When you’re single and travel as much as I do, dating while away does not seem like a choice, but a necessity. When I’m in NYC (home)—between work, family, and friends—it’s hard to give 100% to getting to know someone new. But when I’m away, “getting to know” everything about where I’m visiting is exactly the point. But there are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way for making this work.

1. Smile: Don’t walk around with a grimace on you face and expect a stranger to be open to talking to you. You have to be inviting, and the simplest way to do that is just to smile. Of course you have to also be okay with getting approached on the beach, in a museum, or on the National Mall (if you’re in D.C.)—but as long as the pick-up line is on point, why not?

2. Try new things: Lets say you meet someone new or reconnect with a cute acquaintance who offers to show you a good time—please go into it with an open mind. Don’t go somewhere new just to eat and do the same things you would back home. For example, anyone that knows me knows I like Hip Hop, Reggae, and Calypso clubs. But when I was in Oakland, I was invited to the re-opening of a beloved House music party called “Brothers and Sisters.” I went and I had an AMAZING time!

3. Have fun, but don’t throw caution to the wind: So I know I just said to be open-minded, but that doesn’t necessarily mean going home with a stranger after getting drunk at a bar. Be safe and follow your intuition. I was once in a city where the train stopped after a certain time, and if I continued partying where I was, I would have had to either stay with the guy I was with or take a bus that even the locals avoided. My gut told me to catch that last train—and so I did.

Read my last 2 Tips over at Bedsider!

Also remember where you go can influence your dating experience while you’re away. That is definitely true when visiting Sierra Leone. See what dating while on vacation there is like: