Long Distance Date Ideas
Being in a long distance relationship can be tough, and is a common woe of many college relationships. Wanting to spend time with the person you love, but only having a few trips a year (or less) to see them in person is sad and can feel lonely at times, despite them only being a phone call away. Here are some date night (or day!) ideas to help you and your significant other still spend time together and set aside time dedicated to each other and your relationship. These are all affordable and convenient ways to spend time with your other half, and help the time pass a little quicker until you see them again.
- Find a show or movie to watch together virtually
Browse the streaming platforms you both have, pick out a show or movie you’re both interested in watching, and watch together on FaceTime! If one of you turns up the volume, and the other puts on captions, it works perfectly— just line up the timing, and enjoy the show. It sounds like a lot of steps, but based on experience, it’s a fun way to spend time with the person you love, and allows you to give commentary as if you’re watching it in the same room. It’s also a great way to knock movies and shows off that watch list!
- Order each other dinner
Pick out dinner for each other, get them a new cuisine they’ve wanted to try, or order them the meal they’ve been craving, and have a virtual dinner date together on a video call. It’s a sweet way to set aside time to spend together— you both need to make time to eat dinner anyway, and you’ll be able to slow down, chat, and spend some time together over a meal that feels a little more special because of who ordered it for you.
- Find a game or app to play
Game night is always a fun date, and it doesn’t have to wait until your next in-person time seeing each other. There are a ton of virtual games and apps that let you play together; even Game Pigeon on iMessages has fun games that you can play with a few spare moments throughout the day, or on FaceTime together. There might even be a virtual version of your favorite date night board game!
- Try a new recipe together
Cooking together is another awesome date that doesn’t have to stop because of distance! Pick out a recipe you both want to try, set up a time to call, and chef up some comfort food together. It’s another version of a virtual dinner date, but one that gives you a little more time together and allows for you both to be creative and see whose meal turned out better! Plus, it’ll give you a new meal to make together the next time you’re in person, since you’ll both know if you like it and how to make it.
- Plan a trip
That destination you two have always wanted to visit together? On a night when you both feel relaxed and inspired, plan out the hypotheticals! Which hotels look luxurious? Which beaches or cities would you visit, and which restaurants have the best reviews? If you could do absolutely anything at that destination, what would it be? It’s fun to think ahead and plan the big trip you’ve always wanted as a couple, and it’s a great way to spend a few hours laughing and talking about it with your significant other.
- Have a Pinterest night
Create a board for anything you want— house inspiration, date night ideas, foods to try together, places you’ve visited together or want to see someday. Invite the other person to be a collaborator on the board, and add your own interpretations of the theme, or create your own boards and then swap them and see how the other person envisions the same thing. This is also a fun way to get to know your person better, and see how they visualize things like home inspiration that can be hard to put into words.