Online dating seems easier than traditional dating at first, but that’s before you realize that at some point you’re going to have to take the relationship offline and into real life. You can’t have a relationship solely online – people crave intimacy and touch, whether it’s a hug, a face to face conversation or something more. If you’re really into someone you met through an online dating website, consider getting to know them in person. However, there are some safety tips to keep in mind for your first date! Here are 5 tips to help your first date go smoothly!
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Safety First!
When it comes to dating, it’s easy to let your hormones and emotions get in the way of making rational decisions. However, it’s important to remember that you really don’t know someone until you’ve had the first date and have hung out with them a few times. You may think you know them from the conversations that you’ve had through the online dating website, but your imagination will never fail to fill in the gaps and convince you that you know someone when you really don’t. Always keep safety in mind during online dating and hooking up with someone for the first time.
1. Meet In A Public Place. Always make your first date with someone you’ve met on the Internet in a public place during the day, where there are lots of other people around. This ensures that if your date was planning something sly, they definitely won’t try to pull it off in a public place during the day. If you meet someone online and they only want to meet up with you at night or in a place where not a lot of people go, you know what to do – kick them to the curb and look for someone else a little less shady.
2. Plan For A 30 Minute First Date. When making plans for your first time with someone in person, make it a short introduction at first to meet them and get acquainted with them. This isn’t where you’re going to really get to know them or learn all of their deep, dark secrets. You can still have a great relationship later on with someone, even if you didn’t spend hours talking to them on a magical first date. Set a time up to meet your date right before you have “something else you need to get to” and leave it at that. If the first date went poorly and you didn’t connect well with them, you’ll be glad you gave yourself the out ahead of time. If you do end up connecting with them, schedule another time to hook up when you have more time.
3. Tell A Friend. When going on a date for the first time with someone that you met through online dating, make sure you let a trusted friend know what is going on. Always tell your friend where you’re going, who you’ll be with, how long you’ll be gone and how to reach you while you’re there. If you turn up MIA, your friend will be able to contact the authorities right away before something really bad happens. While abductions and date rape during first dates are somewhat uncommon, don’t ever assume that it’s not going to happen to you. By taking a few simple precautions, you can be sure you won’t end up one of the statistics.
4. Check In With Your Friend. After your first date is over, make sure you check in with your friend. Let them know you’re safe and sound so they won’t worry about you – or worse, contact the authorities when it is completely uneccessary. Always take these two steps the first few times you go somewhere with someone that you met online dating.
5. Never Meet Alone. It may seem harmless, but you never want to meet someone for the first date at their home, a hotel or motel room or anywhere at night. This can be very dangerous! Again, if someone only wants to meet you at these places, they’ve probably got something up their sleeve.
When To Practice Online Dating Safety Tips
It may be difficult, but you always want to take these precautions for the first three or four dates, or longer if you’re not completely comfortable with someone yet. You’ll generally get an idea of whether someone is “for real” or not over the first few dates. If they’re making stuff up or being shady, it’s not going to take you very long to figure it out and move on to someone who isn’t wasting your time. Don’t ever go on a first date with someone you met online without taking a few safety precautions because you think nothing bad will happen to you. If something bad goes down, you’ll really wish you had. The best way to have fun is to stay safe!