Touring Sex Worker Trials and Tribulations: Planning a Successful Tour Part 1

Touring as a SWer can be extremely profitable yet it's also extremely risky. I don't think clients understand the financial burdens and risks that SWers encounter when touring cities outside of our homebase. They think it's easy money. They imagine us lounging in a lavish hotel suite, seeing 5-10 clients a day and rolling around in pussy scented cash while exerting no effort. The reality is quite different due to the challenges faced by modern SWs. This "easy touring money" was obtainable 10 years ago if one had grit and cajones but certainly isn't today.

We can't simply show up to a new city and expect to be successful the way we could in the past.

As usual, I had to learn the hard way, through trial and many errors, how to successfully tour in an oversaturated business using ad sites that frequently don't seem to pay off for many of us. I make sense of the mistakes, the trauma, and the beauty of my SWer life via storytelling and self expression, allowing me to connect with others and create meaning from the madness. As a practitioner of earth based spirituality, I realized too late in life that helping others helps me. The more I freely give away this information, assisting those who need it, the more the energies of this world assist me.

As above, so below.

I make a good chunk of my money via traveling SW because I enjoy adventure and my work-from-home civ job allows me to be out of NYC frequently and complete work at my own pace. The thrill of the unknown, of risk, also excites me so I've visited cities off the beaten "Companion/Domme/Switch" path and have a few interesting stories.

This will have to be at least a two part blog series because I love talking SW Shop with ya'll and have a lot to say on this subject so please, for the love of La Santa Muerte, press the damn ❤️ button on my Bluesky post, comment and repost my blog so I feel as though I'm not speaking into the void. I know I'm saying something useful that other SWers can benefit from and am providing business information AKA "game" that most aren't revealing for free.

The Enshittification of Tryst = Touring Troubles

When Tryst implemented their more expensive Premium+ tier two year ago in order to justify charging SWers more to advertise with them, they created the "three homebase" feature which more than doubled the number of profiles in most cities. This has crowded every city with ads, leading most SWers to complain behind the scenes about the drastic decrease in inquiries from the site due to our ads being lost amongst 4k escort ads in NYC as opposed to 2k escort ads in NYC.

This enshittification of Tryst, a topic I've previously discussed, is simply what happens over time due to capitalism and greed. Businesses create a lower cost product that works well for users, then up the cost and lower the quality once they have a monopoly on the market. See Uber, Doordash and any number of online businesses if you want to learn more about this process.

Tryst adding online SWers to an in-person ad site was nonsensical and greedy. Many online SWers also mark themselves as escorts in order to show up in more search results, further clogging the site and distracting clients. If Tryst created a separate site for online SWers and they had to pay extra to advertise on Tryst's main escort site, it would cut down on this misuse of the site.

Due to these factors, and general SW market saturation post-pandemic and post-FOSTA SESTA, we must be very careful to tour in an intelligent manner. Decent hotels are a minimum of $250-$350 a night in the "H00ker Hubs" (I coined that term. Please credit me. 😜) like NYC (hotels are way over $250 in NYC), Boston, LA and San Francisco. Even smaller cities like Raleigh, St. Louis and Chicago have seen a drastic rise in hotel costs.

Calculating Overhead

I won't tour a location unless I can more than triple the money that I've spent on hotels, airfare/train fare, Ubers, and food. It's a waste of time for me to travel to Chicago if I'm only going to double the money I've spent going out there but other SWers may feel differently about this.

Let me tell you a little, embarrassing story regarding overhead because what's a client facing blog for if not to tell sad stories about failed business ventures. My first tour to D.C. occurred before Tryst implemented the three homebase feature so my profile was more visible to clients in D.C., meaning I actually got a few same day/last minute bookings! This is an occurrence that's exceptionally rare for me nowadays when touring and the only thing I can think to blame it on is the oversaturation Tryst created on their site. My brand quality has only improved since then.

Meaning my level of service has improved (if that's even possible), and I've improved my photos, aesthetics, writing and marketing skill.

I returned to D.C. a few months later because two clients I'd previously seen rebooked me so I splurged on a beautiful suite with a fancy spa-like tub, staying for three nights because my last tour was so successful. Additionally, I bought an Eros ad because, hey, why not. Eros has ridiculously high SEO so someone is using the site to book companions, right?

Ha.

Accruing high overhead is a risky game that I played once and learned my lesson the hard way. I no longer bank on last minute bookings to magically appear while on tour because that's simply not how many gentlemen operate. One of my regulars who'd booked a three hour date cancelled and the only appoint I had was 90 minutes long.

Those three days were spent questioning the meaning of life and checking my phone every five minutes to see if I'd received any decent looking inquiries only to be met with the Time Wasters of Eros. I have no idea why that site still exists, charges so much ($500 for a two week ad), and has such a high SEO ranking.

D.C. kinda sucks IMHO unless you're on a school trip and visiting interesting places like the Holocaust Museum, which doesn't exactly lighten the mood. I did have some luck freestyling but definitely lost money on that trip.

Lesson learned: Don't bank on last minute bookings when planning tours. The guys who book me are planners. YMMV, but I present as very articulate, chic, yet down to earth so I attract really awesome clients who are respectful and generally book in advance. They're less likely to book a same day appointment on tour because they usually plan their schedules beforehand.

Additionally, don't splurge on an unnecessary hotel suite. It's a great ego boost but can be detrimental when overhead is ridiculously high. I also shouldn't have stayed for three nights when I only had a few pre-bookings.

Touring Rates

This, my dearest friends in fishnets, is the key to successful touring. I alter my rates depending on the market I'm visiting. NYC, LA, San Fran, Chicago and a few other "Hewker Hubs" feature a ton of providers, many professional models, who feature intro rates starting at $3k because they can. People have told me that my rates are midrange, a horrible word but an accurate description. I want to be accessible-ish, yet exclusive-ish. I also want my rate to be high enough to feel as though my time is valued so I am motivated to provide a high quality experience.

My rate is not overly accessible outside of NYC, LA & Co. so I create a variable touring rate depending on where I want to travel. I'm still tinkering around with this rate so I won't list it here as it may change. I tried listing a $550 touring rate but only got clients requesting one hour or 90 minute sessions and I'd need quite a few of those to justify visiting their areas. When I upped my touring rate, I was booking guys who wanted longer sessions and could actually visit their area. Creating a touring rate is an art and will be different for each SW.

Some providers up their rates when touring NYC and other high cost of living cities which I think is very intelligent. Clients here have money and expect to pay more. They know how expensive it is to live in NYC and visit here. However, it is also true that undercutting the market can work, depending on current economic indicators. There is no right or wrong answers in SW and we have to experiment in order to see what works for us.

Go away L.A.!

Avoid "Hooker Hubs"

I usually avoid the main "Hooker Hubs" like LA, San Francisco, Philly and such because so many Tryst advertisers list these cities as a homebase and clients are inundated with profiles when searching for providers in these areas. There's a reason why I book so many clients in Long Island as opposed to NYC: SWers from across the world aren't listing Long Island as a homebase so my profile is actually visible on Tryst in Long Island.

NYC is notoriously difficult to tour, especially since Tryst's three homebase shtick encouraged SWers from all over to list NYC as a homebase. SWers do this in order to boost their SEO, social media following and encourage online content sales.

Big cities like NYC are flooded with profiles. I've had varying success in places like Boston, Philly and Chicago. I either do great or end up not visiting at all because I only get a few one hour inquiries that wouldn't begin to cover overhead in more pricey locations.

I specifically avoid large cities that feature entertainment and nightlife businesses as main contributors to GDP because the men in this cities are often screwing the models, actors, waitresses and such who work for them. So avoiding L.A. and Miami are a must for me unless I find a Miami sugar daddy. Then I'm all yours. 😉

Am I a Hidden Gem Because I Hide Part of My Face?

Hidden Gems

I've had extremely successful tours in non-"Hooker Hubs" like... Wait. I'm not going to publicly list my favorite cities to tour so you'll have to DM or email me if you want the deets. Follow me on Bluesky and DM me because I definitely do NOT believe in charging other (usually vulnerable) folks for SW business advice (Read https://www.bookblaze.net/post/sex-work-mentorship-in-a-nutshell-part-1-save-your-money-and-read-this-blog if you want to know why I'm ethically opposed to hustling other SWers.)

Smaller cities can be much more profitable for touring SWers due to low overhead. I paid under $100 a night for a nice hotel with a kitchen in Chicago! I wouldn't say Chicago is a small city but the hotels are fairly cheap compared to what I'm used to on the East Coast.

The Midwest is very hit or miss but I don't go anywhere without enough pre-bookings, so it's worth it to me to keep throwing up tentative tours in the hopes of finally snagging a few longer bookings. This is what usually justifies my tours, not a ton of one hour or 90 minute sessions.

Let's Get Kinky, Baby

When done correctly, kink can be extremely profitable and I wish I'd leaned into my switchy side a long time ago. Although I'm a very kind person, I have a slight Resting Bitch Face (a blessing and a curse) that attracts all the dudes who loves dommes so I finally took a risk and started openly discussing domme activities. This was the best decision I've ever made because, although the sessions are often intense, they're very rewarding and clients in "Hidden Gem" locales are craving a woman who mixes high femme with a dominant persona.

Many guys also enjoy the fact that I occasionally switch (for a very high consideration, am never fully restrained and employ other strict rules when being submissive) and want to top the domme. They can't find any providers who combine these personas in their area and always book longer dates when I visit.

I may have more success touring than other SWers because I offer a variety of sessions. But you too can up your game and, if you have one, get kinky with it. The power lies in your loins, sisters and brothers in sexiness.

One would think these niche services wouldn't be popular in, say, Knoxville, TN. I doubt many providers who are more "edgy" would even consider visiting smaller cities like this and that's exactly why I do very well for myself there. Smaller cities don't have many (or any) providers like me.

Seasons of Love

You know I can't resist a Broadway showtune reference.

Fall and spring are the best times to tour. During the summer, the best clients are often on vacation with their families and it's especially dead in larger cities during this time. Holidays are horrible for SW generally and definitely avoid holidays when touring because the cost of travel is so high and clients are with their families, generally speaking.

Fall, before Thanksgiving, is usually amazing because guys are sick of being with their families all summer, the kids are back in school and it's time for a little adventure before going broke for the holidays.

My favorite months of the year to tour are September, October, and March. Avoid big sports events like the Superbowl because LE are out in full force and those cities will be very saturated with workers.

Part II: Coming Soon

Well, my friends in fishnets, we've reached that point where your brain is probably itching to be distracted with Tik Tok. I'll be writing a part two to this blog (if enough people show interest) because I haven't even scratched the surface when it comes to touring. More tricks and tips, like choosing a hotel and staying safe, will be discussed if enough folks engage with my Bluesky post advertising this blog. Is that too much to ask for? Can you spare a like? I'm not afraid to beg.

Please repost this if I said something you found useful and please comment any thoughts you have.

Subscribe to my blog on my main blog page here if you want to be alerted when I post it.

Additionally, this work and world isn't all about money. Maintaining our health is a challenge when on tour, especially if we have health conditions, so I'll write about my experience with that too. I toured back when I couldn't walk; I limped with a cane and wasn't going to let anything stop me from living my traveling hot gal dreams. Getting wheelchaired onto the plane was fun. (Not really. Thank Goddess for THC and CBD.)

Please consider sending me a gift from my Luxylist if you like my blogs: www.luxylist.it/roseblaze

I don't want other SWers to buy me gifts! This is reserved strictly for the man who feels my energy piercing straight into his soul as I write and thus rewards me with generous abundance. You know who you are. ❤️‍🔥

If you like SWer business information and advice, you may like these blog posts:

How to Utilize Tryst: https://www.bookblaze.net/post/how-sex-workers-can-utilize-the-tryst-ad-site-prosper-in-a-saturated-market

Wrestling, An Untapped Kink: https://www.bookblaze.net/post/sex-worker-wrestling-an-untapped-kink

Which SW Advertising Site Has the Best ROI?: https://www.bookblaze.net/post/roi-which-esc0rt-kink-ad-site-has-the-best-return-on-investment

Read all of my SW Business and Branding blogs here.