5 Dates Where You Can Really Be Yourself

Deciding where to go on a date can be surprisingly difficult. Is it too soon to do something more personal and you should stick with going to a movie? Should you stay with the date routine that you and your partner have both been enjoying or is it starting to get boring? Where should you go? Should you try to do something outside, or is it a bad idea to plan anything that could require last minute weather cancelations? Should you go do some sort of activity together or is it a dating faux pas to be focused on something other than your significant other?

If you are looking to mix up your dating routine, pick an activity where you can really be yourself. Choose an interest that lets you show off your personality and is a little different. Dinner and a movie is a perfectly acceptable date, but it can get boring to do the same thing over and over again. Try something more unusual, and get out of your dating rut while also showing off your passions and personality.

Outdoors-ing

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Whether you and your date are practiced outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen or complete novices who have never held a compass in their lives, a date in the great outdoors offers you a wonderful opportunity to be yourself. When you are exploring nature there is no one for whom you need to put on airs or anyone to impress. The birds will not comment on your fashion choice, and the trees will not tell your friends or coworkers about how you tripped and fell in the creek.

Spending time outdoors also all but guarantees that you are going to get a little muddy, dusty or dirty. This can help you and your date stop feeling so formal around each other. After all, it is hard not to relax around someone who has seen you covered in river water, algae, mud or pine sap.

Great outdoor dates include hiking, canoeing, horseback riding and mountain biking. Choose an activity based on what is in your area as well as the skillset possessed by you and your date. Hiking works well if both of you are in good shape while mountain biking is a poor choice if one of you has poor balance.

Light Extremes

If you do something exciting with your date, they are more likely to associate you with the rush of adrenaline they felt. Subconsciously, they begin to see you as more interesting, exciting and invigorating. Take advantage of that, and plan to do some light extremes with your date. Go to an amusement park and ride the highest and fastest roller coasters you can find. You will find it hard to project a false front of “being cool” if you are screaming your head off as you do loop-de-loops. For more adventurous folk, pick one of the lighter extreme sports. For those who live near the ocean or a deep lake, find a local dive shop and go SCUBA diving. If there is a rapid river nearby, go white water rafting. For those who really want to push it, make plans to go skydiving or do rock climbing with real rocks. Just make sure that you choose an activity both you and your date will be safe participating in. Those who are not SCUBA certified need to dive with a certified dive master, and climbing real rocks should not be undertaken lightly. If you take the proper precautions, however, you will be able to give your date an adventure they will never forget.

Organization Event

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You likely belong to some kind of organization. You might be part of a dance club like USA Dance, SalsaBurg or SwingVirginia. You might belong to a vocational group like the Independent Pilots Association. You might also be a member of a group that practices a hobby you enjoy such as a SCUBA dive shop, a Civil War reenactment company or the Society of Creative Anachronism. When you are looking for a way to show off your personality and share your passions with your date, the organizations you belong to may be the answer. Many organizations have events and activities that are open to non-members. Take your date swing dancing or to the nearest Renaissance fair. This will definitely break up the date monotony and allow you to share what you are passionate about with your date.

Going to an event sponsored by an organization you are a part of also helps you avoid putting on airs. It is much harder to act like a different person when you are surrounded by people who know the real you.

Volunteering

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Dates can be about more than just you and a person that you find attractive. Taking your date on a volunteer opportunity is a great way to both give back to your community and show off your personality. You are unlikely to be focused on keeping up a persona if you are busy volunteering. Besides, what you spend your time on says a great deal about what matters to you. If you volunteer at the SPCA or local wildlife refuge, you are likely a person who cares about animals. The same is true if you prefer to work with the poor and homeless or with children.

Having a volunteering date also helps you gauge what your date is like. Does giving back to their community matter to them or are they quietly self-centered? Do they like animals or do they focus their energy purely on humans? The answer to these sorts of questions could tell you a great deal about whether or not you want to continue pursuing a relationship with this person.

Something “Geeky”

Everyone has their thing that they love that is “so uncool.” Perhaps you are an unrepentant Star Wars nerd. Then, take your date to the midnight showing of the new movie and go in costume. If you are a Dungeons and Dragon’s fan, invite a date to join you are your next game, or teach them how to play. If you love old cars, take your date to a car show. History fans can go to a battle reenactment or historical area such as Colonial Williamsburg that has reenactors.

It is hard to focus on keeping up a persona when you are surrounded by the things you love. Indulging in your favorite geekery with your date is also a good way to judge how compatible you two are as a couple. If your date puts down your passion or discourages you from enjoying it, then they are not the right person for you. Be careful, however, not to confuse discouragement and disinterest. If your date simply is not interested in old cars, they may not want to attend a car show with you. That does not mean they do not respect your interest. It simply means they do not share your passion.