Be it a date with your long-time crush or one with someone you met online, or even a blind date, the first date makes a lasting impression. Cliché locations like a romantic, Expensive Restaurant, or a movie may work, but being unconventional and thinking out of the box when you take your partner out on a date works much better, more often than not. Here are some cool ideas to help you out.

A Picnic

Sometimes, the best way to impress someone is to be simple and classy. A picnic is one thing that’ll never go out of style. Pack some delicious Food in a basket and head over to a scenic place (maybe a park or a waterfall) nearby. You could roam around and pick up some evergreen treats from the street vendors and laze around, munching on your food and having a nice conversation.

Make a homecooked meal

One of the most romantic things you can do for your date (especially if you’re a guy) is to cook food for them. YouTube tutorials (or your mother) could be your guide in whipping up some amazing food. Clean up and decorate your place a bit, and set up a delicious meal. You could then have a romantic candlelit dinner without having to spend money on an expensive restaurant. The added bonus is that cooking takes time and effort, and that’s a brilliant way to impress your date.

Go to a bookstore

This is for the hardcore bookworms out there. If both of you Love reading, the best thing to do is spend a day (or an afternoon) browsing through your favourite books. Novels are a great conversation topic, too, and if both of you love reading, you’ll never run out of things to talk about! A word of caution, however, don’t get so lost in the books you love that you end up neglecting your date.

Volunteer Together

One of the most fulfilling experiences is to volunteer at an NGO and actually help people. Even if it’s just a day, you can make a huge difference. Taking your partner out for something like this may not seem very impressive at first, but it’s actually an amazing way to impress someone. Volunteering automatically brings out your sensitive, sweet side, and that’s something everyone likes.

Go on an adventure

If you love an adrenaline rush, this would be the best date ever. Take your date bungee-jumping or scuba diving, if something like this is at hand, or just simply go to the nearest theme park and have a ball of a time on the rollercoasters there. You could also go on a trek, or a nature walk.

If you liked these ideas, but don’t actually have a date, well, we can solve that for you. Head on over to http://matchmaker.lightningspeeddating.com for details about our tailored matchmaking services and the best ways to find a date in this internet-driven world.

– Article written by: Annie Ak, a contributing author for Lightning Speed Dating blog