DateableHow to post a travel invitation on the Board
Tell applicants the destination, dates, trip length and exactly what you cover. Meeting first at home keeps everyone safe.
A travel invitation tells applicants the destination, the dates, the number of days the trip takes, and exactly what you will cover. That clarity gets you applicants you can trust.
Why travel listings need to be specific
Travel plans involve money, time off work, and passport details. A vague listing gets applicants who did not understand what they were signing up for, or who expected something else.
Specific listings also screen themselves: someone who reads that the trip is seven days, starts on a Friday, and costs money for flights will apply only if they can actually make it. You spend less time declining people who cannot go.
State the destination and dates clearly
"Paris, 14-21 November" is clearer than "somewhere in Europe". "Sydney long weekend" is clearer than "maybe a trip somewhere". Applicants need to know exactly where, so they can check the flights, check their calendar and decide whether they can commit.
If the dates are not fixed, say so: "Barcelona, late April, flexible on exact dates within a 10-day window". That tells someone applying whether they have enough schedule control to shift things around.
Use days for travel, not hours
Travel invitations on the Board use days for duration, not hours. Three nights is a 3-day trip. If your invitation runs Friday to Monday, say "3 days" or list "Friday to Monday, 3 days".
Days tell applicants what they are asking their work or study to accommodate. Someone applying knows "7 days" is a week, and they can work out whether they can take that time.
Say exactly what you cover
The offer field lets you say what you will pay for. Write it plainly: "I cover return flights and accommodation" or "I cover the hotel, you arrange your own flights" or "I cover experiences and meals, you book transport".
If you are covering an allowance instead, say the amount and the currency. If you are splitting costs, say that. Vagueness kills trust.
- Flights: who books and who pays
- Accommodation: the location and who pays
- Meals: what you cover and what they cover
- Activities: museum entries, restaurant costs, or experiences you will arrange
- Transport in the destination: taxis, public transport, hire car
- Allowance: a daily amount if you are offering one
Plan to meet in your own city first
Do not book a flight or a hotel before you have met the person. Do not meet for the first time at the destination.
The safest pattern: you meet in a coffee shop or bar in your own city, you spend time together, you decide you trust each other, and then you make the travel plans. This takes one or two weeks, not a day.
Why: it lets you check they match their photos and their words. It lets you see how they treat waiting staff, how they listen, whether they follow through when they say they will. If something feels off, you are home and you can close the invitation without penalty.
This applies whether you are the one offering the trip or the one being invited. Before any date, take precautions. Keep your safety plan in mind for long-distance arrangements, where the stakes are higher because you are committing time and money earlier.
The first meeting cannot be a hotel room
Dateable's rules forbid it: your first meeting cannot happen in a hotel room or a private home. It has to be public: a restaurant, a bar, a museum, a gallery, a park with people around.
This is not about distrust. It is about having a conversation in a place where you can both leave whenever you need to, without explaining yourself. Research confirms it: "Meet in a public place with other people around; if they change the place at the last minute to somewhere you do not know, cancel" 1.
How to write it
When you post your travel invitation, include all the details in the listing itself, so applicants know what they are considering:
Barcelona, 5-12 May, 7 days. I cover return flights from Melbourne and five nights in a hotel in the Gothic Quarter. We meet first in Melbourne in late April. If we both want to travel, I book our flights and accommodation and you give me your passport details.
You can also say what you are looking for in applicants: "I am looking for someone organised and flexible" or "Ideally someone who speaks a bit of Spanish or is keen to learn". This helps applicants self-select.
After the first meeting, plan the trip together
Once you have met in your own city and you both want to go, you move to arranging the details. You will need to confirm exact dates, check she can get time off work or study, verify her passport is current, and book flights and accommodation in her name, not yours.
Read about long-distance arrangements for the conversation about exclusivity, communication while apart, and what happens after the trip.
Set a close date that gives you time
Dateable listings close 14 days after posting by default. For a travel invitation, you might want to close sooner: after 7 or 10 days. You need time to read applications, pick someone, confirm the dates with them, and book flights while prices are still reasonable.
Red flags
Close the invitation or decline if an applicant asks you to:
- Book their ticket or send money in advance
- Hold a deposit or security
- Meet in the destination instead of your city first
- Pay for something yourself before you have met
Safety research is clear: "Never send money to people you have met through a dating website" 2. If someone pushes for any of these, they are testing whether you will break your own rules.
Review your details before you post
Before you hit publish, check that your listing answers: Where? When? How long? What do I cover? Where do we meet first? Someone reading your invitation should never have to guess.
Dateable's posting guide walks you through the whole form. Use it. Clear invitations attract people who read and plan, and those are the people you want to meet.
Sources
- Sexual Assault Resource Centre, North Metropolitan Health Service (Government of Western Australia) (2021). Safe online dating.
- New Zealand Police (2026). Safety advice.
