Meeting safely the first time

A place you chose, or at least agreed to in advance, is safer than one you were sent to at short notice. Late changes of address are worth questioning, particularly if the new one is further out or harder to leave.

Hotels are predictable and have staff and cameras. A private flat is not automatically a problem, but you should know the address before you set off rather than getting it street by street on the way.

One person needs to know where you are and roughly when you expect to be done. That is the whole precaution.

If you would rather not explain, share your live location with a friend for a few hours without saying why, or leave the address in a note somewhere it would be found. Both phones let you share location for a set period and stop automatically.

Arrive with a charged phone, enough money to get home, and your own transport or a working app. Do not hand over your phone, your keys, or your only card to anyone for any reason.

If you drive, park where you can pull out without being blocked in. Small things, but they are what people wish they had done.

Agree a message with your friend before you go. One text when you arrive, one when you leave. If the arrival text does not come within half an hour of when it should, they call you.

Set the expectation up front so that a missed check in actually means something, instead of being ignored as forgetfulness.

If the person who opens the door is not the person in the photos, leave. If anyone else is in the room that you were not told about, leave. If it feels wrong for a reason you cannot name yet, leave anyway.

You do not owe anyone an explanation, and you will never regret walking away from something that turned out to be fine. The reverse is not true.