This is really meant for the long-timers on the board, which amusingly, 20 plus years ago, I never thought I'd be, but yet here I am.  LOL.

My first hobby experience was in the late 90's when I literally called an agency in the yellow pages, spoke to a syrupy sweet woman on the phone who said she would "send someone over who would make me happy".  3 hours later a middle aged woman who clearly did not want to be there, showed up at my door step wreaking of cigarette smoke and alcohol.  Her driver pulled away as soon as I opened the door so I let her in, gave her some water and we talked.  Cell phones were not common then, so we had to wait for the driver to return which took an hour and a half.  The whole time she was there we never got undressed or even left my kitchen.  

A year or so later I wanted to try again, (maybe '98-'99).  I discovered a publication in the adult video store I frequented called "escort" or something like that.  And in it were listings for various escort services, mostly in NYC, but some actually had pictures.  I had no way to know if these pictures were accurate but I settled on an incall place in midtown called "Body Heat" and made an appointment to meet "Erin" a buxom midwest beauty.  I arrived at the appointed time and was led by the madam to a private room and to my pleasure, Erin walked in looking just like she did in the black and white newsprint picture I had seen in the publication.  She had many rules, including not touching her breasts due to sensitivity from a very recent augmentation procedure and she kept her bra on the whole time to support them.  I understood, but was disappointed, it being my first true experience.  But I was new and I left happy.  I'm not even sure the phrase GFE had even been coined yet.  

I returned to Body Heat a few more times and experienced the "line up" which is a tradition which seems largely abandoned nowadays.  

Then the internet...

Only a few providers or agencies adopted the world wide web this early and there were only a handful of boards that could help.  (most of which are gone now)  I discovered Julies of NY and became a regular there before they were very publicly busted.  (anybody else remember the controversial "Heaven" from Julies?)

There were some out call agencies that were willing travel out to me, and I became more familiar with those all the while I became more and more reliant on the internet to help me plan my next adventure.  The boards and websites were primitive, but the functioned well enough.

Then in 2003 I took a sabbatical.  Mostly because I wanted to focus a fledgling new relationship.  This sabbatical lasted about 5 years, but when I returned, it seemed to me that internet escorting had exploded with options.  Over the next few years I was like a kid in a candy store and I became drained both physically and financially from the hobby.  

I would classify this as the easiest time for me has a hobbiest.  I made plenty of well planned dates during this time, but it was also VERY easy to book a last minute date, usually with a visiting provider, literally on the way home from work.  The proliferation of internet enabled smart phones certainly made this easier and more accessible.  Whereas in the past I would have to do my research at home and bring phone numbers with me the next day to call any one I might have been interested in meeting.  

But since that time, it feels like it has become increasingly harder to find a date.  Last minute or otherwise.  The closure of some of the internet boards has made it difficult and frequent scammers looking for deposits pretending to be a coed have made it darn near impossible.  I've been burned more times then I'm comfortable admitting, and I'm a cautious guy.  

There are a lot of honest reliable providers out there, but they seem out numbered by the scammers lately and I'm just gun shy now.    

I'm honestly curious what do the rest of you think?

Is hobbying easier or harder now then it was in the past?

I too remember the pre-Internet days of going to adult bookstores to pickup the recent issue of the Action Guide and The Black Book, which had reviews of brothels and AMPs and the girls that worked in them. There were also headless black & white photos of independent providers that did incall and outcall. This is how I met the woman that would become my ATF.

Nowadays there are so many ad sites that come and go (thanks to federal legislation) it’s hard to keep up. Sometimes I search by using the name of one of my regulars, to discover new sites that she’s already on. The persons that need to place ads have better resources at finding new ad sites than those of us wanting to find ads. Is there someone out there that maintains a list of replacement sites? (e.g. Now: Body Rub Page. Then: Massage Republic and Rub Ratings)

The return of TER definitely makes it easier to know what to expect when booking someone, though I tend to check reviews on other sites too.

On the flip side, I’ve had to create a LinkedIn profile even though I’m not a businessman because some providers don’t accept references. And I refuse to pay deposits, though I would pay for transportation (Uber or reimbursed taxi fare).

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Interesting history of how it used to be. I generally started out in the middle of the internet boom and now with the rise of the other ad sites, TER, and especially twitter I think it may be easier to connect with a lady. There was a point in time where I exclusively used twitter (pre-Covid)  since it allowed you to connect and catch a vibe in real time before meeting with a lovely lady. Overall has been pretty positive and gratifying experiences for me with increase use of the internet, apps, and smart phones. Really makes things easily accessible. Don’t know if I would have been able to manage pre internet days (although was propositioned in Vegas pre- internet/ smartphone which was fun)

The market & economy plays apart. When I started 20+ years ago it was as an out all nude entertainer. All you had to, do was have an ad in the yellow pages. Now, everything is done online. Screening potential new friends for safety is my #1 priority because I am a single Mom raising young children. It used to be super easy & now it’s much harder.

To avoid being scammed do your research on the particular lady you wanna meet, look over her site and ads. every reputable provider nowadays has social media “twitter” so you can even get a glimpse at her personality.

WOW, you are really bringing me back to some glory days.  I remember Body Heat and I remember Erin-sexy midwestern blonde just as you described. She came into town with a few other sexy blondes from the mid-west.  There were a bunch of them and I cannot remember all of their names ( I do remember Kelly-big titty blonde and sexy as hell-I would see her multiple times per week when she was in town). I worked not to far from their incall and back then I was horny as hell.  I literally would see one blonde during the middle of week and every Friday it was a new one.  So twice a week on and off for well over a year or two.  There was no GFE but damn was I a happy camper.  It all seemed so easy, just call the number from Action or NY sex guide and off I went.  They had a code number for me so I did not have to go through the bullshit every time I went.  The price was real good back then and the service was good for me.  Erin was stand offish the first time we were together but damn did she get better as we got to know each other.  I also remember Julies of NY-they had some nice ones as well and great service.  It does seem much harder these days.  With the internet I find myself having to book days in advance and the prices for the ladies I like are outrageous.  I've never had/have a problem with any price but I just don't feel a lot of them are worth it. After spending a large amount on them after the session I feel like I did not get my moneys worth and I am talking about well known highly reviewed providers. This is the main reason why I stopped hobbying in Las Vegas.  Just being able to be out on the town and get the urge and then run right over a few blocks away was fantastic.  I have since left hobbying in the states and go to other countries.  I fell into this through a friend and lost my mind.  The price I would pay for a few hour dinner date in NYC or vegas is literally a weeks worth or women that are 8-9.5 on the scale for overnights each night.  I have never looked back and going away mid August as I do 6-7 times per year.  To answer, yes for me it is much harder to hobby in USA compared to 20 years ago.