In any war, you had better arrive ready for action. One small misstep and you might find yourself cut loose from the object of your desire; alternatively, you could find yourself on the date-from-hell with no escape in sight.

Here are five steps to survival and success during the Dating Wars.

• Carry breath mints! You’re on a date, and you’ve been munching on some spicy Thai delicacies…oh no! Suddenly, you’ve got dragon breath, and you’re talking with your hand in front of your mouth. Have some mints handy. Not gum—mints! You may have bad breath, but that’s no reason to be chomping and smacking your jowls.

• Protect yourself—and your sweetie! That’s right: be prepared. Don’t store condoms in your wallet; they can be broken easily that way. Put condoms in your wallet, and later that year you’ll need to move them to make room for the baby photos.

• Have a plan. It’s like your high school guidance counselor said: "fail to plan, plan to fail." You don’t wing things on dates… you plan them. The nightclub you suggest on the spur of the moment has a great band playing (you know because you checked the paper earlier). When it occurs to you to visit the local art museum, you already know that there is a traveling exhibition of rare paintings waiting for you. Let the conversation be spontaneous, but let the location be the result of careful planning.

• The right clothing and the right gear are essential. Imagine business casual… but wear high-quality clothes. Don’t wear the same frayed, old chinos you bought two years ago. Put on some decent, recently dry-cleaned dress pants. As for the right gear, you should remember that women always dress lightly and then complain about the cold. Have a light sweater in the backseat of your car. Keep an umbrella handy as well.

• And for emergencies only... the cell phone. Suppose you’re on the date-from-hell. She spends an hour telling you about her lousy ex-boyfriends. Maybe she cries after you suggest she order steak—she hasn’t been able to afford steak in months, what with the expense of paying of paying for the rehab and all. It’s time to bail out. Go to the bathroom, call a friend on your cell phone, and give him instructions to call you back in 15-20 minutes. While you’re waiting, think of some emergency. When the call comes through, take it and act shocked. Apologize to your date… throw down some money to cover the check, and get out of there fast. You hate to leave, but your mother has just had a heart attack, your business has just been robbed, a meteor is headed for Earth, etc.