If you find yourself frequently wondering how to make your long-distance relationship fun, or just what to even do on a long-distance date, you’re not alone. Because long-distance relationships make nonverbal intimacy a bit more of a challenge, it means you have to get more creative. Whether you’re new to a long-distance relationship, or you’ve been doing it for years, there are always new ways to keep your spark alive with your long-distance love, and we can’t wait to share with you some of our ideas.
The key to making a long-distance relationship work is to put in the effort with your significant other. If you find yourself bored at times, or frustrated with the physical distance between the two of you, we understand; however, it doesn’t have to be this way, and you don’t want your relationship to pass you by.
Now, we have 10 long-distance date ideas to keep this spark alive. You don’t need to save these for Valentine's Day, an anniversary, or a special occasion! Suggest one or more of these to your significant other for a random weeknight date, and we promise it will make your week and your relationship better.
#1: Organize a Virtual Game Night
If you are looking for more ways to have fun in a long-distance relationship, organize a virtual game night for the two of you. If you’re wondering how to host a virtual game night, it’s easier than you might think, and it can be way more fun to connect with your partner over a shared experience instead of just making small talk over video chat or text messaging.
Even if you don’t think this is the type of date you or your S.O. would traditionally go for, it’s worth a try, and you can always jump ship since it’s just the two of you playing! There are way more online games out there than you think… did you know you can play virtual Jeopardy now? We promise you’ll find something you both enjoy playing.
#2: Suggest a Letter Writing Date
If you’ve never written a letter to your loved one, this is a really thoughtful and special way to form a stronger connection with your significant other. To turn this into a date, you can set up a Zoom or video chat call and each write a letter to the other. Then, you can send them off, and hopefully, you’ll receive them on the same day and you’ll get to read what they wrote during the date.
If neither of you is up for writing letters specifically for each other, you can keep this as a date night activity but write letters to yourself instead, and have a prompt to talk about your relationship. That way, you’ll be the only person who reads the letter, and if you address it to your future self, it’s a rewarding way to see how far you and your relationship have come.
A letter from the person you love is something you will cherish and hold on to forever, no matter how long you have to be apart from one another. If you keep this up with your partner, you’ll have a collection of letters that you can look back on when you are reunited and together again.
#3: Send Each Other Your Favorite Meals and Have a Dinner Date
Thanks to delivery services like Doordash, Grubhub, and Ubereats, you can send your loved one their favorite meal right to their door with the touch of a few buttons. You can plan this as a surprise as a kind gesture to make them feel special, or you can plan this out and each send each other a meal.
This is a great and easy option for a simple yet romantic date night. It doesn’t require much planning, and you could turn this into a one-night-a-week type of date that will surely keep the spark alive. As long as you’re in similar enough time zones, this date idea is simple and fun. Each delivery service app has a wide array of options, so you really can’t go wrong.
#4: Teleparty and Chill
Although nothing compares to a Netflix and chill night in with your long-distance love, we think that Teleparty is the next best thing. If you’re unfamiliar with Teleparty, it’s one of the most awesome tools for long-distance relationships. Previously known as Netflix party, Teleparty allows you to watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO, and Amazon at the same time as someone else far away. This means you will react to the TV show or movie at the same exact time as your partner.
The best part? It adds group chat to all of these streaming services, so you don’t have to keep looking down at your phone while you’re watching the show or movie. By having their reactions displayed in real-time, it will feel like they are right there with you.
#5: Plan a Future Date
Knowing the next time you’re going to visit your long-distance boyfriend or girlfriend will make the LDR wayyyy easier. Not only does it allow you to focus on the positive and remain hopeful about the future of your relationship, but it’s romantic to share even just the weekend together when you’re typically so far away. While this, unfortunately, isn’t possible for every LDR, even if you discuss vague plans in the distant feature, it gives you something to look forward to.
We suggest turning this into a fun little virtual date. You can both make hypothetical itineraries to a place of your choice and discuss in person date ideas and the things you will finally do together in person at least for a little. Even if it isn’t realistic whatsoever, it takes your mind off of being so far apart for a date.
If the two of you both enjoy the idea and see it as a possibility for the distant if not near feature, turn it into a reality and book your flights and hotel while you are together on Facetime! That way, it doesn’t feel like one person is planning the entire trip, and you will both have input from the get-go.
If you’re not much of a planner, and you prefer your partner to plan things, have them surprise you and not tell you when they plan on visiting! This is such a romantic surprise that every LDR should do at least once.
#6: Virtual Wine or Beer Tasting
If you miss sharing a drink with your partner, this date idea is for you. Make a list with your partner of all the beer or wine selections you would like to taste and head to your respective liquor store and organize a virtual wine or beer tasting night!
This is the perfect date idea for those who won’t feel like going out but would like to catch up with their loved one over a drink or two. This is also such a cozy date idea, so we suggest setting the tasting up in your kitchen or living room and getting comfortable in PJs or dressing up as if you were tasting in person together. It doesn’t really matter what specific vibe you’re going for; as long as the two of you have the chance to spend quality time together, it will be worth it.
#7: Send Each Other Messages and Photos Through Lovebox
Lovebox is a guaranteed way to consistently keep your spark alive in between long-distance dates. It is a way to express your love for your person that doesn’t require an hour-long Facetime, Zoom, or Skype date. Lovebox is a connected messaging device that pairs with an app on your phone to send your loved one photos, drawings, and messages.
If you are frequently finding yourself longing for your partner at random moments throughout the day, but you simply don’t have the time to pick up your phone to talk to them during a busy workday, the Lovebox will solve this problem for you. Don’t get us wrong, text messaging is great, but taking an extra minute to send your favorite photo of the two of you or quickly write out a cute note to have it sent right to them is way more rewarding.
The Lovebox for Lovers comes as an adorable wooden box with the messaging device on the inside, so you can keep it either out in the open or in a more discreet area of your choosing. The heart on the outside of the Lovebox will spin when the receiver gets the message, and your loved one can spin the heart to send you a waterfall of hearts on the app. Could it be any more precious?
#8: Virtual Museum Tour Together
Did you know that there are museums around the world that you can visit virtually? From the Guggenheim in New York to Musée d’Orsay in Paris, to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, this is the perfect chance for the two of you to try something new and exciting for a long-distance date, because it allows you to bond over a shared experience.
This is also a great opportunity for the two of you to gain a bit of culture and education from the comfort of your own homes. That way, instead of planning a trip and having to wait to do these things in person, you can enjoy them virtually first, as a couple.
#9: Create a Shared Photo Album Together
Creating a shared photo album together is a great way to look back on memories of the two of you and tell stories/reminisce over the times you were together in person. We love a lighthearted date that allows you to talk about the good ol’ days. This is a perfect date for Zoom, Skype, or Facetime.
Additionally, your partner may have taken photos from the same day that you may have forgotten about, so it’s nice to have your photos all in one place that you can both look at when you’re missing your special someone.
#10: Send Each Other Care Packages and Open Them on Video Chat Together
Gift-giving is an important part of any relationship, and just because there’s a physical distance between the two of you, doesn’t mean you can’t still send each other presents (even if it’s through snail mail.) A fun way to turn this into a date is to send each other care packages and open them on Facetime together once they are both received.
Making a care package for your partner is great because you get to handpick all of the things you think they would enjoy receiving from you, and then view their reaction as they open it. You can play it safe by sending them their favorite foods and household products, or you could take a risk and send them a few surprises that you think they might like.
If you both want to have both care packages revolving around a similar theme, we suggest sending care packages that will be for a future date, such as the wine or beer tasting we mentioned above, or maybe a spa day-themed care package.
Even if you end up sending your significant other flowers and a letter, we’re sure it will make their day, because who doesn’t love receiving a gift in the mail from the person you love and miss?
Keeping Your Spark Alive Together
As a long-distance couple, trying out new date ideas is important to an LDR and overall keeping your spark alive. Even if some of these date ideas are not the first things you or your partner would be typically willing to try, you never know what you’ll end up enjoying with them.
Looking for even more virtual date ideas? Check out this quick cheat sheet list:
- Virtual book club
- Create a romantic playlist
- Virtual coffee shop date
- Take an online class together
- Play games via Skype or Facetime (truth or dare, scavenger hunt, card games, board games, etc.)
If you are both in mutual agreement that you’d like to spice up your long-distance date nights, we recommend trying one of these each week and seeing which one is your favorite so that you can keep it up until you are together again.
As we’re sure you already know, communication in a long-distance relationship is vital to keeping your spark alive, and it should remain an important aspect of your dates and overall relationship. Remember, it’s less about what you do and more about who you do it with! We hope you can take some of these ideas and turn them into realities with your long-distance love.
Works Cited
These 12 Famous Museums Offer Tours You Can Take on your Couch | Travel and Leisure
8 Best Tips to Make a Long-Distance Relationship Work | Time
