This post is all about date ideas for a long distance relationship
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I’m sure we don’t have to tell you twice that being in a long distance relationship has it’s challenges and that it definitely takes a lot of effort – especially when it comes to staying connected. However, lucky you, you’re in a long distance relationship in the 21st century! Unlike other generations, you can utilise the power of technology to keep your date night relationship rituals alive and keep your connection strong in spite of the distance.
Like in any relationship, date nights have the potential to get stale and a little repetitive over time. So we’re here to help change that! It’s time to get creative and shake up and swap out your regular, same old FaceTime calls for some super cute and fun date night activities that will help you have a few laughs and make some memories with your S.O..
So, without further ado, we present to you our list of 15 ideal date ideas for a long distance relationship. Enjoy x
15+ Fun Date Ideas For Your Next Long Distance Date Night
Complete A Virtual Escape Room
The first date on our list of date ideas for a long distance relationship is for the couples that love a challenge… completing an escape room. It’s time to think outside the box and put your code cracking and puzzle solving skills to the test to see if you can make out in time! It’s the perfect opportunity to see how you work together as a team and how you both communicate when under pressure. Plus it’s the perfect date idea for a solo date night and a double date, so don’t be afraid to include a few friends if you want.
If you’re looking for a place to get stated, Virtual Escape Room is a good go to. They host a live escape room where you’re in complete control of a “game guide” who is a person that is present in an actual livestreamed escape room. You get instruct the “game guide” how to move about the escape room and collect your tools/clues and physically complete the puzzles for you.
So, have you got what it takes to escape before the clock runs out?
Have A Quirky Quiz Night
Play A General Knowledge Game
Think you know your history? Got your sports knowledge down? Or you are a go to for anything movie and music related? Challenge your partner to a round of Trivia Crack and find out! Who will collect all six of the categories and be crowned the ultimate quiz master? Honestly, this game is worth hours of fun that can potentially last longer than just your date night.
Spend the evening doing personality quizzes
If you’re curious to find out what kind of Disney princess matches your partner’s vibe, or are dying to know what Harry Potter character they’d be, then I’d definitely recommend spending the night doing dome Buzzfeed quizzes. A personality quiz date night is such a light hearted and fun way to spend the evening. Prepare for some good laughs and to maybe learn a thing or two about your partner along the way (you never know, what you learn may surprise you).
Have A Night Filled With Deep Chats
When was the last time you and your partner talked the night away?
It’s time to dial it back to the basics and relish in a night full of good ol’ conversation. These conversations are not your day-to-day general chitchat, they are your deep, genuine and fun late night conversations that spark a connection. Therefore, this kind of date night is a great way to reconnect, learn more about your partner and enjoy simply being in their company (even if it’s just over the phone). This date night is not one that should be underrated!
Feeling stuck and needing ideas for what to chat about? Don’t stress, we’ve got you covered!
If you’re looking for some good hearty debates or some light hearted chats, check out these conversation starters for couples. If you’re really take a deep dive into understanding your partner’s wants, needs, how they view themselves and more, these questions will be right up your alley. Or, if you are wanting to really understand your partner’s past, learn their values, their opinions about finances, their thoughts about your relationship and their future, these questions for couples will help you get the answers you seek.
Play Video Call Bingo
If you are going to have a whole night chatting and want to add in a fun game element to the conversation, you could try playing video call bingo. Create yourselves a 5×5 bingo board filled with things that your partner is likely to do while on the video call. You could fill your board with anything from your partner getting up and getting a snack, to biting their nails, to simply yawning or stretching. Slowly tick them off during the date and don’t forget to scream BINGO when you complete a line!
Want to make it more of a challenge? Try tick off the whole board during your video call.
Go On A Foodie Date
Even though you aren’t in the same location, you can still take your partner out for a meal. Whether you’re into breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, these dates are still accessible for you. Same goes for going out for coffee, a nice dessert or even something cute like a milkshake or ice-cream. The only difference is that you’ll have to share a meal together over video call- which can still make for a very nice and intimate date. Even a little lunch break date now and then can be a wonderful way to break up the work day and involve each other in your day to day lives more.
Or, if you aren’t feeling like going out for a meal, you could cook dinner together. Light some candles, crack open a bottle of wine and chat away as you cook a beautiful meal for yourselves (bonus points if you create the same dish). Then at the end of it you can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner together.
Watch A TV Show Together
Just because you are long distance does not mean you can’t be like non long distance couples and have a shared T.V. show that you binge together. Sure you may not be able to snuggle up on the same couch, but you can still curl up simultaneously and enjoy a good episode or two together. The great thing is that you can even use sites like Watch Party to watch an episode in sync. Watch Party even has features that allow you to be able to chat or videocall while your show is playing, so you can feel like your S.O. is right in the room with you.
Have A Games Night
A complete classic that should definitely not be overlooked is make your next date night a games night. While it is nice getting to sit and talk to your partner, it can also be a lot of fun to have an activity that you can do together while you call. This is where having a game you can play together is perfect. This sort of date is honestly ideal for long distance relationships. Whether you and your partner are into card games, video games, board games or puzzles- you’ll be able to find something that you can play and enjoy together.
Why not make it a double date or invite some friends to join in the games night? This a fantastic way to build relationships and stay connected with each others friends and keep being present in each others lives. Plus, you can then expand into the realm of multi-player games. Settlers of Catan anyone? Or how about a of Monopoly (at least in the online version nobody can flip the board 😅)?
Hop On A Virtual Tour Together
Ready to go on an adventure together and explore the world from the comfort of your own living rooms? Through the beauty of the internet, you have the opportunity to explore art galleries, museums and theme parks together. Alternatively, you can also take your partner on a date to the aquarium. Aquariums like Monterey Bay Aquarium provide live cams and narrated feedings for you to both tap into and enjoy. Or if art is your thing, you could stroll the hallways of the Louvre together and admire some infamous masterpieces.
You can even experience adrenaline activities and outdoor adventure tours together (how crazy is that!?). Virtual Journeys offers a wide range of virtual reality tours in New Zealand. You could find yourself on a famous New Zealand hike, cruising along in a 4WD, getting swept up in helicopter golfing, canyoning and everything in-between. Virtual Journeys has it all! So, get your hearts pumping and have a date night filled with adrenaline and adventure, all from the comfort of your own homes.
With so many tours to choose from. The world is literally your oyster!
Plan Your Next Holiday Together
There’s nothing more exciting than the prospect of going on holiday. Except for when that holiday also means that you get to see your partner again. It’s also always great having adventures to look forward to throughout the year. So pick an evening to settle down together over video call and get collectively researching!
Choose a date to depart, decide where you want to go and then start taking care of the logistics like accommodation, transport, what to see and do etc. The nice thing is that this could quite easily turn into multiple planning date nights for you to look forward to.
For more tips on planning your next romantic getaway, check out this post.
Send Each Other Surprise Deliveries
Order Each Other Take Out
Keen for a stay in and chill kind of date night? Then this date idea for long distance relationships is ideal for you.
Test out how well you know each other by hopping onto a food delivery service and getting each other’s favourite order delivered to your doors. Or, get your partner to try something new by ordering something they’ve never eaten before. The beauty of it is that you each get to be in control of what your partner receives and you both get the surprise of finding out what has been ordered for you. It’s a cheeky bit of fun, that can easily be combined with any of the other date ideas on this list to have an ultimate chill indoor date night!
Send Each Other Care Packages
Calling all couples that love to spoil each other with gifts! It’s time to create the perfect care package to send to your partner!
Getting a care package from your partner when you are apart is honestly such a nice feeling (believe me, I know). So, why not have a date night where you both create care packages to send each other. Get your boo on a video or audio call and head out on a wee mission to collect the supplies you need to create their ultimate care package for each other. You could fill it with all their favourite things, things you think they might be needing right now or things that remind you of them. You could also complete the package with a little hand made gift, a series of notes or some photos of you both to really give it a thoughtful and personalised touch.
Do Some Writing Together
Write Letters To Each Other
When was the last time you received a letter in the mail other than some sort of bill? Been a while I imagine. In the age of technology, receiving a hand written letter is a rarity. So, as old school as this may seem, this is such a cute idea for a long distance relationship.
Spend an evening writing letters together. Get yourself a beautiful personalised letter writing set, find some cute pens and get writing. You could even be a lil cutesy and spray your letter with your perfume or cologne to really add a personal touch and remind them of you. Then don’t forget to decorate your envelope (it’s always a cute touch). Decorate it with cute stickers and personalised doodles. You could even get your lipstick out and seal off your envelope with a kiss x
Then you get the joy of waiting for the mail to be delivered and the little burst of excitement you’ll get every time you go out to the mailbox hoping that your letter will have arrived.
Play A Creative Writing Game
If you’re wanting a fun story writing game to shake things up a bit, then check out this post. In this post under the unscripted narratives title, you’ll learn about a writing game that will unleash your creativity and leave you with some fun stories to read to each other once you’re finished. Are you ready for a literary adventure? Get ready to roll the dice and let your imagination run wild…
Create Open When Letters For Each Other
If words of affirmation is your love language, this is your time to shine!
Spend an evening together creating each other a gorgeous set of open when letters that can bring joy into each other’s lives even when you’re not physically present. Fill your envelopes with notes, photos, gifts, puzzles, treats or any other little surprises. Don’t be afraid to get creative with how you fill each envelop, and definitely don’t forget to decorate them!
Then when you next see each other in person you each have a thoughtful gift that you can exchange with each other. Or, if you really can’t wait that long, you can always design and customise your open when letters online and have them delivered for you.
Take Them On A Walk With You
Being on the phone for hours on end with your S.O. can mean a lot of sitting. If you’re anything like me, this will eventually result in a lot of restlessness and a serious lack of concentration. So to remedy this, rather than sitting at home and chatting for hours on end, I would definitely recommend getting active while you chat.
Pop in some AirPods or chuck on some headphones and go for a nice walk while you talk to your S.O. It gets you out of the house, gets you some fresh air and some exercise and it helps you focus on your conversation (win, win, win).
Digital Scrapbook
Time to get crafty… online.
Canva’s Digital Scrapbook Maker has so many templates and designs that can help you create a gorgeous digital scrapbook to hold all of your memories. All you need to do is insert your photos and play around with layouts till your hearts are content. The great thing is that you can spend the evening editing side by side. Canva allows multiple users to edit the same document at any one time (so no excuse, you can both contribute).
You could scrapbook about something cute like the first year if your relationship, or you could scrapbook about something completely random like the weirdest/funniest texts you have ever sent each other. Either way, scrapbooking is a great chance for you to reminisce in good memories together and encapsulate them so that they are not lost to time.
Create A Selfie Scavenger Hunt Challenge
Okay so a classic full out scavenger hunt with riddles, hidden clues and little surprises may be logistically difficult for a long distance relationship. However, you can still turn the concept of a scavenger hunt into a fun (and slightly competitive) date night idea that’ll be sure to get you out and about! All you need to do is to both create a list of things you want your partner to go out and find, and take selfies with. You could either have separate lists or you could race to complete the same list.
Here is an example of what a list might look like:
Once your lists are complete, send them through to each other and let the selfie scavenger hunt commence! First person to tick off all the items on the list and send their selfies through to the other person wins. Then they get to bask in the glory of being the selfie scavenger hunt champion (it comes with bragging rights 😜).
Learn A New Skill Together
Learning something new together is a powerful way to strengthen your skillset and strengthen your connection with your partner. It requires you to be vulnerable with each because you may not be very good at the skill to begin with and it may take a while for you to both master it. However, you get to experience a journey of growth together. You get to support through the ups and downs of learning something and really celebrate each other each step of the way. Plus, at the end of it, you get to have a skill or a passion that you both share and a whole heap of memories. This is great for helping to keep your relationship strong while you are apart.
You could start your journey on a platform like SkillShare, which has a number of different classes (and a one month free trial). Or, you can simply hop on YouTube and browse the extensive range of content there is to offer on basically any topic. Learn how to crochet, draw, do photography, play an instrument, cook, speak a new language, do tai chi…. you could literally learn anything together. This can be one off date night, or it can eventually become a date night that feeds into a shared hobby that you consistently do together (cute!).
Online Haunted House
The very last of our date ideas for a long distance relationship is for the couples that love to experience that uneasy, hair raising feeling that comes with exploring a haunted house. There are YouTube videos taking you on a walking tour of some of the world’s haunted mansions and virtual reality tours of haunted manors that are sure to leave you feeling unsettled. If the rush of experiencing a jump scare is right up your alley, there are fictional online escape room type of haunted houses that’ll be sure to satisfy that need. So next time Friday the 13th rolls around, be sure to have this spooky lil date night lined up 👻.
So, with all these great date ideas for a long distance relationship at the palm of your hand, there is absolutely no excuse not to enjoy a fun, slightly out of the ordinary date night with your partner!