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JB_Studio38

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  1. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + Vegas_Millennial in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    At the end of the day, I try to encourage gays to explore other cities beyond just the LA, Houston, Miami, New York, Chicago, etc. places. Many of the big cities are just so ran thru. There’s 50 states, 48 contiguous. Although it’s not always the best nightlife/party options: some areas can still offer access to fun and everything else the bigger markets offer, but with less cost and competition. 
    Montana and North/South Dakota maybe someday be the next Texas. They’ve got the size, but they don’t attract much in the way of gay or tourism. The weather obviously is a factor though. 
    That said, I just recently met someone from Austin in a different state, and he was cool. I might have to visit again sometime. 
  2. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + SidewaysDM in *Gas Prices Currently   
    California consistently has the highest gas prices. Chicago area is also bad for it. But the prices in California are sickening. Every couple or so years, they break headlines 📰 for hitting the $7-8-9 mark somewhere 
    I remember one trip, I put $50 and only got half a tank. When normally, $50 fills the tank when it’s $3/gallon or less. 
  3. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + SidewaysDM in *Gas Prices Currently   
    I just left Florida this week: I was doing a whole lot of driving, but 100-150 miles to the next city beats the distance between cities in the Midwest.
    But the prices were $4 when I arrived 3 weeks ago, then they went down when it seemed T gave an “extension”. But then it went right back up again after the latest news 🤦🏽‍♂️ like I literally got 3/4 tank for $3.79 in one town, used it up driving to another city, came back and the next day went to refill it jumped to $4.17 😤 
    Below is a Circle K station in Orlando. The prices were about the same everywhere. What really gets me isn’t just the high price, but why is midgrade and premium running 50-90 cents more??? There’s not supposed to be much “noticeable” difference but regular is cheaper for a reason. But midgrade is about the most I been doing, buying premium feels like an insult 
     

  4. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from BigDMike in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    At the end of the day, I try to encourage gays to explore other cities beyond just the LA, Houston, Miami, New York, Chicago, etc. places. Many of the big cities are just so ran thru. There’s 50 states, 48 contiguous. Although it’s not always the best nightlife/party options: some areas can still offer access to fun and everything else the bigger markets offer, but with less cost and competition. 
    Montana and North/South Dakota maybe someday be the next Texas. They’ve got the size, but they don’t attract much in the way of gay or tourism. The weather obviously is a factor though. 
    That said, I just recently met someone from Austin in a different state, and he was cool. I might have to visit again sometime. 
  5. Agree
    JB_Studio38 reacted to BigDMike in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    Very educational video.
    I see some of those things “mentioned” in the National news…but I didn’t understand all those specifics.
  6. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from BigDMike in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    I can see that. I’ve done a similar circuit back when I lived in the area. It’s not always as profitable as it seems unless can book longer sessions or overnights.
    Lot people/companies moving to Texas but it’s not the best kept secret it once was pre-2010s. It’s become the “new Florida/California” but it’s nothing like the 2. On a street level it might but the topography just doesn’t compare 

     
    But…
     
  7. Agree
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from BigDMike in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    Good idea about Mister Bnb. I have heard of it before but hadn’t yet used it. Sometimes though, I find hotels have their place because I may tend to change locations every day or 2. In Florida, I was “basing” in Orlando, but it was mostly nothing going on there with bookings other than my main regular. But it’s in the center of everything in central Florida so, it served its place.
    I know you mentioned Florida, Texas and California: which all are states with big metros, but the problem is all those places are highly competitive. Plus the “scams” have run those markets into obsoletion. While I was in Florida, I went out of my way to avoid most of the 4 main metros unless I had an invitation. I even spent last weekend in a fairly off the beaten path retirement community. I just don’t care for working the big cities as much anymore. I’ll go if I have an anchor or friends there, but they just aren’t as profitable because it’s so many guys trying to do the same thing in the big cities..
    However I do understand much of the “in” crowd are based in the larger cities so I still leave myself open to visit them. But not all of them are suitable places for me to base. I was considering moving “back” to Dallas area last year, but after a couple trips of having 0 appointments, I decided I didn’t want to keep pushing with trying to squeeze money out of a turnip 🫜 , especially in a state that has penalized the P word
    I thought about trying out LA or San Diego for a year, but again: those are cities have an endless rotation. May be good to live in, but trying to visit for even a few days may not give enough time for a successful venture. 
     
    Vegas reminds me of Orlando and the whole Disney theme, for adults. Which isn’t a bad thing but, I find they tend to have similar tendencies. Driving in/out of Vegas can feel like an island of its own though. 
  8. Agree
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from marylander1940 in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    I can see that. I’ve done a similar circuit back when I lived in the area. It’s not always as profitable as it seems unless can book longer sessions or overnights.
    Lot people/companies moving to Texas but it’s not the best kept secret it once was pre-2010s. It’s become the “new Florida/California” but it’s nothing like the 2. On a street level it might but the topography just doesn’t compare 

     
    But…
     
  9. Agree
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + SidewaysDM in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    I can see that. I’ve done a similar circuit back when I lived in the area. It’s not always as profitable as it seems unless can book longer sessions or overnights.
    Lot people/companies moving to Texas but it’s not the best kept secret it once was pre-2010s. It’s become the “new Florida/California” but it’s nothing like the 2. On a street level it might but the topography just doesn’t compare 

     
    But…
     
  10. Thanks
    JB_Studio38 reacted to BigDMike in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    I can empathize with your story, thanks for sharing.  
    Not that you’re necessarily looking for advice and it does sound like you’re very well versed in travel etc…I would say the following:
    I travel extensively for work.  I am usually gone about 8 to 10 days per month and I travel all over.  When I do, I enjoy looking up providers in the area.  Some I see more than once on a trip, some I see when I return to the city and some I never return to.  I can imagine what’s its like on your side.
    While I mostly stay in Marriott’s as I am expensing the trip…I have found a lot of fun stays on MisterBandB.  Sure they have options to rent an entire place…but I much prefer to rent a room and stay with someone.  It is considerably cheaper than a hotel and some stays have turned into friends.  Sometimes…okay a lot of times….there’s an element of hooking up with the host….sometimes it’s once…sometimes more than once.  I usually share a bit about myself in the intro email and ask them to do the same.  While I am well traveled, it’s nice to find out their preferred restaurant or bar or fun social event.  I am not a provider nor have I asked to have guests or people over…..so I don’t know if it’s entirely possible.  Perhaps a path for you to reduce hotel costs?  Oddly enough…when I’m home, I don’t entertain outcalls to my house.  I only do incalls to them.  However, when I’m traveling I will do either and have no issue having them to my hotel.  Most of the hosts I have met on the site are all rather gregarious and social…you have to be to open up your house like that.  I’m sure there are some that don’t engage though I have not had that experience….in reading the reviews I have a sense of what I’m getting into when I book them.
    WIth regards to a base….if it were me….I would chose a base state that had large metro areas that were drivable…specifically, California, Texas and Florida come to mind.  All three states have large populations within driving distance so if you say set up in San Diego, going to LA, or even up to SFO on occasion is doable if even for a few days.  Texas and Florida are of course cheaper to live but I consider politics a factor in where I live and am quite comfortable living in California.  We’re not perfect….but who is?  All three of those states have major cities where you would certainly find work and possibly a decent stay….heck, even in Southern California you could easily drive to Vegas too.
    Wish you the best of luck.  
  11. Thanks
    JB_Studio38 reacted to + SidewaysDM in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    @JB_Studio38 you are spot on with your assessment about Dallas and the state of Texas. I have befriended a well established and well reviewed provider from Houston. He travels to Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Despite being a provider with 8 years experience and over 100 5 star reviews on RM and all positive comments on CoM, he is really struggling to make ends meet. Those cities are just over saturated with providers. 
     
    Whatever decisions you make about your touring, I wish you much success and all the best! 
  12. Like
    JB_Studio38 reacted to 56harrisond in Why do they smell like c*m?   
    https://www.vice.com/en/article/heres-why-the-trees-on-your-street-smell-like-semen/
     
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031942217303412
  13. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + SidewaysDM in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    **This isn’t a question or advice. Just discussing the oft sought after strategy of traveling **
    I’ve been experience with touring for a while now. Over a decade to be precise. The “escort definition” of touring is: Spending a week or 2 or even WEEKS/MONTHS going between a predetermined hub of cities, staying anywhere from 2-5 days at a time, before going onto the next destination, and covering ground to hit several areas. 
    I know many up and coming escorts out there often highly interested in the traveling lifestyle. And I do feel it’s become ingrained in the American escort culture to advertise in and travel to different cities. Yes it can be lucrative and help to get exposure that may be hard to do staying in the same city. However, there’s a side to it that can become monotonous. 
    For one, the main thing is the costs involved. Having a hotel is almost a must because many clients may not be able to host. Even if they can, I still need a place to sleep. I have used every discount hack available for booking hotels, including 3rd party and loyalty to a few brands. It doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, it’s still money being spent. 
     
    The only way to really “beat” the hotel game is to have a friend or relative to bunk with and either do outcalls or book a room on select days. However, therein lies another potential issue: Trying to maintain reliable connections out of state where you may not know people or only see them sparingly: has also provided to be a challenge. I have done trips to some cities, even my current trip: thinking that I could rely on a friend or 2 to stay with. Only to get there, and they either aren’t available to host after all or they only want to offer a limited time that’s not sufficient for what is needed. And of course, non of them are ever okay with having clients over. Then I’m back to the hotel money pit, spending more than anticipated.
    The other thing is, it seems like almost every trip: there’s some news that gets released. And we may think it doesn’t affect, but it does. Even if for a couple or few days. This past couple years, I’ve had to endure everything from stock market crashes to new wars starting. 
     
    Above all, the client bookings just aren’t coming in like they used to. I don’t necessarily want to see clients everyday, and definitely not multiple times a day: but I can’t go 3-4 days without a client and not start losing money. 
     
    Except there’s one issue: I can’t stop traveling all together because my “base” market (which really isn’t even that, just a purgatory in between waiting to travel lol) has already become over saturated with advertisers. Plus it’s conservative and the men in the area either don’t want to pay, or they only want to pay $150. Which is not sustainable. 
     
    What I have considered: relocating all together and keeping trips to within a day away. Or I can continue to tour further away, but only go places where I have friends at. However, even that’s dwindling. It’s been so many times I’ve made arrangements to stay at friend’s place for a couple/few days, and it turns into drama. I’m just tired of having to rely on half ass people, but some cities the hotel prices are so high: there’s no other way to go unless that option is available.
    I’m considering using rent a room by the week options going forward. But those could have the added drawback of not being able to host I would imagine. And if I’m losing money by not hosting, whatever I saved is essentially lost. 

    So idk, it’s hard to say exactly how I’ll do it. I know there’s a couple clients here on the board who are wanting me to visit their cities, but it’s these type of challenges that have hindered my desire to want to make the journey.
    Unfortunately when visiting a town for a short period, sometimes the only fast and safe way to meet other gays are the hookup apps: besides going to a nightclub (which is more money and no guarantee of finding someone supportive of the biz). But the hookup apps are always people looking for just that. They aren’t reliable for anything else usually.
  14. Party
    JB_Studio38 reacted to jeezifonly in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    To your newfound success!! 

  15. Agree
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from BigDMike in *Gas Prices Currently   
    California consistently has the highest gas prices. Chicago area is also bad for it. But the prices in California are sickening. Every couple or so years, they break headlines 📰 for hitting the $7-8-9 mark somewhere 
    I remember one trip, I put $50 and only got half a tank. When normally, $50 fills the tank when it’s $3/gallon or less. 
  16. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from BigDMike in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    **This isn’t a question or advice. Just discussing the oft sought after strategy of traveling **
    I’ve been experience with touring for a while now. Over a decade to be precise. The “escort definition” of touring is: Spending a week or 2 or even WEEKS/MONTHS going between a predetermined hub of cities, staying anywhere from 2-5 days at a time, before going onto the next destination, and covering ground to hit several areas. 
    I know many up and coming escorts out there often highly interested in the traveling lifestyle. And I do feel it’s become ingrained in the American escort culture to advertise in and travel to different cities. Yes it can be lucrative and help to get exposure that may be hard to do staying in the same city. However, there’s a side to it that can become monotonous. 
    For one, the main thing is the costs involved. Having a hotel is almost a must because many clients may not be able to host. Even if they can, I still need a place to sleep. I have used every discount hack available for booking hotels, including 3rd party and loyalty to a few brands. It doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, it’s still money being spent. 
     
    The only way to really “beat” the hotel game is to have a friend or relative to bunk with and either do outcalls or book a room on select days. However, therein lies another potential issue: Trying to maintain reliable connections out of state where you may not know people or only see them sparingly: has also provided to be a challenge. I have done trips to some cities, even my current trip: thinking that I could rely on a friend or 2 to stay with. Only to get there, and they either aren’t available to host after all or they only want to offer a limited time that’s not sufficient for what is needed. And of course, non of them are ever okay with having clients over. Then I’m back to the hotel money pit, spending more than anticipated.
    The other thing is, it seems like almost every trip: there’s some news that gets released. And we may think it doesn’t affect, but it does. Even if for a couple or few days. This past couple years, I’ve had to endure everything from stock market crashes to new wars starting. 
     
    Above all, the client bookings just aren’t coming in like they used to. I don’t necessarily want to see clients everyday, and definitely not multiple times a day: but I can’t go 3-4 days without a client and not start losing money. 
     
    Except there’s one issue: I can’t stop traveling all together because my “base” market (which really isn’t even that, just a purgatory in between waiting to travel lol) has already become over saturated with advertisers. Plus it’s conservative and the men in the area either don’t want to pay, or they only want to pay $150. Which is not sustainable. 
     
    What I have considered: relocating all together and keeping trips to within a day away. Or I can continue to tour further away, but only go places where I have friends at. However, even that’s dwindling. It’s been so many times I’ve made arrangements to stay at friend’s place for a couple/few days, and it turns into drama. I’m just tired of having to rely on half ass people, but some cities the hotel prices are so high: there’s no other way to go unless that option is available.
    I’m considering using rent a room by the week options going forward. But those could have the added drawback of not being able to host I would imagine. And if I’m losing money by not hosting, whatever I saved is essentially lost. 

    So idk, it’s hard to say exactly how I’ll do it. I know there’s a couple clients here on the board who are wanting me to visit their cities, but it’s these type of challenges that have hindered my desire to want to make the journey.
    Unfortunately when visiting a town for a short period, sometimes the only fast and safe way to meet other gays are the hookup apps: besides going to a nightclub (which is more money and no guarantee of finding someone supportive of the biz). But the hookup apps are always people looking for just that. They aren’t reliable for anything else usually.
  17. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + Charlie in *Gas Prices Currently   
    California consistently has the highest gas prices. Chicago area is also bad for it. But the prices in California are sickening. Every couple or so years, they break headlines 📰 for hitting the $7-8-9 mark somewhere 
    I remember one trip, I put $50 and only got half a tank. When normally, $50 fills the tank when it’s $3/gallon or less. 
  18. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from + Charlie in *Gas Prices Currently   
    I just left Florida this week: I was doing a whole lot of driving, but 100-150 miles to the next city beats the distance between cities in the Midwest.
    But the prices were $4 when I arrived 3 weeks ago, then they went down when it seemed T gave an “extension”. But then it went right back up again after the latest news 🤦🏽‍♂️ like I literally got 3/4 tank for $3.79 in one town, used it up driving to another city, came back and the next day went to refill it jumped to $4.17 😤 
    Below is a Circle K station in Orlando. The prices were about the same everywhere. What really gets me isn’t just the high price, but why is midgrade and premium running 50-90 cents more??? There’s not supposed to be much “noticeable” difference but regular is cheaper for a reason. But midgrade is about the most I been doing, buying premium feels like an insult 
     

  19. Like
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from 56harrisond in Love traveling, but may be retiring from “touring”   
    **This isn’t a question or advice. Just discussing the oft sought after strategy of traveling **
    I’ve been experience with touring for a while now. Over a decade to be precise. The “escort definition” of touring is: Spending a week or 2 or even WEEKS/MONTHS going between a predetermined hub of cities, staying anywhere from 2-5 days at a time, before going onto the next destination, and covering ground to hit several areas. 
    I know many up and coming escorts out there often highly interested in the traveling lifestyle. And I do feel it’s become ingrained in the American escort culture to advertise in and travel to different cities. Yes it can be lucrative and help to get exposure that may be hard to do staying in the same city. However, there’s a side to it that can become monotonous. 
    For one, the main thing is the costs involved. Having a hotel is almost a must because many clients may not be able to host. Even if they can, I still need a place to sleep. I have used every discount hack available for booking hotels, including 3rd party and loyalty to a few brands. It doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, it’s still money being spent. 
     
    The only way to really “beat” the hotel game is to have a friend or relative to bunk with and either do outcalls or book a room on select days. However, therein lies another potential issue: Trying to maintain reliable connections out of state where you may not know people or only see them sparingly: has also provided to be a challenge. I have done trips to some cities, even my current trip: thinking that I could rely on a friend or 2 to stay with. Only to get there, and they either aren’t available to host after all or they only want to offer a limited time that’s not sufficient for what is needed. And of course, non of them are ever okay with having clients over. Then I’m back to the hotel money pit, spending more than anticipated.
    The other thing is, it seems like almost every trip: there’s some news that gets released. And we may think it doesn’t affect, but it does. Even if for a couple or few days. This past couple years, I’ve had to endure everything from stock market crashes to new wars starting. 
     
    Above all, the client bookings just aren’t coming in like they used to. I don’t necessarily want to see clients everyday, and definitely not multiple times a day: but I can’t go 3-4 days without a client and not start losing money. 
     
    Except there’s one issue: I can’t stop traveling all together because my “base” market (which really isn’t even that, just a purgatory in between waiting to travel lol) has already become over saturated with advertisers. Plus it’s conservative and the men in the area either don’t want to pay, or they only want to pay $150. Which is not sustainable. 
     
    What I have considered: relocating all together and keeping trips to within a day away. Or I can continue to tour further away, but only go places where I have friends at. However, even that’s dwindling. It’s been so many times I’ve made arrangements to stay at friend’s place for a couple/few days, and it turns into drama. I’m just tired of having to rely on half ass people, but some cities the hotel prices are so high: there’s no other way to go unless that option is available.
    I’m considering using rent a room by the week options going forward. But those could have the added drawback of not being able to host I would imagine. And if I’m losing money by not hosting, whatever I saved is essentially lost. 

    So idk, it’s hard to say exactly how I’ll do it. I know there’s a couple clients here on the board who are wanting me to visit their cities, but it’s these type of challenges that have hindered my desire to want to make the journey.
    Unfortunately when visiting a town for a short period, sometimes the only fast and safe way to meet other gays are the hookup apps: besides going to a nightclub (which is more money and no guarantee of finding someone supportive of the biz). But the hookup apps are always people looking for just that. They aren’t reliable for anything else usually.
  20. Agree
    JB_Studio38 got a reaction from Pd1_jap in Mario Romo, Sad Story   
    This is all reminiscent of the most recent case similar to this that happened in Detroit. Also somewhat similar to the “Ketamine Queen”  story as well.
    I think the real moral of the story is, practice safe boundaries. Doesn’t mean be cold and distant towards providers, but make sure it’s transparent. 
    Unfortunately, too many out here in the industry and the “come up” gay scene in general are greedy and unethical. They are relatively easy to pick up on after awhile, if not sooner than later. 
  21. Agree
    JB_Studio38 reacted to BuffaloKyle in *Gas Prices Currently   
    I'm wondering how many more days where the price of oil goes up from the previous day? I wonder just how high it can go. I got gas this past Friday when my gas station was still at $2.98. It was at $3.08 on Saturday. This morning it was at $3.18 and then just now I saw it was at $3.28. The guy next to me on Friday brought 5 gas cans with him to fill up. I always say to I need to get some for myself, wish I would've had followed through on that. 
    How is it looking by everyone else?
  22. Agree
    JB_Studio38 reacted to TBD in *Encouraging Providers to Participate more on Forums.   
    The contributions we get from providers here are highly valuable, although the number that do is small.  I want more providers to comment and participate on the forums. Having them participate creates less of an echo chamber. When we see a provider comment, often it is to clear up a misconception or defend themselves in a post - they are greeted warmly with "welcome to the fourm!" and then promptly disappear.  I see pile ons here and think 'this is why they don't'. 
    So my question to the group is: 
    1. Why do you think we don't see more providers post, and 
    2. What can we do to encourage more of them to join in. 
    (I am especially curious to hear from @Simon Suraci @nate_sf @GentJ Why do more of your colleagues not post here?) 
  23. Like
    JB_Studio38 reacted to SecretProvider in *Encouraging Providers to Participate more on Forums.   
    Fascinating that a provider is effectively being told to 'shut up' in discussions about creating an environment that would foster and encourage more providers to participate. 
    Bozo replies to my comment confirming that I agree with the assessment of his posts by questioning my truth as provider and saying that my value is worthless and yet me saying that I agree with (what appears to be) a consensus here on his regular posts......and yet I am the bad guy who should just be quiet/ say nothing/ don't defend myself. 
    Lots of people here have mentioned Bozo, directly AND indirectly. He has been silent on every other reference to clowns in this thread but you both choose ME responding to him to berate and minimize. Says a lot. 
  24. Like
    JB_Studio38 reacted to maninsoma in Mario Romo, Sad Story   
    This happened several years ago, so I'm not sure why it's "news" now.
    I'm not sure that I agree about the moral of the story.  I think you can have some genuine closeness with a provider, but I do agree that the deceased went overboard in a reckless manner when he handwrote a will leaving his entire estate to the soon-to-be-killer. 
  25. Surprised
    JB_Studio38 reacted to + DrownedBoy in brat escorts, what to do.?   
    God, the BART diet is bad enough to live on when you're waiting for a colonoscopy. I nearly had to live on BART during an intense vacation with a horny ex.
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