“I just have their first name”: these French people who dine or travel with… complete strangers

Would you like to have dinner with complete strangers? Justine has tried it. Aged 36, this young woman, who is nevertheless very well surrounded in life, signed up for the Timeleft app. The principle: share a dinner with people you don’t know at all, but chosen according to your interests, thanks to an algorithm.

“There, I’m getting ready to go to dinner with people I don’t know. I’ve lived in Paris for years, so I have a lot of friends. But I like to broaden my horizons and meet new people.”explains the young woman in the report at the top of the article. “I just have their first name, I know their nationality, I know that we will be the same age, I know what professions are around the table, but I don’t know who does what”she adds. Even though Justine knows the name of the restaurant, the surprise effect is guaranteed until the last moment. Each participant pays for their meal, plus a flat rate of thirteen euros.

“We meet people we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet otherwise

A guest

After formal presentations, discussions begin. As the evening progresses, the ice breaks and the atmosphere becomes more and more friendly. “We meet people we wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise. For me, it worked well, because I kept in touch with a lot of people that I see regularly. We have little drinks, restaurants, it’s really nice!”explains a guest seduced by the concept.

The app insists on one point: it is not about dating. This simple concept has been a resounding success. The app is available in 60 cities, as far as Brazil and the United States. Its creator, Maxime Barbier, based his ideas on a simple observation: the feeling of loneliness in big cities has increased since the health crisis.

“The bigger the city, the deeper the feeling of loneliness”

“People work at home, they move around a lot, there are also more and more divorces. We are far from our families. All these things mean that the bigger the city, the deeper the feeling of loneliness. It can affect all generations”, analyzes Maxime Barbier. Leisure activities between strangers are popular: new types of agencies, for example, are offering more and more trips dedicated to solo travelers.

A concept that appeals to many French people, like Sabine and Nicolas, who one of our teams met in the video at the top of this article. They have never met, and yet they are going to spend their holidays together. It is a first for both of them, each single. None of their friends were available to go on this date. “I said to myself ‘Come on, why not, I’ll give it a go’it’s a bit of stepping out of your comfort zone too, so we’ll see what that can be.”smiled Nicolas.

Heading to Puglia, Italy. Its farmland, its coves and its typical houses, the famous trulli, to discover while hiking. For a week, the duo will be taken care of by a tourist guide, in a small group of five people in total. All are between 27 and 40 years old. For most, they are taking part in their first trip with strangers. “You meet different people, who you don’t necessarily have the opportunity to meet normally.”, explains a traveler. While they get to know each other, Giuliano, the guide, takes care of all the logistics, including food. Price of the stay: 1400 euros, not including the plane.

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The price to pay for not traveling alone. “I want to share moments like this, which I wouldn’t have experienced alone.”explains one participant. “There is diversity in age, professions, the backgrounds we come from, it’s really nice”adds another. The agency that organizes these trips targets 25-45 year olds. It is recording more and more bookings: last year, it attracted more than 7,000 travelers.