Travel Dating: The digital language of love

BEEN GHOSTED, CATFISHED OR BENCHED? PIONEERING TRAVEL DATING WEBSITE AND APP TOURBAR TRANSLATES THE DIGITAL LANGUAGE OF LOVE

 The digital world is fast moving, changing the way we connect with each other. It’s easy to get left out in the cold with the latest dating lingo, which is why UK-based travel dating app and website, Tourbar.com, has created a guide to the latest terms and phrases used in the dating world. TourBar, which pioneered the concept of travel dating back in 2014, now has one million members worldwide and so is well placed to navigate the language of online dating. Prepare yourself for ‘cuffing season’* this winter and get acquainted with the puzzling (and creative) terminology used online today.

TourBar’s Dating Dictionary

• 143 – a quirky alternative for expressing devotion, since the digits indicate the number of letters used in the phrase ‘I love you’
• Bae – ‘before anyone else’ is a title given to a dater’s one true love or significant other
• Benching – a serial-dater puts another dater ‘on the back bench’ by messaging infrequently over a long period of time and making plans that they don’t follow up on
• Catfishing – a dater creates a fake online dating profile with photos that are not their own and usually the photograph is of someone more attractive than the dater in order to fool others
• *Cuffing season – when daters aim to find a partner to keep them accompanied during the cold and dark winter months
• DTR – ‘define the relationship’ is used when a dater wishes to confirm the status of the relationship and possibly secure commitment
• Ghosting – a dater ceases all contact with a romantic interest without explanation (may also be known as ‘Patrick Swayzeing’)
• Layby – a dater is unhappy in their current relationship so begins mildly flirting with a potential future date as a back-up option, should their current relationship fail
• Mooning – a user switches their mobile device to ‘do not disturb’ mode (sometimes symbolised as a half-moon logo), which mutes all notifications from messaging apps
• Textlationship – an entire relationship based on text and online messages, where the two daters are yet to meet IRL (‘in real life’)
• Tuning –  a dater aims to ‘fine tune’ the relationship dynamic with another dater by making a subtle move, such as liking a profile picture or sending a cute viral video, without committing to any dates or proper conversation

To help users avoid being catfished, TourBar operates a unique three-stage member authentication process, including photo verification. This guarantees that all travel buddies have passed a series of strict security checks before being granted ‘verified member’ status.

TourBar’s Public Relations Manager, Anastasia Zolotova, added: “Finding a date online can be a nerve-wracking experience and many of the slang words commonly used can lead to users feeling even more confused! TourBar aims to make the process of online dating as smooth as possible with this guide, enabling our members to find amazing travel companions.”