Inside the Telegram you already have
Maybe you want company for dinner in the city you are already in. Maybe you booked a week and you do not want to do the whole thing alone. That is the whole point. Eighteen and up. It opens in Telegram, so you do not install anything new.
By TravelBFF editors ·
People still type “people nearby on Telegram” because that used to be a real button. Telegram shut People Nearby in 2024 after Pavel Durov said bots and scammers had wrecked it. The Guardian wrote the same story. Two years later the search is still there, and the feeling is still there: you are in a city, you have Telegram, and you would like a human evening. TravelBFF is the grown-up version of that. You show up as your city, not as a blinking pin. If you want coffee, start a hangout. If you already have dates, look for someone on the same week. Women-only is a switch you flip before anyone joins. Opening it is free. The nearby list gets longer if you put in a real profile. It lives as a Telegram Mini App, which just means it opens inside the app you already use.
| You typed | What you get |
|---|---|
| People nearby | Travellers already in your city, and hangouts if you feel like going out. |
| Looking for a travel companion | Someone on the same country and dates, so the week is not a solo invoice. |
| Telegram People Nearby | Telegram switched that off in 2024. The search stayed. |
Nearby
Not a live map of anyone's evening. Just people in the same city, and a hangout if you feel like going out.
Explore nearby
Women-only
You can keep a hangout or a trip women-only before anyone joins.
Read safety@TravelBFFbot
Open TravelBFF
Mini App. Nothing new to install.
OpenMini App
Opens inside Telegram. No store. Chat stays next to the rest of your messages.
How it opensFive days in Georgia?
Tbilisi two nights. Kakheti one day. Kazbegi if the weather holds.
Planner
Higher tiers get an in-app planner. A place, a sketch, a practical answer. You still book the tickets.
Companion guide
200 countries
Every country is in the app. Guides on this site for the routes people actually pair on.
Browse destinations200
countries in the Mini App
City
never a live GPS pin
Free
to start. Nothing to install.
How it works
01
Tap the bot. You are already signed in, so there is no new password and nothing to fetch from a store.
02
If you are in town tonight, say the city. If the tickets are already bought, say the country and the dates. That is enough to start talking.
03
A hangout is coffee or a walk with people already in the city. A trip is the week you booked. Chat in Telegram first, and when you do meet, pick a cafe or a square you would take anyone.
Safety
Location is used to snap you to a city, then the exact pin is thrown away. Nobody gets a live map of your evening.
You can mark a trip or a hangout women-only before anyone joins. It is self-declared, not an ID check.
If someone feels off, report them. Block lives on the chat. Meet somewhere with other people around until you actually know them.
If they push for your number or WhatsApp before you have even talked, that is usually a reason to leave.
FAQ
Yes, you can open it and talk without paying. Joining a trip or asking someone to chat does not need a card. A brand-new account sees a shorter nearby list, and starting your own trip or hangout comes after you have used the app a little. If you want more nearby faces, extra photos, or the planner, Donor and Premium are there. Filling in a real profile also lifts you on its own.
No. It opens inside the Telegram you already have, on your phone or your laptop. No extra store app, no second password. You tap the bot and you are in.
People look that up because they want someone for a trip, not another swipe app. We do not have a dating mode. You meet people going to the same place, or already in your city. If something grows from that, that is between you. Eighteen and up.
We look at profiles. Chat stays in Telegram, where you can report or block. People show as a city, not a live pin on their evening. A hangout can drop a pin for the cafe so you can find it. Women can keep a trip or hangout women-only. When you meet, pick a place you would take anyone until you know them.
Open it, put in the country and the dates you already have, and talk to people on that same week. If you are already in town, look who is around and start something small, coffee or a walk. The week you booked still comes first.
The app has 206 countries. Search the one you are going to and see who is on your dates. This site has longer notes for the routes people ask about most. You do not need to read a guide before you open the app.
No. Telegram switched People Nearby off in 2024. We are travellers already in your city, plus hangouts if you want to go out. You show up as a city, not as a live map of your body.
A small helper that can suggest a place or sketch a week. Donor and Premium get it. It does not book your flight or your bed, and it is not part of the free open.
Guides
🇯🇵
Split a ryokan and a JR week. Japan is better as two
🇹🇭
Bangkok food, Chiang Mai trails, islands. Bring a known buddy
🇮🇹
Rome-Florence-Venice rails and an Amalfi apartment for two
🇮🇩
Bali is a meetup hub. The rest of Indonesia needs a boat buddy
🇬🇪
Tbilisi baths, Kakheti wine, Kazbegi. Georgia the country
🇲🇦
Medinas, Atlas days and a Sahara jeep that already seats four
Or the empty seat on a week you already paid for. Come as you are. The countries are already in the app.
Not a coin shop. If you arrived from a romance search, start at the dedicated landing.