook.com in 2005. To give you some perspective, that was barely less than a year after Mark Zuckerberg had started Facebook at Harvard. It was started by two high school students and — no surprise — its original target demographic was exclusive to teens. Today, MeetMe has diversified its target audience, but the site is still open to anybody 13 years and older. This is a point that you should keep in mind before using the site. While adults do outnumber teens, the fact that minors are present definitely changes the dynamic of the site. You must exercise great caution regarding with whom you converse and what you say.
As far as accessibility, over 90 percent of its current 100 million users access it as a mobile app. It should be noted, however, that the app can also be accessed via a desktop browser.
— MeetMe App Registration —
You can register on MeetMe by downloading the iPhone or Android version of the app, or through its website. You can use your Facebook credentials to fast track the registration process — or register manually using a valid email address. In our testing, registration took less than one minute.
After you register, you can start building your profile. Your MeetMe profile is basic — it includes routine items such as your age, location, and gender. You can also provide additional information such as your religion, profession, educational background, and of course, you can upload pictures. One picture will serve as your main profile picture, the remaining pictures will appear on your profile page as “additional images.”
— MeetMe App Functionality —
MeetMe has three main features — they are called “Meet,” “Chat,” and “Feed.” The Meet function presents you with the profiles of other members that are near you and that are deemed to be compatible with your profile. By clicking on the image icon of any member, you will be directed to their profile page. There you can see their profile pic and send a chat request if you are interested in them.
Chat Meet Dating App
The Chat function allows you to send other members a message which they can read when they log in or engage in a live chat if they are online. The live chat function includes text-only and video versions.
The Feed function allows you to see a timeline of status updates and posts made by other members whom you follow. Very “Facebookish” in our opinion.
— Type of People You Meet —
What struck us most during the testing of MeetMe was the large membership base. Regardless of where you access the app, you are bound to be served with a multitude of other “compatible” members. Where we did have an issue was in the rather incoherent way in which members are presented to you in terms of compatibility. We were literally served with members of all age ranges and vastly differing interests. While interesting if your intent on MeetMe is purely to get to know people — if you are interested in using it as a dating site, this is tremendously inconvenient.
MeetMe is a free app. It is monetized by advertisements that appear on your screen. During our test, most of these advertisements were not obtrusive, however, on the Android version of the app, we did encounter some performance issues when certain ads were served. It made the app run very slowly. We assume that this sort of problem will be corrected soon by MeetMe.
Meet Me Outside Dating App Login
There is a paid version of the App known as MeetMe+. This has a monthly cost of $7.99. This removes the display ads and provides you with improved placement of your profile on the search results of others. The premium version also allows you to see all images posted by other members’ on their profile — not just their main profile pic. You can also opt to purchase blocks of credits known as “lunch money” which you can use to play games on the app, to send secret admirer notifications, or to activate stealth browsing mode.