Looking for a steamy hook up with a hot Aussie this summer? Look no further than using Tinder. Once summer time hits, Tinder becomes an entirely new place than it is during the school year and boy is it wild.
The biggest (and most obvious) difference is there are way less UBC students on the app because they’re on vacation or have gone home to see their families. The only people you’ll find from UBC are the students in summer courses or that live in Vancouver year-round, but I’d say that’s a given. Something that’s much more notable and interesting are the groups of new people you’ll find on the app over the summer and the types of interactions you’ll encounter while using the app.
Despite the fact that there are less people on the app, because people have more down time, they seem to be more active on the app. If you use the app frequently during the summer, you’re likely to rack up lots of matches with many different and unique people. Some notable people from my summertime Tinder experience are: a Canadian Olympian, a Big Brother contestant, a girl who claimed to be a witch, multiple self-proclaimed “models,” and quite a few UBC Varsity athletes (looking at you, the entirety of the rowing team). One phenomenon I have noticed each summer I’ve been in Vancouver is the massive influx of Australian and Irish people using the app over the summer. A lot of them are here on exchange for a summer term at UBC but there are some that are just here to work over the summer. I’m not exactly sure why those two specific groups always increase in numbers over the summer compared to other people from other places. But hey, if it’s always been a fun fantasy of yours to hook up with a hot guy that has a cute accent, now’s the time to hop on it (and let me tell you, from personal experience, it’s definitely worth checking out). Besides the Aussies and Irishmen, there are also tons of tourists and people that are “New to Vancouver!” on the app. It feels like every other swipe you’ll find someone with a bio along the lines of “New to Van! Show me around?” or “Just moved to Vancouver, looking for friends!” With these people, there’s a 50/50 split between people genuinely looking for new friends and wanting to explore the city, and people just looking to fuck. Either way, you’ll probably have a good time meeting up with one of these people. Plus, if something goes wrong or it’s awkward, chances are you’ll never see them again so I mean fuck it (/him/her) right? Speaking of fucking, way more people are looking for hook ups than relationships over the summer. I think it has a lot to do with two things: the weather and people’s schedules. To the first point, when it’s hot out, people aren’t looking for someone to sleep in their bed every night and hold them, it’s too damn hot for that. They just want something more casual and less time consuming. This leads into my second point: people’s schedules. During the summer, a lot of people are wanting to go out and have fun with all this new free time they have (assuming they don’t spend most of their time working, in which case this doesn’t apply and also sorry to you guys). I’d say most people are looking to have fun and enjoy the sun with their friends or possibly someone they met on Tinder. They’re looking for adventure and fun, not cuddling and commitment. Obviously, there are a handful of people who DO want that, but in my experience and my friend’s experiences, the former outweigh the latter significantly. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and have some casual fun! You’re only an irresponsible twenty-something-year-old once right? If you’ve never used Tinder before and are single, I think it’s an interesting experience worth checking out if you’re here for the summer. All joking aside, it can be a great way to meet new friends and even have some fun during your summer in Vancouver. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of those lucky people who actually makes a meaningful connection with someone on Tinder if you give it a shot!