I have been asked on numerous occasions the question of “where should my reunion take place?”

I have two places that I suggest for the first meeting to occur and they are first a neutral location such as an airport, a restaurant or a hotel. My second is someone’s home.

If a neutral location is chosen out of geographic necessity or personal preference a multitude of issues regarding intimate boundaries will automatically be eliminated.

For those who are more tentative or private in nature a neutral location can provide a buffer which may facilitate the meeting actually taking place rather than postponing it until everyone feels more connected through letters, emails, and/or phone calls.

If those in reunion decide that the first meeting will take place in a home, then a few more decisions will need to be made. The first is whose home or which reunion member will be the host. The other questions that come to mind are will the meeting last days or hours, will the visiting party stay overnight in the home or a nearby hotel assuming there is a large distance between the two, and how are some topics addressed such as dietary preferences, smoking, or drinking. Openly communication about these topics and others prior to meeting can eliminate some very awkward moments when you are experiencing your first face to face meeting.

There is only one opportunity for a first face to face first impression. Thinking through some of the issues you may experience can help make the difference between stumbling through the experience with regrets or moving into the experience with confidence and a sense of anticipation that comes with being as prepared as possible. Also, if you take the time to prepare yourself your experience can be full and rich in many ways.