Courtesy of mic.com Locals aren’t exotic flavoursĪsians get a lot of flack in Western gay dating culture. Sit back, log in, and digest this guide to using gay dating apps in Southeast Asia. Having lived in Vietnam and Malaysia for the past two years, and backpacked across Thailand, Cambodia and The Philippines, I’ve learned a thing or two about dating app etiquette. I grew up in Saudi Arabia, but spent high school and university in the bonny hills of Scotland. I’m a half-Filipino, half-Scottish third culture kid. It’s unpredictable, eye-opening and fascinating – a social experiment and cultural exchange rolled into one. New, exciting places give access to new, exciting people from finding new friends, to casual flings to possibly the next love of your life, swiping right is an unspoken yet universal traveller’s habit. Speaking on behalf of single gay travellers out there, checking out the locals is part and parcel of riding tuk-tuk and playing with elephants. It’s pitch black, save for the small orange glow of your phone screen. Your roommates rustle through their rucksacks and make small talk. “My Grindr date took me to a Muslim Wedding in KL!”
