Safety

Meet somewhere you can leave.

If you meet someone from here, keep it ordinary at first. A cafe. A lobby. Somewhere with other people around. Women-only is a switch you flip before anyone joins. We only keep your city, not a live pin on you. That helps. It does not turn a stranger into a friend.

By TravelBFF editors · Last updated 15 August 2026

How does TravelBFF keep a first meet safer?

TravelBFF lives inside Telegram, for people sharing a city night or a week they already booked. We try to make that a little kinder: we only keep your city, not a live map of you; a hangout can drop a pin so joiners know which cafe; you can mark a room women-only before anyone chats (it is a switch, not an ID check); and you can report or block if something feels off. Sit where staff can see you until you actually know them. That helps. It does not delete the risk. Telegram closed People Nearby in 2024 after bots and scammers abused a live nearby list. The Guardian reported the same news. We do not rebuild that map. Matching opens as a Telegram Mini App. Keep bookings in your own email. Do not send a login code. Tell a friend where you are going. Sit where staff can see you. If they want cash as a deposit for a trip that has not started, walk away. A city is enough to find coffee. A pin is enough to find a room.

Rule	Why
City on a person	A live pin finds a room.
Pin on a hangout	Joiners can open maps.
Women-only	A switch before chat. Self-declared.
First meet	Public. Daylight if you can.

Do you store a live pin on a person?

No. GPS is requested, then discarded. People snap to a city. A hangout can store a meet pin so joiners can open maps. A pin on a person is enough to find a room. Don't post the hostel name. Don't share live location. Don't send the next flight to someone you haven't met.

Can a room stay women-only?

Mark the hangout or trip before anyone chats. Join is self-declared female. We do not invent a government ID badge. Mixed rooms stay open if you want them. If someone lies about gender to sneak in, report them.

How do I report or block?

Report a user, a post, a comment, a trip, or a hangout. Block sits on direct chat, not on the profile page. We review. We remove accounts that scam, harass, or treat women-only as a loophole. In danger? Call local emergency first. Then report in the app.

Where should the first meet be?

Hotel lobby. Busy café. Station hall. Daylight if you can. Tell someone you trust. Don't get in a private car to see an apartment. Don't send cash as a deposit for a trip that hasn't started. The Mini App does not print this as a banner. This website does.

Scam tells

What scam scripts do you see a lot?

Money

Anyone who needs you to send money, crypto, or gift cards so they can join you is running a script. Split a bill you can both see.

They want you off the app

TravelBFF already is Telegram. Someone who wants your number, WhatsApp, or another account first is leaving the place with report tools.

Video that never works

A live video that keeps failing, plus a hard-luck story, is a romance pattern. Walk away the same way you walk away from a bad hostel.

Login codes

Nobody from TravelBFF will ask for the code Telegram just sent you. That code is the account.

This is not "move to Telegram"

Advice columns treat Telegram as the place scammers drag you after a store app. TravelBFF is a named Mini App with a public site, city-level people, hangout pins, women-only rooms, and a report button. It is still people. If you arrived from a dating search, read the dedicated landing. The Mini App has no dating mode.

The boring harm

Night buses, drinks, one bed

Write the sleeping arrangement before you travel. If they said twin and the key opens a double, leave. Sit where staff can see you on a night bus. Don't take a 2 a.m. shortcut from someone you met that afternoon. A travel companion who pushes shots on hour one is giving you data. Believe it.

Your job

What we can't do for you

Keep bookings in your own email. Don't share passport scans in chat. Agree money in the trip chat so both of you can scroll back. Destination pages are companions, not risk ratings. When in doubt, skip the person and keep the trip. Contact is how you report. There is no public phone.

Meet somewhere you can leave

We only keep your city. A hangout can show a cafe pin. Women-only is a switch. Report and block if you need them.

Open TravelBFF in Telegram