Mastering a blind date: General tips and safety

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Key Takeaways:

Blind date is a meeting between two people who have never seen each other before, typically set up by a friend. Nowadays, a meeting after an online dating match can also be considered a blind date
Before the date, make a short phone call as a fake check, inform a friend of the date, choose a neutral and public place, and plan a fake phone call
During the date, listen to your gut feeling, never get in a car, don't go to either person's place on the first date, and have your cell phone handy
When on the date, be authentic, stay true to yourself, and be open and honest with the other person

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You feel uncertainty, a definite thrill, and you have no idea what lies ahead. On a blind date in the original sense, the parties involved had never met but had also never laid eyes on each other before. It’s not for nothing that it’s known as a "blind date" – because there you are, blindly encountering one another for the first time. Now, certain sticklers could claim that when it comes to online dating, these aren’t blind dates in the traditional sense, at all. After all, people have already seen each other through their profiles and actually discovered quite a bit of information about each other.

Nevertheless, you have never met this person in real life. Every now and then, it’s just an exchange of a few messages and then, whoosh, you’re sitting at a coffee shop, waiting for them. In this case, you can confidently speak of it as a blind date.

In this article we deal with various questions and points surrounding the topic. Most of all we’d like to help you better prepare for your first date and bring up certain things you need to consider:

Ready to tackle the first important question? Okay, let's get started!

What is a blind date?

Before we clarify what you need to consider on a blind date, let's first focus on what it actually is. Strictly speaking, a real blind date is a meeting set up with a completely unknown person. That means the parties involved know nothing about each other and have never even seen each other beforehand. Say, friend A suggests setting up friend B with girlfriend C and arranges a meeting between the two. Friend B and girlfriend C know absolutely nothing about what to expect on their blind date and have no idea whatsoever about the other party.

However, there are other ways to experience a blind date in this day and age. Personal ads from magazines or speed dating also belong to this category. The reason: the first point of contact takes place during the encounter. It provides the perfect opportunity to jump into the dating game without prejudice.

So, in essence: According to the definition, a blind date supposes that the parties involved have not been able to get to know each other in any way beforehand.

With online dating, on the other hand, profile texts and photos certainly offer up information – really a fair amount of material to sift through. So here, by definition, we can’t speak directly of a blind date.

But if you consider that this is still a meeting with an unknown person, you’re going to need...

Safety tips before the blind date

A date with a completely unknown person? Doesn't that also involve certain risks? Is there a label here that says enjoy with caution? Right, for this reason it’s important that you know some tips regarding safety. The most important thing is not to go crazy with apprehension or expectations in advance – stay calm. It's quite natural to get a case of the nerves before a blind date. But here we can reassure you: Your date is going through the same thing.

You have exchanged a few messages in advance to arrange the meeting. If you two have already gotten around to exchanging detailed information, the whole thing is no longer a blind date.

A few security tips:

A short phone call as a fake check
Tell friends about the date
Choose a neutral and public place
Plan a fake phone call

A short phone call as a fake check

If you want to calm your nerves a bit before a blind date, even a short phone call can do wonders. You want reassurance that you’re dealing with a real person? Then suggest a phone call where you talk briefly. Even a minute of conversation can make a big difference and make you feel much more relaxed about the whole thing.

Tell friends about the date

This is a tip you should always take to heart when going on a first date. It's never wrong to tell friends about your date. That way, someone will always know where you are. After all, there’s no reason to keep a blind date secret! Tell at least one friend that you're meeting someone you don't know, and include the location and what you have planned. Knowing a friend knows where you are, even if it’s in the back of your mind, you'll feel much more confident from the get-go and can look forward to your date more.

Choose a neutral and public place

This is another tip that you should always keep in mind when dating. The first blind date should take place in public and on neutral ground under all circumstances. You know little to nothing about your date until the moment of the meeting. Therefore it’s really only advisable to meet, for example, in a cafe or a restaurant. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire date will take place there – but it is the ideal place to get a first impression of each other. Rest assured that someone with serious intentions towards you will agree to a neutral place without a second thought. If your counterpart tries to reel you into visiting him at home, you should decline with a “no, thanks.” As tempting as the thought may be, the first date should always take place in the public sphere.

Plan a fake phone call

Want to play it safe? Then ask a friend ahead of time to call you at a specific time. Think of an excuse to take the call. On the one hand, this provides security and on the other hand, you can use the call as an excuse to end the blind date. Calling friends is a common option during dates to make sure that everything is going smoothly.

Safety tips during the blind date

Not only do you want to ensure some safety beforehand, but you also want to be on the safe side during the blind date? Then here are a few tips you should definitely keep at the ready.

Listen to your gut feeling / no false politeness
Never just get into a car
My place or yours? Not on the first date
Have your cell phone handy

Listen to your gut / no false politeness

Have a bad gut feeling or feel uncomfortable during the date? In that case, you should not show false politeness – rely on your instincts. You’re not making any commitments on a date and that's how you should behave. Be it just before the meeting or during: If you have an uncomfortable feeling, you are free to leave at any time or cancel the meeting shortly beforehand.

Never just get into a car

We learn from childhood never to get into someone else's car. And the same is true on a blind date. Your date asks you to get into his car after a few minutes? Absolutely not! Communicate clearly that you don’t want any part of this. Never forget: you have no obligations. There’s no reason on God’s green earth for you to get into a car. And tinted windows? He can shove it where the sun don’t shine. If your date reacts strangely to this, it’s a clear sign to end the meeting, and we mean now.

My place or yours? Not on the first date!

Let’s face it, getting to know each other is more fun if there’s no pressure to go straight home with them to end your date. It's also essential for safety at the same time! You don't know before your blind date who you’ll end up sitting across from and what their intentions are. That's why you should always insist on a neutral location. Again, someone who has serious intentions towards you will definitely understand and not push you to move the getting-to-know-you phase to the apartment.

Have the cell phone handy

Here we come back to one of the preparatory measures. You have told someone about your blind date in advance and arranged a control call. Don’t miss the call under any circumstances. If you don't answer the call, the person might grow concerned about you and try to intercept you at the date location. But it’s also important that you keep your smartphone close at hand and can contact a friend in case of need.

How exactly do I behave on a first blind date?

Now the final question is how best to conduct yourself on a blind date. Here it’s especially important that you are authentic -- no pretending. After all, this date with the unknown could be the beginning of something beautiful. So get off on the right foot.

Set yourself clear rules before the date, rules you’ll keep. You have firmly committed to going home alone? Then stick to your self-imposed boundaries and rules. Staying true to yourself is an essential point on a first date. This includes being open and honest with the other person. So don't force yourself to laugh at all his or her jokes if they don't strike your sense of humor. After all, it's just about getting to know each other and getting a first impression. If the sparks don’t fly or the chemistry isn't right, you can communicate that openly.

And that's exactly the purpose of a blind date: To find out whether the vibes are right!

In conclusion

A blind date is a date in which the participants have never seen each other, at least according to a strict definition. One of the best-known forms is speed dating, where all the basic conditions of a first date are taken care of and all you have to do is show up. But outside of such dating events, blind dates can come through personals or the matchmaking of friends.

To be on the safe side, you should always suggest a neutral place for the meeting. Inform someone in your circle of friends about the date and arrange a follow-up call to give a brief status update. Know that if you have a weird feeling about the whole thing, it's best to cancel the blind date. Especially in an unknown situation, it’s important you feel comfortable. So keep your cell phone at hand at all times and go on (a small) adventure!