If you have tried the wonderfully varied world of online dating recently then you may have met someone whom you email and speak to online on a regular basis. You may have even talked about meeting up in person in the near future to get to know each other a little better. If this is the case and you do want to take online dating that one step further then you will need to choose from the many possible first date ideas available to you.

Going from solely online dating to meeting up is a big step and you both need to be sure that you are ready to meet up. If you are then you need to talk and find something that fits all of the first date ideas criteria below:

• It should be something that interests you both.
• It should be in a convenient location that it is easy for both of you to get to.
• It should be in a safe and public place so that there are others around if your date does not turn out how you expect.
• It should be something that will put you both at ease to minimise awkward silences.

If you have first date ideas that meet all of the criteria then you are doing well but for the majority of people it is not that easy if you have met via online dating. You will need to talk about your interests because you may like animals and want to go to the zoo whereas your date may hate them and be allergic to chimps! This may sound a bit far fetched and highly unlikely but it does highlight the fact that you just never know and should not assume that your date may go along with what you want to do.

Safety is also a big factor when it comes to that first date off the back of online dating. You should never be completely alone with any individual that you are dating but have never met before and should try and find an alternative. For example, a picnic in the woods is a big no-no but a picnic in a busy public park in the middle of the day is fine. Always try to make your date a day or early evening one in a public place because you just never know, no matter how long you have been speaking to someone via online dating. It is far better to be safe than sorry!