If you have found a date that seems to be just what you are looking for, but the only trouble is they live in another state or even another country, should you go ahead and contact them? In the old days when people had penfriends, they were usually a long way off, but then, these pen-friendships didn’t normally become romances. For one thing, letters took so long to arrive at their destination that the romance, if there was one, usually fizzled out. But these days communication is so much faster. You can share photos and email quickly and easily long-distance and receive them in a few minutes. It makes you feel like your date is just at the other end of the street.
But what if they are a really long way off? They could be at the other end of the state of country, or even overseas. There are several bad points to consider. Firstly, the cost of phone calls if you want to phone each other frequently. Of course there are cheaper rates at certain times and you will certainly take advantage of these, but it will still mount up. Then there may be the time difference. One of you may have to stay awake until 2am to get that important phone call.
Then there is the cost of traveling to meet the other person. You might decide to meet halfway, but then you would be without any family or friend support should things go wrong. Even if things worked out beautifully, there would still be financial considerations. Imagine arranging a wedding long-distance for instance.
A person who lives a long way away may also have a different background culturally to you. You must ask yourself if you could make the necessary adjustments, should the romance become serious. And if you were to go and live with that person, then you could be far from support of family and friends in sickness or for the raising of children. Many people do manage these considerations admirably, but could you?
Another consideration could be why is this person interested in a date from so far away? Could it be that he has a wife (or husband) and family already and doesn’t want them to find out that he wants a date with another person. If the person is a female from another country, might they just be trying to use you as an escape from poverty? These things may not be so, but you still have to consider them. However, if you’ve thought all things through and still want to go ahead with your long distance romance, then do so. It could be very romantic!
If you are thinking of joining an online dating service, you might be worried about the safety of your personal information. After all, you usually cannot join unless you first give this information to the dating service. They need it to ensure that you a bonafide person who really wants to use the service in a proper manner, i.e. to meet people in friendship
Most online dating services have a great deal of protection in place for your own personal safety. They do not give out your real email address to anyone and neither should you. Even though you must give your real email address to the dating service, most use technology in the form of a double-blind email system to keep your email address anonymous. When you join up, you will be given an email address that you should use for the purpose of contacting others in the dating service. You should never reveal your private email address to anyone.
Your online dating service will never send you an email asking for your account password or secure names or numbers. The only time this is likely to happen is if you have instigated a query to the help line. Another thing you should never do is give out your credit card number to anyone who sends you an email asking for it. Or if the email has a form to write it into, do not do this. Some fraudulent people may pretend to be the website dating service and send an email in order to get your credit card number. Always check on the blue line at the top of the screen. It should have the name of the dating service and their website host on it. Many will tell you what this is when you join up.
If you use a public computer to access your online dating service, always be sure to sign out before leaving, otherwise the next person to use it will have access to your personal information. Never give anyone your real address either. Some people who use dating websites may not be fully trustworthy, so if you remember to never divulge your personal details, you will be protected from these frauds.
When you join an online dating service, you should always read the terms and conditions very carefully. There you will find other details that will put you wise to any frauds or scams that you may come across. Remember, this knowledge will keep you safe only if you act upon it.