Online Dating: 4 Safeguards to Have in Place When Meeting Up
The internet has changed how you can meet other people and go on dates. This may have made it more convenient, but you still need to take basic precautions in order to protect yourself. Here are some of the safeguards that you should have in place before you decide to tackle the online dating scene.

Get to Know Them
Take the time to get to know that other person before you meet them in person. Make sure that their picture is accurate and that you know a little bit about them. This may help to break some of the ice when you do decide to take the next step. Being able to meet people online sometimes leads them to feel more adventurous or even deceitful. Follow your gut instincts if you think that something doesn’t feel right about the other person.
Meet in Public
A public place will give you a little bit of extra protection in case things don’t turn out the way that you expected. You might want to go to a coffeehouse so that there’s less of a commitment for the first date. This will help you to gauge the personality of the other person. Don’t agree to go with them somewhere private until you get to know them a little bit better. Many people jump into things too quickly and may end up in an unpleasant situation.
Take Precautions
There are so many things that can go wrong on a first date. Your date deciding to slip something into your drink is something that you want to be able to avoid. Look into using a date rape drug test kit to test your drink for date rape drugs before you take a sip. Another solution that you can use is to make sure that no one else handles your drink but you. This will only work if the person serving the drinks is someone that you trust.
Consider Going with Friends
A group date may be the best solution so that you know that someone else will have your back. It will also provide a deterrent for something nefarious occurring without your consent. If things aren’t going well, you have a built in excuse that you need to leave with your friends to attend some other event. Discuss this strategy with your friends so that you can all be on the same page.
Taking precautions is the best way to protect yourself. Use these tips so that you can create safeguards of your own being meeting up with someone from online.