Well, at last you are ready to meet you online date in person. You are excited and at the same time a little bit afraid. You don’t really know a person yet. So it would not be out of place to take some precautionary measures to secure you from possible unpleasant surprises.

Meet when you are ready for it

Take your time and don’t be pressured into meeting your online date. Make sure that there’s a real possibility for a relationship. Get to know a person good so you won’t be disappointed later.

Meet on neutral territory

Don’t invite your date to your place and do not go to his. There’s no need to explain why. First dates should always be in well-populated, public places. So give yourself a serious reality check when arranging your first date.

Meet in a familiar area

You should be able to find your way back home or to your hotel room quickly and easily. It’s better not to travel into unfamiliar cities to meet your date but if you do so, choose a hotel in downtown that’s well known to taxi drivers.

Tell your friend or a relative about your date

Make sure that someone knows who you’re meeting (their full name and phone number), when, where and at what time you plan to be back.

Take your cell phone

And you don’t have one borrow it. Ask someone to call you at a certain time to check up on how your date is going. Agree beforehand on some phrases that will let them know, without giving the game away to your date, whether it’s going well or whether you need to put a pre-arranged escape plan into action.

Do not drink much alcohol

Be careful with drinks not to overdo them. You need your ability to make safe and sensible decisions.

Plan for yourself

You should make your own arrangements and don’t let your date decide for you when to come, what to do and where to stay. Book a hotel and make your travel arrangements not only to another city if you go there but to and from the hotel. If you do it ahead of time, you’ll have a good excuse for refusing any offers to pick you up or drop you home. If your date is a sensible person he will respect your caution.

Watch for his behavior

When you meet in person your date should be natural and comfortable. Stop dating if it isn’t. For example, if your date always wants to meet far away from where they live or work, doesn’t to introduce you to friends or family, or has strange rules about how and when you call each other, something’s very wrong.
Leave if you feel uncomfortable

You’re excited about your date, you want it to go well, to give it every chance of success but you can’t be sure that everything would be right. If it doesn’t feel good it probably isn’t. Listen to your instincts. If necessary, ask for help a waiter or manager or some other person to make a get away. Remember though, it’s not necessary to explain yourself to your date. Simply leave.

Remember these simple rules and good luck with your first date!

Author: Natalia Novikova