FabSwingers.com forum: How did swingers meet when there was no internet

By *opman121 OP Man
7 weeks ago

stoke on trent

Was it club only ?

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *onnynclaireCouple
7 weeks ago

Reading

Smoke signals

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *r PantyMan
7 weeks ago

Morpeth

PO boxes in a magazine called Forum. That's back in the days when a lot of effort was required to get a meet.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *lowhands7Man
7 weeks ago

South Leicestershire / Burton on Trent

Dogging and adult clubs

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ourplusCouple
7 weeks ago

Near Irvine

Dogging and pubs

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *aomilatteCouple
7 weeks ago

Midlands

Contact magazines. You could put an advert and wait a few weeks for some letters with photo's to arrive in the post.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *7VYMan
7 weeks ago

Orbit

I'm more than sure it required imagination to at least fall into the know

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *usyBusyGirlWoman
7 weeks ago

Birmingham

Pampas grass

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *opman121 OP Man
7 weeks ago

stoke on trent

"Smoke signals"
was dogging the same

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ife NinjaMan
7 weeks ago

Dunfermline

Magazines and newspaper private ads. Clubs were very much on a nudge and a wink basis

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ee1967Man
7 weeks ago

watford

We used magazines

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *inkycreamCouple
7 weeks ago

manchester

Loot was very effective

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *onnynclaireCouple
7 weeks ago

Reading

"Smoke signalswas dogging the same "

Squeeze of their car horn

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *inaTitzTV/TS
7 weeks ago

Titz Towers, North Notts

Hieroglyphics and if you had a good night, you'd end up walking like an Egyptian the next day

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *opman121 OP Man
7 weeks ago

stoke on trent

"Smoke signalswas dogging the same

Squeeze of their car horn"
ooh was thinking it was light on inside the car ?

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *an1978Woman
7 weeks ago

GONE/TIMEOUT (No DMs please)

The PO Box letters must have been fun, waiting for the Polaroid or maybe even not knowing til you meet.

Many others met down the pub, on the golf course, in the office...

I turned 16 in the 90s so early Internet newsgroups were already available so guess my generation always had it easy.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *heStockingtoppsCouple
7 weeks ago

Stourbridge

The Bargain Pages.. honestly

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ikerjohn123Man
7 weeks ago

Malton

Free ad papers. Some had a personal contacts section. Nowt like that on Gumtree or marketplace so here we are on fab

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *lleyCat1969Man
7 weeks ago

Folkestone

I used contact magazines, one called Experience and I can't remember the other titles.

Odd but true: Channel 4 teletext had dating pages in the 90s and I had a good meet off there. Claire in Shrewsbury, if you're reading this get in touch!

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hyguy187Man
7 weeks ago

Maybe near to you!

"Hieroglyphics and if you had a good night, you'd end up walking like an Egyptian the next day

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ickie76XXXMan
7 weeks ago

dartford

"Hieroglyphics and if you had a good night, you'd end up walking like an Egyptian the next day

Yes it led to some manic Mondays lol

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *unkymale65Man
7 weeks ago

Worksop

I remember a contact magazine called Rendezvous back in the day.You replied to an advert enclosed your letter along with a photo and sae.A small forwarding fee then you waited a few weeks to hopefully get a reply. It was slow but I had some good meets

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *eltic connectionCouple
7 weeks ago

Manningtree

You wrote a letter to an advert in a magazine and waited a couple of weeks for a response!

Some people these days have a moan if you don't reply within an hour

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *lik and PaulCouple
7 weeks ago

Flagrante

Parties were the place to be when I started out.

Paul

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *adyLover1Man
7 weeks ago

Hertford

"PO boxes in a magazine called Forum. That's back in the days when a lot of effort was required to get a meet."

For some of us it still requires a lot of effort to actually get a meet.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *un couple 2Couple
7 weeks ago

Tynemouth.

Mens mags, readers wives fan mail 30+ yrs ago.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ondscotMan
7 weeks ago

glasgow

As already mentioned by someone else, contact magazines were the way to go. I used to buy rendezvous and play the waiting game hopeful

Of a reply. The Polaroid camera was your friend and if I’m honest the reply ratio was definitely a lot higher than fab is now. Has a few really great connections back in the day.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ellhungvweMan
7 weeks ago

Cheltenham

They used to leave notes on the pineapples in the super market. Swinging used to be only for the rich because no one else could afford a pineapple.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *gooddayforfunMan
7 weeks ago

rhyl

Carrier pigeons

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *otsossieMan
7 weeks ago

local, but not too local

In a lay-by on the A61

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hisismeXXXMan
7 weeks ago

Welsh Wales

Replying to ads in magazines and then (more successfully actually) the FreeAds paper.

Writing to someone including a photo and a stamped addressed envelope, so these total strangers knew immediately where you actually lived.

If you were lucky you’d get a reply, and as often as not it would include a phone number (landline) for you to reach out and call them, often following set instructions (after 10pm/weekends only/don’t call on a Sunday) etc.

All in all, could be 4/6 weeks from replying to getting a reply (if at all), and hopefully you could then get together with a likeminded person/couple.

What I found then was if you were fortunate enough to make a positive connection, it sometimes led to an introduction to a wider informal network, with the benefits that brought.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *andyh78Man
7 weeks ago

manchester

Contact mags. I think I used connect4fun.

Because it took effort, cost money and required patience, there were very few fakes or timewasters.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *aptain Caveman41Man
7 weeks ago

Home

Morse code

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ilva69Man
7 weeks ago

stockport

Loot classified adult section

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *Silver-Man
7 weeks ago

Mold

Classified ads, mags and local rag

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *omCoyoteMan
7 weeks ago

Northern England

"Contact magazines. You could put an advert and wait a few weeks for some letters with photo's to arrive in the post."

"Rendezvous" Magazine was my publication of choice. You'd post your (hand written) letter / pics to the magazine - along with a self adressed, stamped envelope, and wait in anticipation.

Happy days!

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *omCoyoteMan
7 weeks ago

Northern England

"As already mentioned by someone else, contact magazines were the way to go. I used to buy rendezvous and play the waiting game hopeful

Of a reply. The Polaroid camera was your friend and if I’m honest the reply ratio was definitely a lot higher than fab is now. Has a few really great connections back in the day. "

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ORDERMANMan
7 weeks ago

wrexham

I would take a guess

Going back to victorian times through to edwardian and 20s & 30s.

Swinging would have been rife amongst the aristocracy with their weekend gatherings at their country retreats when folk would come down from London on an invited guest list..things eould have gone on..depending upon what set you belonged to..

Following the war..people may have had a more carefree attitude having sampled so many deaths in the war..

50s would have seen first breaks in society and its conventions with the beat generation...that would lead to the swinging 60s and hippys.

Don't forget 50s and 60s would have seen great rebuilds and expansion of suburbia..and the car keys in the fish bowl party set.

60s also gave rise to the sex industry and tolerance to the the topshelf porn mags of the day that would lead to contact mags..

For many of a certain generation still on here from the 50s the increase in car use would have seen the increase in car sales..and for many a courting couple in 60s 70s even 80s a car meant some private time at a quite spot..on occasion there might have been another or other cars parked up..I'll admit to my own naivety in that I realised they were parked for same reason as I..but the thought they may want to watch or be watched by others never entered my head..

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *neeyedwillieMan
7 weeks ago

Darlington

My wife and I started swinging (and still are) 26 / 27 years ago.

We where quite young (early 20s) Our very very first swinging encounter was basically my wife's freind. She was game and we did it just by asking lol. No Internet used.

After that i did infact jump on the internet to search and found it was a toss up between magazines or throwing caution to the wind on a swingers forum I found. Tried the forum and basically it was emails and posted Polaroids.....

Had a few more meets, a few chance encounters with game people in the real world then took a few years long break. Came back about 14 years ago due to another chance encounter and never looked back.

Don't really use fab for meets anymore though. Too much hassle now for numerous reasons. Easier to go to clubs or social events and meet people for real.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *agatoXXXMan
7 weeks ago

Mordor

Carrier pigeon.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *opinovMan
7 weeks ago

Point Nemo, Cumbria

Flamingoes, pineapples and pampas grass.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

Post new Message to Thread