As an avid solo traveler who’s been in the game for more than 8 years, I often get asked about how to meet people while traveling alone. I answer this frequently asked question here where I cover various ways to make new friends as a solo traveler. However, in this blog post, I’ll be discussing one untraditional tool, in particular, dating apps. So, if this sounds like something you’d like to explore, read along for my full Bumble BFF review.  

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Bumble BFF Review: Why Use It As a Solo Traveler?

If you’re familiar with the online dating scene, then you’re probably familiar with Bumble. You know the popular dating app that is mostly known for letting women make the first move? That’s the one!

While Bumble is widely known for being a dating app, what some of you may not know is that it has a feature called Bumble BFF. As the name suggests, just like date mode, the feature allows you to make new friends near you. That’s a tool I found very interesting to try as a solo traveler and I’m here to tell you all about it. 

But first, before we move on to my Bumble BFF review, let’s talk about how one can benefit from the app as a solo traveler. As you already know, making friends while traveling alone can be a little tricky, especially if you’re an introvert. Hopping on Bumble BFF allows you more flexibility when it comes to connecting with other travelers or even locals. 

You can use Bumble BFF to:

• Make new friends while traveling to a new destination.
• Find future travel buddies.
• Meet locals, expats, and digital nomads in the area.
• Find someone to grab a coffee and make conversation with.

Bumble BFF Review: Pros and Cons for Solo Travelers

Just like any tool, Bumble BFF has its pros and cons. Let’s unfold those and see if that’s the right tool for you.

Pros:

• The app is very easy to use and set up.
• It has a diverse user base. You can use it to connect with other travelers, locals, expats, and digital nomads nearby.
• It’s a great way to combat the loneliness that some solo travelers often struggle with, making a trip more enjoyable and memorable.

Cons:

• There’s more likely a limited number of users in smaller cities and less populated areas.
• It can be a bit time-consuming to find the right match for you, especially if you’re traveling for a short period.
• Not everyone on the app is looking for the same type of connection. You might be looking for other travelers and find that the right matches for you are expats who recently moved and looking to make new connections with other locals or expats.

Bumble BFF Review: My Own Experience

Time for my honest opinion… Personally, I haven’t had a 100% successful experience with Bumble BFF. However, I still believe that this is just my luck and that it’s still a great way to make friends while traveling alone. 

Now that this is out of the way, let me share with you a more detailed Bumble BFF review. I tried the feature in various destinations; both local and international, such as Dahab, Dubai, Amman, and Paris. So, what happened? Why did I not make friends through the app yet? I did match with a lot of amazing people actually but we never got to take things offline. It was almost always the same 2 reasons why this happened: 

1. Our schedules weren’t aligned. For instance, on days when I’d be going on a day trip, they’d be in the city, or either of us would already be leaving. 
2. I’d match with expats who were starting a new life in the destination city. So, they were looking for totally different types of connections.

So, should that discourage you from trying out Bumble BFF yourself? It definitely shouldn’t. I still got to connect with lots of people and I still believe it’s just a matter of luck. And above all, I heard so many other success stories from other solo travelers like me. So, instead of not trying, let’s explore some ways to use Bumble BFF effectively while traveling and make the best out of your experience with it.

Setting Up Your Bumble BFF Profile

The first step is, obviously, downloading Bumble if you don’t already have it. Whether or not you have an existing account on Bumble, you’ll have to create a different profile for the BFF mode. But don’t worry, it’s not much different than the Date mode profile. There are just a few slight differences in the options available for certain questions. For instance, the “what you’re looking for” question will have different answers in both modes. In Date mode, you’ll choose from “a long-term relationship”, “fun, casual dates”, “marriage”, etc… On the other hand, in BFF mode, you’ll choose from answers like “meet people IRL”, “travel”, “coworking”, and so on. The prompts are also designed to better fit each mode. 

If you have an existing account, all you have to do is open your settings and change the “type of connection” at the top from Date to BFF. Then, you just need to fill out your profile the same way you did in Date mode, and voilà!

Tips to Make Your Bumble BFF Profile Stand Out

• Put some effort into writing a bio. It doesn’t have to be long or anything – just write an engaging one that reflects your interests and travel plans. Give people an idea about who you are – otherwise, how do you expect them to relate to you?
• Upload photos that reflect your personality, interests, and travel lifestyle. For instance, if you’re an outdoorsy person, maybe you should add something that would show that. Maybe a photo of you hiking or kayaking?
• Show your face! I know this sounds like an obvious thing but believe it or not, I stumble upon many profiles where people hide their faces in all their photos. In my opinion, I find that very sketchy, and I wouldn’t be comfortable with talking to a random stranger online without at least knowing what they look like, let alone meeting them. Sure, that doesn’t guarantee they are who they claim to be; there are other ways to verify that, but it’s still a red flag. I have photo or 2 on my profile where my face isn’t looking towards the camera, but because it’s a nice photo that reflects a hobby of mine. However, I made sure my face was visible in the other photos so I wouldn’t seem sketchy.

• Highlight your travel interests and lifestyle in the designated sections to attract like-minded individuals. For example, on my profile, under the “My Life” section, I’ve chosen to highlight the words “traveling”, “digital nomad”, and “entrepreneur” as they were what I related to the most. You can choose other words that better describe your life such as “new in town”, “studying abroad”, or “remote working”. 
• Be clear about the type of connections you’re seeking. Are you a digital nomad relocating to a new destination temporarily and looking to connect with other digital nomads in town? Are you traveling solo and looking for a travel buddy to hang out or go on adventures with? Or maybe you’re a local who’s interested in showing some travelers around?
• If you’re going to take away one thing from my Bumble BFF review, include the duration of your stay or travel dates in your bio. I often find that very useful for setting expectations – plus, it saves a lot of time.

How to Use Bumble BFF Effectively While Traveling Alone

Now that you know how to set up a profile that stands out, let’s talk about how to effectively use the app to make the best out of it while traveling alone. 

Adjusting Your Location

• When creating your profile, 2 of the fields to fill out are: “hometown” and “location”. The first one is clear, but the latter doesn’t necessarily mean where you’re currently located. When you fill it out and save your profile, it will reflect the place you live in. Your actual location will be reflected automatically if the app is connected to your phone’s GPS. This is how the app can pull out profiles that are nearby.
• To give Bumble access to your location, you should do that from your phone settings. Then, if you go to your settings on Bumble itself, you’ll notice that your current location is shown. 
• There’s another feature called Travel Mode that allows you to change your location before being physically there. This helps you connect with people in that location before arriving. However, this feature is only available for the premium version of the app. This can be pretty useful though if you’re traveling for a short period.

Starting Conversations

• This is when the prompts and highlighted interests on profiles come in handy. Having things in common will give you lots of ideas for conversation starters.
• Other ways to start conversations can include asking about how their trip’s going so far or their upcoming travel plans. You can also compliment one of their photos or comment on something that stood out to you. 

Safety Tips

• It’s important to vet profiles carefully before deciding to meet with the person – you can never be too careful. My top tip is to only swipe right on verified profiles.
• Also, ignore people who didn’t put any effort into their profiles. Genuine profiles are more likely to include some personal insights. 
• Give yourself some time to chat and engage in meaningful conversation before agreeing to meet up. You want to make sure their profile’s vibe aligns with their actual answers. If something feels off or if they’re acting vague or strange, trust your intuition and don’t proceed. If you’re not a texter, you can always hop on a call – there’s a feature on the app, so you won’t have to exchange personal information.
• Getting their Instagram or any social media can also help you verify they are who they claim to be. 
• Always arrange to meet in a public place, especially for your first meeting. Pick a place that’s busy and well-lit.
• That said, it goes without saying that you should avoid secluded places. There’s no need to go on a hike with a complete stranger the first time you meet them. 
• Share your plans and whereabouts with a trusted friend. You can also share with them any information you have about the person you’re meeting as an extra precaution.
• Keep your phone on you the whole time and make sure it’s fully charged. And if you have an iPhone, it would be great if your friend could track you via the Find My app. If not, you can always share your live location with them via WhatsApp.
• For that to work, you also need to stay connected to the internet. That’s why it’s best if you download an eSIM rather than depending on free WiFi, which isn’t very reliable. I personally recommend Airalo (snatch my 10% discount here) or Jetpac. 
• If you’re going out for drinks, always keep an eye on yours! Spiking is more common than you think and the last thing you want is to get drugged by a random stranger in a foreign country.
• Arrange your own transport and don’t rely on the other person for it. It’s important to be in control of your arrival and departure especially if you feel uncomfortable and you have to leave. 

P.S.: Don’t let my Bumble BFF review or the previous pointers discourage you from potentially meeting your new best friend. It’s just better to be safe than sorry. Those are just standard precautions that you should be taking even if you were using Date mode back home. 

To wrap it up…

Would you be up to give this a try? Or have you already done so? If you have experience with this, don’t hesitate to share your mini Bumble BFF review in the comments below. In the meantime, make sure to check out other ways to make friends as a solo traveler here.

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Don’t Forget Your Travel Insurance!

Travel (solo or not) isn’t always rainbows and butterflies – things might go down south sometimes. You might fall ill or lose your luggage, and that’s when you’ll thank me for having your back covered with travel insurance.

SafetyWing offers different travel insurance packages, tailored to your needs, but their Nomad Insurance is my favorite option.

This travel medical insurance is perfect for frequent travelers. It covers lost checked luggage, travel delay, doctors, hospitals, and more. It even covers the COVID-19 emergency quarantine period if deemed necessary by a physician.

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You might also like:

• How to Make Travel Friends As a Solo Globetrotter
• 10+ Tested Safety Tips for Female Solo Travel Newbies

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