Say you’ve already found a potential mate through the trusty online dating website you’ve been using. You’ve done a bit of background investigation (albeit discreetly of course) and you’ve both agreed to meet up and see whether that chemistry you have online also applies offline – in the real world that is. Now before you get too excited and start conjuring happily-ever-after thoughts, allow us to play devil’s advocate and remind you that your online buddy may be totally different than how you imagined she or he will be. So to avoid meet-up mishaps and dangers, here are some safety tips you can follow:
Go for a lunch date instead of a late dinner date
You know how most people feel safe in broad daylight? Well, there are good reasons for that, and the most obvious of which is increased visibility. So if anything goes wrong, let out one scream and you’ll have people’s eyes on you and your date. A lunch date can also lend you a backdoor excuse should you feel that the date isn’t going well or the chemistry has gone kaput. Lunch meet-ups tend to have an implied time limit, providing you with a believable excuse to leave early because of “work” and bail out of the date.
And unlike in dinner dates, you don’t have to deal with the usual awkward situations of bringing your date home or inviting them up to your flat. With lunch meet-ups, once the date is over, you exchange niceties (and numbers, possibly) and then go separate ways — simple and mess-free.
Don’t put out or bring your date home on the first date
Unless you met on an adult online dating site, and both of you clearly stated in your profile that you’re interested in meeting casual sexual partners, it’s a big no-no to go home with your date after a first-time meet-up. For the ladies, putting out on the first date hardly translates into “I’m in this for the long run.” Similarly, guys who repeatedly hint that they want to “do the jiggy” after the date rank low on the long-term relationship potential scale.
If your meet-up validated that your chemistry is indeed off the charts, you’ll both want to be around each other for a long time – giving you plenty of other chances to explore physical intimacy.
Bring your own car or use public transport going to and from the date
At this point, some of you are probably thinking that this is starting to border more on paranoia. But hey, better paranoid than encounter a situation you wouldn’t want to be in. Your date probably seems nice and all, but it still wouldn’t hurt to stay a bit on the safe side at first. If the date goes well, then great! But if it doesn’t, at least you won’t get into any serious mishaps because you followed basic safety measures.