Once you have met a person online whom you feel comfortable with and would like to get to know a little better, it could be time to set up a meeting in person. However, be sure you keep some safety guidelines in place. There is no sense in putting yourself in any more danger than you need to. Of course, you don’t know that you will be in danger, but it’s best to err on the side of safety than otherwise. If your date cannot agree with your safety precautions it might be best not to agree to meet at all.

Never give out personal information like your home phone number or your home address. Once you agree to meet, make sure you choose a public place that is well lit and has plenty of people about. Do not agree to meet in a deserted park or beach. It might even be a good idea to take a friend along with you. Perhaps you could take another couple and go out as a foursome until you feel you can trust your date.

If you don’t take anyone with you, let your friends know where you are going and what time you expect to be back. They will be able to check up that you are all right, or inform the police if you don’t show up. If this sounds a bit over the top, remember that you don’t know any more about your date than he has decided to tell you. And you only have his word that he is telling the truth.

Once you have settled on the place and the time, make sure you do show up on time. Your date is likely to be as nervous as you are and if you are late they might simply walk away. You’ve spent a good deal of effort to get this date, so you don’t want to ruin it before it starts.
Dress appropriately for the occasion and make sure you feel comfortable with what you are wearing. You don’t want to have half your attention on whether you look all right when you should be focusing on your date.

Set boundaries and keep to them. Your date will respect you more if you set certain standards of behavior right from the start. If you both agree to a certain time, then you should both be there at that time, unless an accident prevents it. Remember, you don’t have to be perfect and neither does your date. Kindness and compassion go a long way to keeping a relationship healthy.