Woman matches with guy on Hinge. Then she realizes the men are using the dating app as Airbnb: ‘Especially for the World Cup’

While dating apps are still a major way couples find love, they have become so common that they can also feel like another form of social media. Plenty of people on there are not exactly acting like they expect to meet the love of their life.

According to one TikToker, things may be even more hopeless than that. She says some men are now using dating apps as an alternate way to find accommodation.

Creator Emily Durham (@offtheclockemily) says one of her close friends shared a Hinge story so bizarre that she needed to tell her viewers.

“Men are using Hinge as Airbnb,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.

Men On Hinge Are Doing What Now?

“Warning girls, they’re using Hinge as Airbnb,” Durham says.

According to Durham, one of her “very good girlfriends” had recently messaged her about a guy she matched with on Hinge.

“She matched with this guy, just her type,” Durham says. “She was super excited.”

The only catch was that he lived about an hour away. That did not seem like a huge issue at first. He allegedly asked to take Durham’s friend on a date that weekend, and she was into it.

Then came the first red flag. “He’s like, ‘You know, the only catch is, um, I might need to stay over ’cause I’m far,’” Durham says.

Durham says her friend immediately told him no because she did not know him.

But according to Durham, he kept going. He allegedly said he also had a social event in her neighborhood on Sunday and something else on Friday night, so it “might just make sense” for him to stay over.

“She was like, no,” Durham says. “But she was still kind of, like, entertaining it. I don’t—girl, I don’t know why.”

Then the man allegedly made it even clearer.

“He was like, ‘Well, honestly, I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m not looking for anything long term. I just want to take you out, have a good time, and spend the weekend together,’” Durham says.

“They are using Hinge like Airbnb,” she concludes.

Is This Common?

Durham is not the only person to call this out. Social media already has names for versions of this behavior: “Tindersurfing” and “hobosexual.”

A 25-year-old Belgian man, for example, told The Independent that he spent two months traveling through Europe while staying only with women he matched with on Tinder.

He visited eight countries and stayed with 21 hosts. Before arriving in a new city, he would set his Tinder location there and start swiping.

People on Reddit also regularly talk about “hobosexuals,” a slang term for people who move from one relationship to the next with partners who own homes, have apartments, or are willing to let them move in for free.

“My understanding is that they come in strong, love bomb you to pieces and then suggest living together bc they’ve never felt this way before and cannot be without you for one moment more,” one Redditor wrote.

Another person said the signs are not always obvious right away.

“It can be hard to tell,” they wrote. “Guy I dated seemed to have a house. His parents owned it I found out and I also found out he didn’t pay the rent or any bills for it. So initially, I had no idea that he was going to try to move in with me fast.”

If your date, who is still basically a stranger, wants to spend the night at your place before it feels natural, that is probably a red flag.

Even if they are not trying to “Tindersurf,” there are safety reasons to be cautious about letting someone you barely know stay in your home.

As for someone asking to move in very early, that is more nuanced and depends on the relationship. But in general, it is a good idea to be cautious and actually know someone well before making that sort of commitment.

Commenters Are Burnt Out From Apps

In the comments, viewers were not exactly shocked. Many sounded exhausted by dating apps altogether.

“Dating apps are NOT for dating,” one commenter wrote. “That’s been clear.”

“Serious question why are people using these dating apps still,” another asked.

Others had suggested responses for anyone who gets hit with this type of request.

“‘Great, the nightly rate is $1k’ if you’re unserious, so am I,” one commenter said. “Like wtf are we even talking about??!!”

“‘It might just make sense for me to stay over’ make sense to WHO?????” a fourth added.

@offtheclockemily This is scary #hinge ♬ original sound – emily durham

The Mary Sue has reached out to Durham via TikTok messages for comment.

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