So spring is in the air, you’ve met someone on Skout, and you’re thinking of meeting this person IRL.  First of all, congrats on meeting someone you like!  Second of all, I’m going to give you some tips about Springing into Action, making this meet-up the best it can be, and helping the relationship bloom.

Caffeine doesn’t guarantee activity.

Now that spring is here, a whole bunch of date ideas just opened up.  Although going for a coffee with someone might turn out really well, doing something active and/or outside is much more dynamic and you can avoid any awkward silences with you sitting there staring at the foam on your latte.

Here are some spring date ideas! Thank me later.

• The zoo – Animals are always entertaining to look at and hey, she’s bound to squeal about fluffy pandas (Guys, admit it, you think they’re cute too.  If not, there are badass tigers.).  You can walk around, chat, get food, and watch monkeys.  Perfect.

This is a monkey.

• Picnic – Picnics are inherently romantic.  You don’t have to bring a lame basket; Throw some sandwiches and a blanket in a backpack and get going to the park.  The sun, spring breeze, lying in the grass…  Nice weather and sunshine puts people in a good mood.  Fact.  And you guys can be totally cute and talk about the clouds!

• The market – If you live in or near a city, go walk around the hip areas or Chinatown.  Check out some markets, shopping, and weird stores.  Having lots of stuff to do and look at will spark conversation.  Like that Hello Kitty toilet paper…who would buy that??  Isn’t a little weird having cute cartoon kittens on something you um, wipe with?  See…interesting!

Seriously??

Really, any kind of date where you can enjoy the spring splendor will be fun.  The most important thing is to be yourself and relax.  You’ve already chatted with this person on Skout for a while, so it’s not like it’s a blind date.  Pick one of the sweet date ideas above and Spring Into Action!

Ok, ‘Mom’ time -

I know you’ve heard these safety tips a hundred times, but seriously, they are important and all it takes is one time of being silly… So read them, keep them in mind, and just be smart, you know?

Meet up in a public place. This is pretty much Rule #1 for meeting people for the first time.  This way, there are other people around you (‘public’, duh) and you’re more likely to be safe.

Tell people where you’re going. You probably tell your friends about your dates anyway, so it shouldn’t be hard to mention to someone where you’re going and with whom.  It doesn’t have to be in a lame way… Tell them you met some cute girl/guy and you’re going to P.F. Changs tonight.  By the way, get the lettuce wraps – they are awesome.

Don’t get drunk. I know that a drink can help with your first-date nerves, but keep it to one!!  Have some self-control and you won’t make any bad decisions.  Related, it’s not a good idea to go drinking for a first date.