I'm getting to the point that I am losing interest in traveling...It seems too risky.

[SteveEscort]

This problem is the same the world over. I drove a friend to a city called Nottingham, which is about 190 miles from me, she was at a school reunion and had booked a hotel overnight, her train times let her down so she asked me to take her and said I could use the room to entertain clients for the day, to make it worth my while driving her down there.

 

I advertised it for two weeks and had 3 advance appointments booked in. One guy wanted foot worship, other two wanted me to bottom. It was going to be a great day. Two of them confirmed on the morning, one was confirming at 5pm. The first to confirm, Mr Foot Fetish was booked in for 1 hour at 3pm. This job alone was covering my incidental costs so I was very pleased. At 2.30pm I sent him a text with my room number. "Something's come up". So why wait until I've checked in, why couldn't he have told me this earlier. I then sent my 5pm a text but only mentioned the hotel name. No reply and phone off when I called him. My 7pm was confirming around 5pm. He phoned at 6.45pm after being held up and did arrive 15 minutes later but by this stage I was in a pub two streets away having some food, so I had to rush that and get back.

 

I took another on-spec booking that night. So out of 5 appointments, only two showed up, one being very last minute even though he'd booked it a week prior and the other phoned on the off chance I still had availability. However, if any on-spec guys had phoned whilst I was driving down I would have turned them down because I had a 3pm and a 5pm booked in advance who I had spoken to that morning. That ignorance costs me money and lets down genuine clients who would have booked. I end up losing out twice, once with the timewaster and once with the genuine client who did actually want to see me.

[+ tristanbaldwin]

I've never tried ATL. I'll definitely have to! Houston was a tricky city- pretty spread out....but I found that alot of clients were also willing to drive in considerable distances, in order to see you. I've never tried anything in New Mexico, either...I love to do sightseeing...and these escort trips are mini-vacations for me...as I have a business I run up in New England(able to do alot of it via phone/internet)...so even if a trip is a losing proposition I'm still gaining the value of the sights on it. Montana, here I come! LOL

[Steven_Draker]

I've never tried ATL ...

 

Tristan, you should make Atlanta part of your future travel plans. It's a great city, one of the largest in the South and I've met some very nice guys there, some of them from this Board. The thing I like and appreciate a lot is the Southern hospitality. Houston is another great city for me in the South. Others complained that Houston didn't work for them business-wise, but I have no complains ... Speaking of business and following Michael Vincenzo's posting in the Travel section, I don't think I ever 'lost' money on a trip. Some cities are more profitable than others, however I always make the trip worthwhile.

[robberbaron4u]

Regretfully, there are clients who do not recognize that "escorting" is a business enterprise for the escort, and, consequently, a "booking" is a contractual agreement upon which one must perform and not a social engagement which can be cancelled at whim. Travel for an escort is an expense which he must factor into his net profit, and, ideally, a client should show due consideration.

[JoeyBryant]

seems to me like you would do well in atlanta. the clients I have met there are so nice. Part of it has to do with the level of local competition. I try now to target cities that don't have alot of HOT local guys. Houston is well-served and, sadly, atl. is not once you subtract the drug dealers and drug addicts from the mix.

 

Atlanta, Chicago...I don't really like doing those places. Main reason is they tend to have large urban populations which can host some (as you mentioned) unscrupulous characters. In turn, it makes it difficult to establish a presence. I hear stories from clients in those cities about providers taking advantage of clients, even doing physical harm. Then I go there and it doesn't work out. Reason being, the providers there have tainted the market by not being legit.

 

I had a client tell me how he hired when he lived in Chicago. Apparently he was robbed at their incall place. He mentioned it was happening a lot in the area. At that point I realized just why I didn't meet 1 single client in Chicago during the 4 days I spent there, even though I meet guys from Chicago in other STATES all the time.

 

The thing I like and appreciate a lot is the Southern hospitality. Houston is another great city for me in the South. Others complained that Houston didn't work for them business-wise, but I have no complains ... Speaking of business and following Michael Vincenzo's posting in the Travel section, I don't think I ever 'lost' money on a trip. Some cities are more profitable than others, however I always make the trip worthwhile.[/color]

 

I have come to the conclusion that as long as I avoid anything in the south, I won't lose money LOL. And in fact, ever since I stopped going down to Florida and Texas and Georgia....I've been able to keep my hard earned money and some LOL. There are few cities in the south that I would say are worth my time to go to (and now that I live pretty far from it's hard to even go anyway). In addition, I don't see enough professionalism in the Black escorts in those areas to really portray the best of us. And when the market is so used to that, what incentive does it give them to want to continue to hire? I prefer a more relaxed environment where the set up isn't comparable to crabs in a bucket.

 

Regretfully, there are clients who do not recognize that "escorting" is a business enterprise for the escort, and, consequently, a "booking" is a contractual agreement upon which one must perform and not a social engagement which can be cancelled at whim. Travel for an escort is an expense which he must factor into his net profit, and, ideally, a client should show due consideration.

 

The good news about this thread, at the beginning about the cancellation. The same client eventually did re-book and turn up on the next visit.

 

Which is a reminder, I can understand that things do come up for clients sometime. And that's alright. A first time cancellation doesn't always mean no. Now when Steve in Nottingham mentioned the client said, "something came up"....that's crap. As in, the client's excuse. What came up?

 

Usually too, a client will give hints that they MIGHT not be able to make it. They will talk about their plans for the day and suggest they are on a time frame. Usually in that case it's best to try and reschedule.

 

I advertised it for two weeks and had 3 advance appointments booked in.

 

Another thing I see people (not picking on you, as I have also made those mistakes) doing is not planning things far enough in advance.

 

In America, 190 miles isn't that far. Even more so, in Colorado that's walking distance LOL. 190 miles doesn't even get you to the next major city. But I know Europe that's probably equivalent to 400 miles here.

 

Anyway, I don't think 2 weeks is really long enough. In some cases it's possible to advertise for 1 day and be set. But in more popular areas, I wouldn't even go unless I was planned for at least 1 month.

 

Again, it can happen; but some people expect to have 4 or 5 clients in a day but they only advertised for 5 days. That's not enough time.

[Michael Wayne]

just to clarify: Houston was sucessful for me just NOT AS such as Atlanta. In Houston you can ALWAYS get two good clients a day on average but in ATLANTA you have to beat them off with a stick (lovingly of course!) Also, EVERY TOUR I have done has made a substantial profit. The business end of escorting is the evaluation (minus expenses) of the bottom line profit of a trip and then comparing city to city. Then you pick your best 3 0r 4 cities and they are your rotation. As far as cancellations they happen but IN A GOOD CITY a new client always calls to make up for the loss so the cancellations usually don't hurt.That is why I still take no notice appointments and don't put a 24 hr. advance notice requirement on my clients. I have also learned that some clients cancel to TEST you to see if you will handle it as a pro or bitch them out. 99% of the time if I say, "ok, cool, but too bad, next time, ok?" the client will rebook or see me next time I beam into his city. Just my thought from the front lines: http://www.rentboy.com/mikey9nola1

[Michael Wayne]

great lesson here 4 young rentboys: Just cause a city is good for MIkey does not mean it is good 4 Joey. Joey may do great in a city and Mikey may not do so well and visa versa. Every guy has to do trial and error tests which is a form of market research.

[Steven_Draker]

There are more factors that enter in game here and there are rational explanations why a traveling black dude wouldn't do well in a city like Atlanta.

 

In addition to that some cities have acquired a reputation (e.g. Washington DC). You have joined this Board in September last year, however you can ask an old timer about trends or check the archives.

 

Cheers, Steven ~

[JoeyBryant]

I have also learned that some clients cancel to TEST you to see if you will handle it as a pro or bitch them out. 99% of the time if I say, "ok, cool, but too bad, next time, ok?" the client will rebook or see me next time I beam into his city. Just my thought from the front lines: http://www.rentboy.com/mikey9nola1

 

Mmmm, I don't know if that's really their intention though. That's a cruel game to play when traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles. I think they genuinely have stuff come up.

 

Clients who cancel after you've gotten a hotel room, or 30 minutes before an established appointment with no real explanation aren't really serious.

 

For example, a guy called me from Portland the other week. I visited there a few months prior to him. He said a guy was emailing him everyday and texting him that he couldn't wait til he got into town. At the last minute he says he has cancer and doesn't want to give him anything and cancelled. I told him, that SAME guy said the SAME thing to me, except he had 'vertigo'.

 

There are more factors that enter in game here and there are rational explanations why a traveling black dude wouldn't do well in a city like Atlanta.

In addition to that some cities have acquired a reputation (e.g. Washington DC). You have joined this Board in September last year, however you can ask an old timer about trends or check the archive.[/color]

 

Exactly. I won't even name the obvious. Is there any shortage of Black escorts in Atlanta? There's a new one popping up every 8 seconds.

 

Another reason too is in a lot of those cities in the south (Houston/Atlanta), clients can be picky and suspicious about where you stay at hotel wise. Although nowadays I rarely have an issue finding a decent hotel, there have been a couple of times; even on this last trip where the hotel websites had nothing available due to a huge event in town. And the only thing left is some basic 1 star. But where I go, clients don't make a fuss about your location or hotel. There's no crime waves to make them feel that a guy traveling and staying in a motel 6 is going to hold them up at gunpoint. I think the reviews have helped, but I believe that even if I had none I'd do better than going to those places with the reviews I have.

 

Those cities in the south, I've heard some silly stuff. "You're not going to rob me are you?" "I left because I thought you were going to rob me". Like just forget it. People out here don't even be saying no mess like that...

[+ dupontversDC]

What's DC's reputation?

[Steven_Draker]

What's DC's reputation?

 

Ehem, the City of Bottoms (of course)

[justaguy]

Ehem, the City of Bottoms (of course) [/color]

 

Steven just explained our current crisis in government....

[Michael Wayne]

laughing my ass off! Thought that applied to my old home city of New Orleans. speaking of nola: I am off to the Quarter tommorrow for a week of fun and frolicking. I know what it is to miss new orleans. I am going to eat till they have to throw me out of places! On a serius note: Is America (and gay america) ever going to get over the race issue??? For God's sake. The fact that Joey is black does not even enter my mind. We are all just guys and people. It is 2,011!

[cany10011]

Hey, i thought nyc was the city of bottoms, or perhaps bottoms up!

[JoeyBryant]

On a serius note: Is America (and gay america) ever going to get over the race issue??? For God's sake. The fact that Joey is black does not even enter my mind. We are all just guys and people. It is 2,011!

 

Well, when referring to escorting it's not so much that there's an 'issue'...it's just that as a minority you simply cannot go just any old where and expect things to be the way you want. Being a niche means being limited in a sense. Of course just about anyone regardless of race can be a minority in the right places. I'm beginning to find out Asians also deal with similar issues.

 

In addition, not all of America is the same (which I'm sure you know cause you've traveled). Having traveled numerous states by ground and air, I can say the way I get treated by region and state varies quite a bit. Although this is on the extreme (and rare) end, I was called on several occasions the n word in my home state of Florida. Online and in person. Ignorant people. It gets thrown around quite loosely. I've also had people make racial jokes to me and think it's funny.

 

Contrast that to majority of the western states, I've never even heard such a word even in the most rural, backwoods towns. And if someone happens to not like the fact that I'm an escort, they don't say stuff like that even behind a computer screen. Sure, I've gotten the odd stare every once in awhile...but blatant ignorance just doesn't fly in this part of the country.

 

Hey, i thought nyc was the city of bottoms, or perhaps bottoms up!

 

I thought that was the city of huge dicks? Seems like everyone from New York has a big one...

[Guest countryboywny]

 

 

 

i thought that was the city of huge dicks? Seems like everyone from New York has a big one...

 

Maybe in the city.. but I'm from upstate.. and all I can say is "not so much" )

[jjkrkwood]

Maybe in the city.. but I'm from upstate.. and all I can say is "not so much" )

 

TRUST ME, not so much in the city either. Its just that the big ones are the only ones that get talked about.