Chances are if you’re reading this, you’ve been chatting up potential matches on the internet and finally found someone you connect with. This online communication you have with your new friend is exhilarating and new, and filled with intrigue and charming turns of phrase. As your feelings and connection have grown, it’s now time to progress online romance to real life. You want to test if you two can keep the same stamina and interest in person as you have online. But there are so many ways that in person interaction can go wrong, with a lot less control than online conversation. From body language to tone of voice, in person meet ups can be a lot more intimidating. Are you ready for this next step in your online dating journey? Here are 7 tips for meeting your online date in person.
Meet in public.
This is one of the biggest rules to adhere to when shifting your romantic interaction from online to live, in the flesh. This is not only just to give you a perceived level of comfort, but it’s for your actual safety.
Avoid dinner.
Dinner may sound harmless, but it is a big time commitment when you are just meeting for the first time. Opt for drinks, food truck eats, or ice cream in the park instead. This keeps it light, easy and provides an easy exit strategy if you aren’t feeling it.
Keep topics light.
Depending on how much you’ve talked about online, you may not know your date intimately. If so, keep your topics fun and light on the first date, possible avoiding things like politics and religion. Instead, try discussing favorite hobbies, music or aspirations.
Be yourself.
Catfishing isn’t a recognized phrase now for no reason. Plenty of people act totally different online than they would in real life. This can work for a while, but if you ever decide to meet up offline, all bets for a continued relationship are most likely off. So just try to be yourself both off and online, so that you know what you’re getting into and so does your date.
Admit any stretches of the truth.
It is hard not to oversell yourself online. You can add an extra inch of height here, or sprinkle in some extra accolades there. But meeting in person will require you to get real. So if you have any omissions or small time fibbing, it’s best to come clean before the first offline date.
Keep a cool head.
You may find that the chemistry you had online isn’t exactly sparking in person. You may find that you disagree on things or don’t like something about their in-person vibe. That’s okay—switching to in-person interaction is a whole new game. Give it a beat and a chance, and you may probably find your stride.
Take your time.
It can be overwhelming to finally meet your online date in person. But you can take your time with deciding how you feel and what you want. You may decide to meet up again the next day, or that you need to wait awhile. Whatever you feel is perfectly fine.