“At one point he said, ‘I have to cut this date short, because my ex girlfriend just texted me and I know we’re gonna hook up later’.” -Rachel Lately

WHAT?! This week on the Love Intently Podcast, we welcome Rachel Lately, Austin-based lifestyle blogger. She primarily blogs about things to do around Austin, travel, and--you guessed it--dating in Austin! Her most popular blog post is a list of her most cringe-worthy dating stories. Half of them she met on a dating app, and half she met in person. Tune into this episode to hear more about her thoughts on using dating apps, her best online dating profile tips for guys and girls, the most elaborate Bachelor-status first date she’s been on, her tips for the first date, and lessons she’s learned throughout her dating journey. While Love Intently doesn’t endorse all of these dating opinions and ideas, it’s still interesting to hear different perspectives!

Using Dating Apps in Austin, TX

Rachel finds most of her dates through Bumble, but she really likes Hinge because rather than just swiping left or right, it’s set up more like a website where you can “like” their content. Hinge provides interesting questions for you to answer to show more of your personality. Our host Sophie talks about why she likes Coffee Meets Bagel.

Rachel’s Best Online Dating Tips after 26 First Dates

After many first dates, Rachel wrote a blog post on her best online dating tips and shared some of those tips with us on the podcast:

Improve your photos: Rachel shares her view that you shouldn’t have all group photos so someone can’t tell which one you are. We should also be able to clearly see your face (no sunglasses or filters that aren’t what you look like in real life please!) and the photos should be recent.

Improve your bio: Swiping through, you’ll come across a lot of the same things written in the bio: craft beer, the outdoors, dogs, travel, brunch. Rachel suggests you come up with something that shows more of your personality, or say something funny!

Improve your ice breaker: Rachel says you shouldn’t just say “hey” as your opener. It doesn’t invite conversation or give someone a feel for who you are. Rachel likes to open her conversations with “two truths and a lie”

“I like 2 truths & a lie because it’s like a fun little game that gets both parties engaged, and you end up learning some interesting facts about the other person, plus you’re more likely to get a feel for what their sense of humor is like.” -Rachel Lately

A must-try first date idea to avoid the same-old boring routine

If you’ve gone on a lot of first dates, you might be starting to get bored regurgitating the same facts about yourself. Rachel suggests, why not shake things up with a trivia night instead? Try finding a themed trivia night for a topic you both like. She suggests this because it helps alleviate a lot of pressure, there’s no awkward conversation moments, and you’re doing an activity that can spark conversation to get to know each other better.

The mindset shift that will put the fun back into dating

Rachel suggests going on dates with no expectations. If you’re going into every date thinking, “Could he be the one? Is this my next boyfriend?”, you won’t be able to relax and enjoy the experience!

“Have fun with it. If he seems nice, give him a shot, go on a date. The worst that could happen is the conversation isn’t there. Even if that’s the case, you still got to meet someone. Little by little it brings more clarity to what you do what in a future partner.” -Rachel Lately

We also discuss how Rachel saved up the money in order to put her life on hold for a year to travel through New Zealand, Australia, and South East Asia. Follow along on her journey on her blog and Instagram to see some truly stunning photos and what she’s been learning along the way!

Links and Resources

Rachel’s blog: https://www.rachellately.com/

Rachel’s Instagram: @rachel.lately
Take the enneagram test: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test