Maybe you're in town for a family reunion and you just aren't feeling it, so you've found yourself at a diner drinking coffee next to a cute girl. Maybe you're on a trip across the country by bus before you settle down, just to see what's out there. Picking up a girl while you're traveling is fine, as long as you remember to keep it light, be straightforward, and live in the moment. Approaching it like a normal pick up will only frustrate both of you. If you feel as though you have to lie or omit information to pick up a girl, you're wrong. It won't do either of you any good to pretend. Besides, some women find the idea of a date with someone who's “just passing through” intriguing or exciting, because there are likely to be no strings attached. You won't know until you make it clear that you're in that situation. Traveling also makes for an interesting topic of conversation, so you probably won't have to try very hard to find things to talk about. Just mention that you're just visiting for a few days, and ask a question about the local area. Most girls will be happy to answer with their opinion on it, and just like that the conversation will be rolling along. You don't have time to be shy or demure. You want a date, a night out with someone you've just met and are unlikely to see again. The girl won't know you feel that way if you just try to “warm up” to her all night. Instead of getting her number, suggest that she come on a date with you now, before you're gone. Ask her for ideas on where to go, and offer to pay the tab (as usual). The key to picking up a girl for a short-term fling is to show her what you want (a fun night out together) and go for it right away. If you have someone waiting for you at home, don't pursue anyone else while you're away. It's cowardly and unfair, and it will weigh heavily on your conscience long after the fact. Imagine how you would feel if you knew that your girlfriend had a hot weekend with some random townie from five states away at her last family reunion, while you were sitting alone and missing her company the whole time. No momentary impulse or minor crush is worth jeopardizing the relationship you already have. If you believe you're ready to end that relationship, do the right thing and end it first. Don't sneak around behind your girlfriend's back like some kind of spineless weasel. Once you're officially single, you'll have plenty of chances to fool around with other girls.

Summary: Understand the travel romance dynamic. Be upfront. Be quick. Be faithful.


Make this circle about one-third larger than the head, and give it a bit of an oval shape. About one-third of it should overlap the lower right side of the circle for the head. This oval should extend to the right of and slightly below the circle for the neck. It should also overlap the neck circle and just touch the circle that represents the head. The body oval should be about 1.5 times taller than the neck circle and about 3 times wider. Elongate the shoulder oval vertically, make it overlap the neck oval slightly and run to just below the body oval, and tilt it about 30 degrees towards the front of the fox. Make the leg oval about twice as long and half as wide, and extend it straight down from the shoulder. Create the foot oval at a right angle to the leg. After finishing the outline for the near-side front leg, sketch in the front portion of the leg and foot ovals of the far-side front leg. Make them extend just a bit in front of the near-side leg. Make the rear shoulder about 1.5 times as long and twice as wide as the front shoulder. Instead of a single leg oval, draw 2 ovals that meet at 30-degree angles to represent the knee joint. Make the back foot oval the same size as the front foot.  A fox’s back knees bend towards its tail, not towards its head. As with the far-side front leg, create overlapping elements of the far-side rear leg in similar proportion to the near-side rear leg. Connect it to the back of the body oval and run it down to the ground level where the fox’s feet are. Make the oval wide enough to partially overlap the near-side rear shoulder and knee.  Sketch the tail at roughly the same angle as the upper rear leg. Make the tail about the same length as the body oval, but more narrow by about half. After you’ve finished outlining the fox using various oval shapes, add definition to its various features. Make the body leaner in the abdomen, and contour the legs to give a more muscular look. Make the tail a bit wavy, and use small curved lines to add indications of fur on the tail and at the front of the chest. Foxes have narrow, somewhat football-shaped eyes, lean muzzles with slightly-rounded noses, and angular but slightly-rounded ears. Refining the facial features may be the toughest part, so refer to images of foxes for guidance. In other words, trace over the more defined body, legs, tail, head, and face that you just created. Then, erase the original ovals you used to shape the outline of the fox. If you sketched lightly in pencil, the lines should vanish without any trouble. Make the lower halves of the legs, the lower third of the tail, the front of the chest, and the bottom half of the muzzle an off-white color. Fox fur can carry shades of red, orange, and brown, but a “burnt orange” shade may give you a fairly typical fox color.
Summary: Overlap the bottom right of the head with a slightly larger circle for the neck. Sketch out a much larger oval to represent the fox’s body. Connect a set of elongated ovals to represent the front legs and feet. Follow a similar process with 4 ovals for the rear legs and feet. Draw the tail out of a long, nearly banana-shaped oval. Refine the fox's body shape and add facial features. Darken your refinements with pen and erase the pencil outlines. Color the drawing, if desired, to finish it off.