Q: I am going to visit a man I met on the internet in August. We have talked on the phone, texted daily, Skyped, sent daily pictures and regular videos. I'm not worried about him being who he says he is. What I'm worried about is… I am looking forward to being intimate with him. All we want to do is stay in the hotel together.
Do you think it is too soon? Should we wait for another visit?
-Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
My first piece of advice on all of this was going to be that you make sure he's not catfishing you. If you've Skyped a bunch of times and sent a ton of photos, you know he is (probably) who he says he is; or, at least, that he exists. So I'm not that worried about it from that perspective, but you can never be too careful.
That being said, you have to do some things for me and the people who love you. Your friends need to know which hotel you're staying at and your room number, and you need to sync up your phone so they have a pin in your location for the entire weekend.
It may sound like overkill, but your life and safety should NEVER be taken lightly. Going to hotels with strange men you think you know is how you end up becoming the real-life inspiration for an episode of SVU. Spoiler alert: You're the body.