Five Tips to Keep You Safe on Long Distance Meetings
Internet dating has made it easier to connect with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes all over the world. While meeting a long-distance love can be exciting, there are some practical safety tips you need to keep in mind to ensure your well-being.
1. Always stay in a hotel on a first visit, never in your date’s home. If you can’t afford lodgings, cancel the trip.
2. Meeting in an airport terminal may seem sexy and romantic, but you should always insist on taking a taxi – alone – to your hotel when you arrive for your first visit. Anyone who genuinely likes you will understand.
3. Keep the location and address of your hotel private. No matter how often you’ve chatted on the phone or stayed up into the wee hours exchanging IMs, realise that you do not really know this person. Until you are certain of your date’s intentions, don’t tell him or her where you’re staying.
4. Store cash, jewellery, passports and any other valuables in your hotel safe while you go on your date.
5. Tell someone your plans and check in with them regularly. Internet dating is not as mysterious or taboo as it was just a few years ago. Resist the urge to conceal your plans from family and friends out of embarrassment. Make sure your loved ones know where you’re going, where you’ll be staying, who you are meeting, how to reach you, and when you’ll be back. And be sure to tell your date that someone is keeping tabs on you.
