How to plan the perfect Pokémon Go date night

If you’re lucky, your significant other probably loves pop culture just as much or more than you. The newest pop culture trend, Pokémon Go, is much more interactive and exciting than basically anything we’ve seen this year (except for Twitter after the Taylor Swift vs. Kanye debacle).

Pokémon Go is the best activity for a date. It’s cheap, fun and nostalgic without being the kind of nostalgia that makes you talk about awkward childhood Christmases or dead relatives. But how do you turn Pokémon Go from game to game time?

Set a fun tone from the beginning

Basically all it takes to make my boyfriend happy is googling “Pokémon pick-up lines.” If you date or want to date a goofy guy or gal, introduce the date as something fun and nerdy to do together. If you date or want to date a more reserved (aka pretentious) person, maybe just make fun of the Pokémon trend, insist you have NOT been obsessed with Pokémon since you were 12, suggest trying it out for giggles, then hide every Pokémon poster and video game in your room in case they come over for a romp in the near future.

Pick a good location

Unfortunately for farmers everywhere, wild Pokémon are not common in rural areas. Find the closest main street, big city, or college campus to start your hunt. These areas are also more likely to have shops, restaurants and other landmarks for you and your date to visit along the way.

Map out a route

Put together a walking route with your date on a map like Google Maps or Apple Maps that allows you to hit up Pokéstops but also includes fun detours like coffee shops or ice cream carts. Ending the date at a lunch or dinner spot gives you more time to talk about things other than Pokémon. Walking directions keep you on track – getting lost really kills the mood – and lets you see how long you will be out and about.

Make sure your battery doesn’t die

No matter how skilled you are, you can’t catch Pokémon with a dead phone. Bring a portable battery to make sure you have extra juice. If you don’t have one, enter the Pokémon Go app, click the Pokéball, go to “settings” in the upper right hand corner of your Pokémon Go app and choose “Battery Saving.” Your screen will darken whenever you lower your phone to your side but you will still collect meters for your eggs and your phone will still vibrate when there is a Pokémon nearby.

Don’t ask what team your date joined

It’s just rude. Also, avoid battling against each other. Unless one of you is a competition junkie and it has already been established, don’t be that guy.

Pokemon Go is bringing people together in every community imaginable. You and your SO can meet new people, see new things and be the very best just by getting outside and being together.

Hell, if you read this article and don’t have someone to take on a Pokédate, find your local Pokéstop and meet someone there. That is, only if they’re as cute as an Evee.