As a relationship coach who has worked with numerous couples in long-distance relationships, I understand firsthand how challenging it can be to maintain intimacy and romance across the miles. My clients often feel like the distance is slowly dimming the spark between them and their partner.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! With some creativity and intention, you can absolutely nurture your bond and keep the fire burning, even from afar. In my experience coaching long-distance couples, I’ve found that planning regular date nights is absolutely essential for staying connected.
That’s why I’ve put together this ultimate guide of 28 fun, creative long-distance date ideas for couples. Consider it your one-stop shop for inspiration on how to have meaningful quality time with your partner, no matter the geographical divide between you.
Virtual Game Nights
Game nights are a fun and interactive way to spend time together, even from miles away! With so many digital options nowadays, you and your partner can battle it out in everything from classic board games like Monopoly and Scrabble to more fast-paced video games.
To up the ante, you can even get competitive and wager rewards or dares for the winner. Just remember to keep the spirit light and focus more on having fun together than on who wins. Laughter and enjoyment will bring you closer.
Read Love Letters
Exchanging old-fashioned love letters is a beautifully romantic and intimate way to connect. The act of putting pen to paper and pouring your heart out allows you to express yourself in a way digital communication doesn’t quite capture.
On your next video date, try taking turns reading the love letters you wrote for one another. Hearing your partner’s voice as they profess their adoration is sure to make you feel extra close.
Virtual Museum Tours
For the culture vultures out there, visiting a museum virtually together makes for a wonderfully engaging date night! With so many institutions now offering online tours, you and your partner can roam the halls of art galleries and museums anywhere in the world.
Discuss the pieces you find most fascinating, or even curate a personalized exhibition for each other of your favorite works. It’s a lovely way to bond over your shared interests.
Custom Photo Album
Looking back on cherished memories together is a surefire way to unite as a couple. Create a shared digital photo album filled with meaningful moments and inside jokes from your relationship.
You can even mail printed copies to each other as gifts! Having a tangible album to hold and flip through will feel wonderfully nostalgic.
Outdoor Adventure Dates
Don’t let the distance stop you from enjoying the great outdoors together! On nice days, head to a scenic park, trail, or botanical garden near you and bring your partner along via video call. Describe the sights and sounds as you explore, pausing so they can show you their surroundings too.
It’s not quite the same as an in-person stroll, but sharing a bit of your daily life helps you feel connected.
Cook the Same Meal
Food is love, and cooking is an act of care. Before your date, exchange favorite recipes and ingredients lists so you can cook the same dish “together” while video chatting.
Guide each other through the steps, ask for advice, and enjoy your culinary creations side by side for a virtual dinner date. It’s intimate, collaborative, and delicious!
Language Lessons
Learning something new together is a fun way to bond. Choose a language you’ve both been wanting to pick up and schedule regular virtual lessons. Spanish, French, Italian – the options are endless!
Practice conversing with each other as you improve, and make plans to visit a country where your new language is spoken. You’ll love reminiscing about your lessons once you finally get to put your skills to use!
Long-Distance Workouts
Working out alone can be tough, but exercising together makes it much more motivating and enjoyable. Schedule regular virtual workout sessions to get your sweat on side by side!
You can find endless workout videos online to do together, or simply hop on a video call and talk each other through your routines. Staying active and achieving fitness goals will bring you closer as a couple.
Share Music Playlists
Music speaks to the soul in such a unique way. Exchange Spotify playlists packed with songs that make you think of one another.
Introduce each other to new artists and tracks you love. You’ll learn so much about your partner’s tastes and emotions through the songs they share. Plus, you’ll have the perfect background listening for all your future dates!
Virtual Psychic Readings
For something amusing and out of the ordinary, visit a virtual psychic medium together! Suspend your disbelief and embrace the experience as they give you readings and make predictions.
You’re sure to have fun, and the experience might even spark introspective conversations between you and your partner about your hopes, dreams and fears. Really tune in to each other.
Online Trivia Games
Game on with a battle of the brains! Online trivia games are a stellar way to have some friendly competition while learning more about how each other’s minds work.
See who knows more about history, pop culture, science or whatever topics pique your interest. Laughter and playful banter are guaranteed when you go head to head in a quiz showdown.
DIY Crafts
Doing arts and crafts side by side is tremendously relaxing and a great creative outlet for couples. Stock up on paints, clay, markers, glue – anything you can craft with!
Hop on a video call to work on your masterpieces together. Share tips and encouragement as your projects take shape. You’ll have lovely reminders of your quality time once your creations are complete.
Stargazing
Stargazing is such a romantic activity for couples, but distance needn’t stop you from enjoying it together. Head outdoors when the sky is clear, get cozy and comfortable, and point your cameras to the heavens.
Identify constellations, spot satellites, watch for shooting stars and bask under the same beautiful celestial display as your love, even from afar. You’ll feel profoundly connected.
Virtual Concerts
Music unites us! Many beloved musicians are now live streaming or recording virtual concerts in lieu of touring. Look up your favorite artist’s website to see if they have any upcoming online shows.
Many are free or very low cost. Then cozy up and enjoy the show together as if you were side by side in the audience. Nothing beats experiencing beautiful music as one.
Long-Distance Book Club
Reading together fosters wonderful shared experiences and intellectually stimulating discussions. Choose books you’re both excited to dive into and set a virtual book club date to chat when you finish each one.
You might opt for romance novels to get inspired or literary fiction to explore humanity. Dissecting characters, plots and themes will bring you mental and emotional closeness.
Online Wine Tastings
Let your taste buds unite you! Many wineries and wine sellers now offer virtual tastings hosted over Zoom. You’ll learn the nuances of different varietals as you sample and compare wines side by side.
Chat about your impressions, favorites and pairing ideas. An at-home tasting feels wonderfully luxurious and is sure to enhance your video dates and arouse your senses.
Guided Meditations
Sometimes it’s the quiet moments that connect us most profoundly. Set aside time to practice mindfulness together by following recorded guided meditations while video chatting.
Close your eyes, focus on your breathing and let the soothing voice transport you to serenity. Synchronizing your hearts and minds is deeply intimate. You’ll feel centered and at peace.
Journal Together
Journaling allows you to crystallize your thoughts and share your inner world with your partner. Invest in beautiful notebooks and pens to make the practice feel special. During video calls, spend time writing reflections, poetry, song lyrics – anything!
When you finish a page, hold it up to the camera and read it aloud. The honesty and intimacy will bring you closer than ever.
Play “Never Have I Ever”
This classic drinking game gets the good vibes flowing! Pour yourselves a drink and take turns making “Never have I ever…” statements about lighthearted topics like travel, food, pop culture etc.
If the statement applies to you, take a sip of your drink. It’s fun, flirty and often leads to surprised reactions as you realize how much you still have to learn about each other!
Take Virtual Couples Quizzes
Exploring your relationship dynamics is endlessly fascinating when you’re building a life together. Seek out virtual quizzes designed specifically for couples.
Cover topics like communication styles, conflict resolution, physical intimacy, division of household duties and more. The insights will help you navigate challenges seamlessly and strengthen your bond.
Plan A Post-Pandemic Trip
Having an exciting trip to look forward to infuses a relationship with energy and vitality. Research destinations, browse Airbnbs, start pinning ideas to a shared Pinterest board.
Dreaming up future adventures together is half the fun! Brainstorming all the details will help you both feel hopeful and give you sweet daydreams.
Custom Snack Boxes
Receiving mail is always a delight, so surprise your partner with a personalized care package! Fill it with their favorite treats and small gifts like their beloved candy bar, a bag of gourmet coffee, a candle in their signature scent.
Seeing how well you know them will make your partner feel so special. Watch their eyes light up as they open it.
Netflix Watch Party
Make movie and TV show streaming feel more like your normal cuddle sessions with Netflix’s Watch Party extension! It synchronizes your playback so you can laugh, swoon and cry together in real time.
You can even chat within the stream while you tune in. It’s the next best thing to actually being on the couch beside your love.
Do Puzzles “Together”
Working on a jigsaw puzzle “together” may seem impossible from a distance, but it can totally be done! Start the same puzzle separately while video chatting.
Verbalize your approach, ask for your partner’s input, celebrate when you find corner/edge pieces. You’ll feel like you’re sitting at the same table, assembling it cooperatively.
Virtual Dance Party
Cut loose and have an exuberant dance party in the comfort of your own homes! Crank up a fun playlist and let your bodies move to the beat during a FaceTime date. Silly moves encouraged!
Laughter and playfulness will take you to a place of childlike joy. You’ll learn new ways to have fun and be silly with each other.
Online Couples Counseling
Seeking guidance from a therapist can enrich even the healthiest relationships. Online counseling makes this convenient and accessible for long-distance couples. Having productive conversations with a neutral third party gives valuable perspective.
Prioritize your virtual sessions just as you would in-person appointments. The tools you gain will serve you far beyond the current long-distance chapter.
Write Letters About the Future
Sit down separately and imagine your wildest dreams coming true someday – then describe it all in a letter to your partner. Read each other’s letters during your next video date.
Hearing your partner’s innermost hopes will feel vulnerable and incredibly bonding. You’ll gain insight about what really matters most to them.
Mad Libs Storytime
Recapture the giggles and goofiness of your early days with a round of Mad Libs! For those unfamiliar, you create silly stories by filling in blanks with random nouns, verbs, adjectives etc. without knowing the context.
Your partner supplies words for your story, then you supply words for theirs. Reading the hilariously nonsensical results out loud to each other guarantees fits of laughter!
The Newlywed Game
Test how well you really know each other with a virtual version of the classic Newlywed Game! Prepare lists of questions about your partner’s preferences that they’ll answer privately – favorite food, celebrity crush, etc.
Then try to guess how they answered. It’s endearingly fun to learn new quirks and create inside jokes as you poke fun at each other’s responses. Laughter truly brings us closer.
Long-Distance Charades
This childhood favorite translates perfectly to video dates! Take turns acting out books, movies, songs etc. while your partner guesses based on your hilarious silent theatrics.
You’re sure to learn amusing new things about how your partner thinks. And it feels great to be silly and let your inner child shine through.
Spice Things Up
While I don’t take a stance on whether to pursue intimacy over video chat, I know it’s a way many long-distance couples bridge the physical gap. Discuss your comfort levels openly and don’t feel obligated.
But if you do want to get steamy from afar, fun accessories like remote-control toys can allow you to be playful and connected. Get creative with ways to wow each other!
Final Thoughts
Above all, know that it’s possible to have an incredibly strong, romantic relationship from miles away. With concerted effort, empathy and mutual understanding, the distance itself can even bring you closer as you get creative in nurturing intimacy.
May these date ideas inspire you as you continue loving boldly. Stay present, optimistic and cherish each moment you’re able to steal together, even virtually. The flame between you has no geographic limits.
