Long-Distance Date Ideas that Keep Me Feeling Connected (and sane)

Long-distance can be one of the hardest, yet most beneficial stages of any relationship. My boyfriend and I had a period this year when he studied abroad for a semester, so not only were we thousands of miles apart, but we were also in separate time zones. When I was waking up to eat breakfast, he was already halfway through his day. 

This made it difficult to connect with each other, and I often felt lonely during the times we weren’t able to talk. I think it ultimately forced us to connect in different ways and be comfortable with ourselves. So long-distance doesn’t have to mean the end of your relationship or being committed to misery for months on end.  

We found ways to adjust our routine to ensure we were meeting each other’s needs. One of our favorite ways to do this was virtual dates that allowed us to carve out intentional time to spend together. 

Long-distance traveling: Plan your next visit

Having a plan for your next visit is the best way to boost your mood with a date to look forward to. While this may not always be possible depending on your situation, make the most of it when you can! You can mark the date on your calendar and make a plan for the time you’ll get to spend together. 

When I went to visit my boyfriend in Spain, we used Wanderlog to plan our travels and activities we’d get to do. I went to Europe for a week and a half, so we were able to visit London and the south of France while I was there. Not every trip needs to be (or even can be) this grand, so even just a day trip to a nearby town or a planned event in your city can make for an eventful visit. 

You can also use Canva to create invites or itineraries to add even more excitement to what might seem like an ordinary visit. As an art student, of course, I love creating cute graphics and flyers for any occasion. 

Movie night

This is one of the date ideas that was recommended to me often, but I struggled to find free services that would allow us to watch a movie together. Every time I signed up for an account to connect to Netflix “for free,” it magically makes me pay for a subscription before I can actually watch something. 

What we’ve found works best is using FaceTime and turning on a movie at the same time. It was a bit of a hassle at first, but that turned out to be the easiest (and only free) way to watch a movie or show together. We watched the full series of Ted Lasso this summer to prepare for the release of the new season. 

Make/order food together

Having a “dinner date” together can be tricky if you and your partner are separated by a time difference. When my boyfriend was in Spain, we were six hours apart. That actually ended up working out well because I would be making lunch as he was getting ready for dinner. We loved being on FaceTime while making meals and then sitting down “together” to eat. 

Another way to do this dinner date is to order food for each other, but this might be tricky with food delivery in other countries. My boyfriend has surprised me before by DoorDashing my favorite food for me for our virtual dates.

Write letters to EACH OTHER

This is something that my boyfriend and I have also done when we lived in the same city, and it’s been a great way for us to set goals for when we open the letters. When we’ve done long-distance, we’ve sent notes and written down thoughts to send to each other at a later time. This could even be as simple as scheduling texts when you know you won’t be able to text the other person. 

If you or your partner is abroad, you can collect postcards and write notes about your travels to give or mail to the other person. Maybe this also looks like keeping journals and writing little notes each day to exchange when you’re back in person together. This can be done as a FaceTime date with dedicated time to write notes, or it can be a daily exercise in connection that builds anticipation for your next visit.

canva scrapbooks

Canva is one of my favorite collaborative tools, and there are so many ways to turn this into a fun virtual date night. In the last month before my boyfriend came back, we created a summer bucket list with all of the activities we wanted to do together. 

This can also be great for compiling your favorite photos into a photo book or scrapbook that you can get printed. Not sure you have the creativity for a virtual craft night? Canva has thousands of templates that can help get you started. 

conclusion

Making sure you and your partner have intentional time to spend together on the phone is so important when you can’t physically be there together. Long-distance can be a challenging adjustment for a relationship, but it can also be a really beneficial time to connect in new ways. 

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