【Russia】

Travel is Russiaa great way to explore new foods, try new experiences — and meet new people. The local dating pool can start to feel shallow once you've done a few laps, so checking out the local talent while traveling can be exciting. Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge even make this easier, letting you scour your holiday destination for potential matches.

Of course, it's still important to be cautious and take safety measures while online dating, regardless of where in the world you are. You should also be responsible and indicate whether you're looking for one-night stands, a short-term fling, or are willing to invest in a long distance romance once you fly back home. Carelessly leaving a trail of broken hearts across Europe may seem romantic, but it isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

But if you're careful and open about your intentions, using dating apps while travelling can be a fun way to meet new people. As an extra travel hack, they'll probably know a ton of good local places to check out that aren't in the tourist brochures.

Here's how to change your location in your dating apps, including Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge.

How change your Tinder location

Tinder automatically detects your location in order to show you potential partners who were close by. As such, you shouldn't have to fiddle with any settings while travelling, though you can tap Settings and scroll to Discovery to adjust Tinder's search radius.

Alternatively, if you're the type of traveller that likes to organise potential hookups before you even arrive, you can do that by getting a paid Tinder subscription. Paying subscribers to Tinder get access to the app's Passport feature, which enables them to search different locations for matches without actually having to be there. 

Once subscribed to Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold, or Tinder Platinum, here's how to change your location:

1. Open Tinder.

2. Tap your profile icon in the top left corner.

3. Tap "Settings."

4. Scroll down to Discovery Settings and tap "Location."

5. Tap "Add a new location" and enter your destination.

(And if you don't need this feature once you're back home, here's how to cancel Tinder Gold.)

How to change your Bumble location

Like Tinder, Bumble uses your phone's GPS to determine where you are, and thus your local dating options. The app also locks its Travel mode feature behind a subscription, meaning you'll have to pay for Bumble Premium in order to change your location and match with people in other countries.

If you have a subscription to Bumble Premium, here's how you can change your location:

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1. Open Bumble.

2. Tap your profile icon in the bottom left corner.

3. Tap the Settings cog icon in the top right corner.

4. Scroll down to Location and tap "Travel to…"

5. Search for your destination and select it.

How to change your Hinge location

Unlike Tinder and Bumble, Hinge lets you change your location without a paid subscription, because love is free and knows no borders. Hinge also doesn't track your location, which is a plus for privacy but may be a minor irritation for flirty singles on the move.

Fortunately, changing your location on Hinge isn't complicated.

1. Open Hinge.

2. Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner.

3. Tap "Dating Preferences."

4. Under Basic Preferences, tap "My neighbourhood."

5. Reposition the map until the cursor is over your destination.

Hinge doesn't offer any indication to your potential paramours that you aren't actually local to the area, so you'll have to set those expectations yourself. Also remember to switch your location back once you arrive back home. That is, if you didn't meet someone who inspired you to delete Hinge altogether.

If you want to go all in, you could also try downloading dating apps that are more popular to locals at your destination. For example, Lovoo is a popular dating app in Germany, while singles in South Korea use Amanda. Just keep in mind that you may need to overcome a language barrier with any potential partners.

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