3 online to offline dating safety tips

Online dating is all the rage these days. And it is hard to deny its popularity – never before is it possible to “meet” hundreds of thousands of people from the comfort of one’s home/office/car/etc.

Behind a monitor or a smartphone, it is easy to be bold, funny and outgoing. In person, where the real connection happens, plenty of variables are bound to happen. There is plenty of advice on how to make sure a first date goes well, here are some tips on keeping it safe.

 

Tip 1: Share your whereabouts

Share your geo-location, always let a trusted friend know where and when this date will be. He or she will be able to check in on you to know you are doing well. After all, you will be talking about the date anyway afterwards – might as well make it a safety measure too.

 

Another thing you can do is to get the same friend to call in the middle of the date. On one hand, if the date isn’t going as planned, it is a chance to bail out of the date – a work emergency is always a good excuse. If the date is proceeding well, you can always answer that “I’m busy and work will have to wait.” This will always score brownie points with your date.

 

Tip 2: Meet in a public place

By choosing the date venue, it reveals much about your personality and interests. Be it a cafe, bar, pub, restaurant or any other spot, always make sure it is a public place. Two reasons for this – first, with some people around you, there is less silence/pressure on the date. Second, plenty of other patrons around can ensure that civility is maintained.

 

If your date chooses a venue that you’ve never been, you can always make a site visit prior to scout it out. At any time, that you aren’t keen on the location, you should ask to switch. If possible, suggest a venue that you’ve been to before so the familiarity makes you more comfortable. An excuse could be that there is a drink or dish that your date must definitely try there.

 

Tip 3: Two drinks maximum

As an icebreaker and part of proper etiquette, dates usually start with drinks. To break the awkwardness, alcohol eases the stress. Also, your drink choice tells a lot about who you are – it often is a conversation starter. Whatever the drink (especially an alcoholic one), keep it to a maximum of two drinks.

 

Alcohol’s other side effect is impaired judgement. Having too many may result in saying the wrong things and even getting taken advantage of. Two drinks is also a polite amount of time that you should spend on a first date. It prevents leaving too early and over-lingering.

So, after swiping through a ton of profiles online, chatting with a selected few, you’ve decided to meet up in person with one of them in person. This is an important step as it is time to make this date, well, real. Since you will be meeting a stranger for the first time – so you will be really putting yourself out there emotionally and physically.

To ensure that taking the leap of faith pays off, be mindful of these tips to keep you happy and secure.