Meeting people, sensibly

The whole point of OurBestie is meeting people you don't already know. That is the good part, and it is also the part that needs a bit of thought. None of what follows is unusual — it is what experienced travellers do without noticing.

Before you meet

• Chat in the app first. Keep conversations on OurBestie until you have a reason to move them. If someone pushes hard to get you onto another app straight away, that is worth noticing.
• Look for consistency. A profile with one photo, no detail, and a story that keeps shifting is a profile to skip.
• Never send money. Not for a flight, not for a deposit, not for an emergency, not to someone you have not met. This is the single most common scam in travel apps and it always starts with a plausible story.
• Keep documents to yourself. No one you meet here needs your passport, your address, your bank details, or a photo of your ID.

Your first meet-up

• Somewhere public and busy. A café, a bar, a hostel common room, a walking tour. Not a private flat, not a remote beach, not a car.
• Tell someone. Send a friend or family member the where, the when, and who you are meeting. Agree a time you will check back in.
• Keep your own way there and back. Your own transport, your own accommodation booked in your own name. Never rely on someone you have just met to get you home.
• Meet in daylight for the first one where you can, particularly somewhere you don't know.
• Watch your drink. Order it yourself, watch it poured, keep it with you.
• Group first is easier. A first meet with three or four people is lower stakes than a first meet with one.

While you're travelling together

• You can always leave. You owe nobody an explanation, an apology, or a lift. If something feels wrong, it is reason enough.
• Keep your phone charged and carry a small battery pack. Most safety problems abroad start with a flat phone.
• Keep copies of your documents somewhere you can reach without your bag.
• Know the local emergency number for wherever you are — it is not 911 everywhere, and it is not 112 everywhere either.
• Trust the feeling. You do not need to be able to justify it. Leave, then think about it.

Reporting someone

If a member makes you uncomfortable, breaks our Community Guidelines, or does something worse, report them. Once the app launches you can do this from any profile, trip, or message thread. Until then, and at any time, email safety@ourbestie.app.

Tell us what happened, who was involved, and roughly when. Screenshots help. We review every report, we will not tell the person who reported them, and we remove people who put others at risk.

If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first. Report to us afterwards — we are not an emergency service and we cannot reach you fast enough to be one.

What we can and can't do

We can remove accounts, act on reports, and build features that make the safe path the easy one. We cannot verify identity documents, supervise a meet-up, or guarantee anyone's behaviour. Our Terms & Conditions set out the legal position, and it is worth reading section 6 in particular.

See also our Community Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.