oh yeah... and if you decide to meet someone, be sure you're in a well-lit area. a well-lit, very public area, with all the protections Barry mentioned.
And the most important thing he said: MAKE SURE several people know where you're at. This is not a time to insist on your privacy. If they know you were going to a particular movie theater to see such-and-such with so-and-so, then if you're gone for ten hours, they know to be worried enough to call the police.