2023 is winding down, the holidays are coming, and tons of people will head back to their hometowns for the celebration. Traveling home for the holidays is a funny experience. You’re headed somewhere you know intimately, but it’s different now that you’re not there. Are your old friends still the same? Did your favorite diner survive the pandemic and all the economic weirdness after? Are your old hook-ups in town? Are there new people you haven’t seen before?

First: Just use Tinder

If you’re looking for a hookup, Tinder is your best bet, full stop. It’s quick, it’s straightforward, most people have it, and there isn’t a lot you have to do to set up a profile. “It’s bound to be incredibly depressing, extremely funny, or a straight-up good time,” says Don G., a 32-year-old Brooklynite heading back to Pennsylvania for Christmas who plans on using Tinder once he is back in town. He anticipates scrolling across at least one “high school flame” and seeing what they’re doing. With any luck, it’ll be him.

“Hinge and Bumble always felt a bit commitment-oriented,” he says. Read more