To Meet or Not to Meet?

So you believe that you have met the person of your dreams or at least someone worth meeting live in person. After weeks or months of talking to somebody online, you might feel ready to meet up.

If you decide you want to meet the person, here are some tips:

Before You Meet Up

Be in control of your own transportation

Plan ahead. There’s nothing worse than being stranded. So whether you bring your own car (if you have one) or have your own bus fare, be in control of your exit. If your date doesn’t go as planned the last thing you want is to depend on your date to get you home.

Arrange to meet in public

When meeting in real life, go to a public place which is a great and easy way to be safe and in control. For instance, a coffee shop or a mall. This way you’re surrounded by people and can get away if you need to.

Tell a friend

Before you step out, tell a trusted friend where your date is and update them if you change locations. Text them through out the date at specific times to let them know how it’s going (excuse yourself to the washroom or even step out for a sec to do this). Give your friend a time limit to hear from you or to call you incase you get caught up in the date, or, if needed, to call for help.

Do a background check on your date.

Google your date and see what kind of things come up. If you can’t find any information on them this might be a red flag.

Don’t give personal information out like your home address

We strongly advise you manage your own transportation, but if you still plan on getting picked up, meet your date at the corner or a block or two away. You might feel like you know your date and have been talking for a while, but it is better safe than sorry if things get weird.

On The Actual Date

If the date is going great and you decide you want it to continue, here are some ideas to keep you safe:

• Send a picture of the date’s profile to a friend
• Let your friend know where y’all are meeting
• Jot down or snap a pic of his/her license plate before you get in the car and send it to your friend
• Stick with places you know so you are familiar with the area if you need to get out
• Follow your gut if it doesn’t feel right then trust that feeling and head home

Turn Up or Nah?

You’ve left that neutral spot and decide you are going to hit the club, think ahead.

Here are some things to take into account:

• Do you know/ trust your date?
• Do you plan to drink? Are you legal age to drink?
• Do you know your limit (how much you can drink)?
• Are you a lightweight (can’t drink too much)?
• Do you have a safe way home (cab money or friend coming to pick you up)?
• Are you in a safe public place (mall) or at a restaurant, or bar?

Once you’ve answered these questions think about:

• How far you want to go with your date by setting boundaries/limits before the night begins
• Buy your own drinks and never leave them unattended (if you are legal age to drink)
• Try not to mix shit – liquor and drugs don’t mix and could end your night early –“liquor before beer you are in the clear, beer before liquor you have never been sicker”
• Be careful about what you drink, it’s easy to get mashed up which can sometimes lead us to situations we would rather forget
• Get home safely!

Whether you stay or not, we want to make sure it is a good experience and we hope that this stuff helps you out.