I think he did that in the Philippines too.
Incredibly creepy. Surprised you took the time to meet him. I assume your girl didn’t come with, right?
I delayed seeing SE Asia by a decade+ b/c the vibe I got from all those dudes in Thailand and the Phils was so creepy. I’m glad I finally got around to it. Also a great jumping off point for visiting many places in the region.
Curiosity killed the cat. I had to put a face to the persona and he didn’t disappoint.
Nah, I definitely wouldn’t have brought a SO to see that guy, but she’s been with me while meeting about a dozen 2+2ers. I’d say they’re quite polar in that they’re either pretty cool or super weird. Happy to say you fall in the former group Bob.
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You fall in the former as well. No doubt about it.
But I do agree with that sentiment regarding the 2p2ers I met. I actually don’t remember all of their user handles since most of the meetings were at least close to a decade ago. But I definitely ran into a couple of weird ones while I lived in South Korea and China. Met a few 2p2ers in Prague when I visited for vacation in 2015 which was far more pleasant.
He’s got a horrible creeper build though. I have a Travis Kelce beard.
But again, I don’t expect some foreign person or 20-year-old Euro kid at a hostel to be able to tell the difference.
Just to be clear, not that I’m hitting on any 20-somethings at hostels. But it’s nice to be able to talk to them w/o them fleeing in terror.
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Maybe there’s no such thing that is also in any way reasonable. And that’s fine. Some of them are also trying to fit in and not be obvious creepers, so they’re going to wear whatever you’re thinking of.
The only thing that really marks someone as a sex tourist is if they have a significantly younger girlfriend. Stick to girls your own age if you’re going to date a local.
I think we need a base line.
What do 20-something year old women in America do when you start talking to them?
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I’m not thrust into situations with 20-year-olds in the US like being the only old guy at a hostel in Nicaragua. And if I am, they respond perfectly fine.
There was one other guy my age at the hostel. But he looked like a weirdo, probably a sex tourist, no way I was talking to him.
The real key is to travel with a girlfriend, or just a female friend, then you instantly get credit for probably not being a psycho. But you don’t have the same experience as traveling solo, which can suck sometimes and be great others.
Most of my travel was solo. But going to Romania without my girlfriend (she couldn’t afford the trip) was such an empty experience.
I had way more fun in a weekend with her in Krakow than 2 weeks in Romania solo.
The idea is that being bored and lonely forces you out of your comfort zone to meet other travelers and locals. It worked well for me on the trip, when it worked. But sometimes I was just standing outside looking in windows at all the happy people socializing.
Btw I’m traveling solo in Europe since my writing workshop and it’s basically like that. I’ve made friends with a few waiters. That’s about it. I talked to a some people hiking. I just don’t have it in me anymore to go get drunk at a bar and start meeting people.
I’m having a lot of existential doubts about if I go back on the road, will it always be like this. I need to make sure to do lots of stuff like treks and other group activities.
Yeah but it isn’t always easy to meet people as you pointed out. In big cities, solo travel normally works great due to the abundance of nightlife. Outside of that, it’s very hit or miss.
Let me know if you arrive in Prague. I’m sick now. But hopefully I’ll be better by Monday.
I have a lot better luck in the sticks where everyone has to congregate in the same place, and just getting there is something to bond over. I never feel more lonely than in big cities all by myself.
No Prague on this trip. But someday!
Grunching, but oh my sweet child. You keep telling yourself that if it helps 
(Having read the rest of the thread, it wasn’t so bad. Hope your next trip is a good one suzzer.)
bob, my girlfriend and I will be in Prague next weekend. Do you have one or two dynamite recommendations that google might not have picked up on?
Can you use Tinder/Bumble to meet local women? I always enjoyed using that to visit neighborhoods or local hotspots I would’ve missed otherwise.
I know a lot of women put “I don’t want to be your tour guide”, but I’ve found there’s a decent % that love showing off their city as long as your intentions are earnest and you’re not just trying to get in her pants immediately.
Yes I am aware some MAGAs have beards. But the typical expat MAGA has a goatee, jorts, and a tank top Harley shirt.
and the obligatory Oakleys
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I’ve met some women who wanted $100 on Tinder. Maybe I need to set my filters better to meet the women who don’t want $100.
Set your upper filter to $50
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What if you just didn’t get laid while in Europe?
None of this is about getting laid. It’s about meeting people.
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Suggestion on clothes.
- nice linen short sleeve shirt.
- nice shorts. Not khaki. No pockets on the outsides
- nice shoes. Boat shoes or similar.
Combine this with a good haircut and tidy beard.
I think the issue with tie die and stuff is you are trying to signal not sex tourist when everyone will just assume all tourists are sex tourists or sex tourist adjacent.