After a 5 year dating hiatus, I (29M) feel that I’m ready to get back in into it. However, I’ve found that online dating, meet and greets, bars/clubs just aren’t my thing.
I’ve been told to find people through with similar interesting hobbies. Well my hobbies/interest include gaming, hiking/camping, cooking, gym, and dogs. It’s within these hobbies that I find issue with meeting people.
Gaming, you don’t really meet people with “dating potential” unless you already know them.
Hiking/Camping, I have yet to really meet anyone that wants to really strike up a conversation when they’re out of breath.
Cooking, I don’t exactly have people coming through my kitchen (other than friends) that I can share this hobby with.
Gym, it’s a known cardinal sin to hit on people at the gym. Plus, I like to just get in, have my therapy session, and get out.
Dogs, well I just like dogs as i have one myself.
Are there any recommendations on how I can meet people based on these hobbies? Or any other way to meet people that feels more organic?
2 comments
Join a group related to your hobbies.
Hiking/Camping groups definitely do exist where they organise bigger group activities.
Join a cooking class maybe? You might be good, but doesn’t hurt to learn some new things.
Dog daycare or dog playgroups also a thing.
For the gym, yeah cardinal sin to hit on people, but if someone’s on break, (without the intention of dating) strike up a conversation, become person around town of your gym.
And gaming… well people have met lifelong friends and even partners through it, but it’s like finding a diamond in toxic sludge.
Or try out some new hobbies in the same vein. Bouldering/rock climbing, charity run events, birdwatching, board games, or if you’ve got a bit more time and energy, tabletop games.
Plenty of things out there, give em a go for yourself, maybe you’ll make some new friends and perhaps even meet someone you’d be interested in going out with.
Meeting new people is pretty brutal especially at 29 since you are past the school era where everyone is sort of bunched together. You could try joining a co-ed sports league or do some type of volunteer work to potentially meet people.
If you want to be more direct about who you pick you might need to resort to online dating. One thing you may want to try is expanding your location of who you meet. Sometimes the right person for you is not in your local area.
I have been building a dating app that breaks down most of the barriers that people struggle with on dating apps such as success due to being ranked by a computer algorithm or having to pay. You can also search people by any city, state, or country. It is sort of low volume right now but could make a profile and check back in once a week or so to see if there are any new people.
https://patcnx.medium.com/patcnx-a-paradigm-shift-in-online-dating-628d09c0e4f3