Need some online date night ideas? Check out these 50 virtual date night ideas we’ve curated just for long distance couples like you.
Long-distance is tough and you might be running out of ideas for dates that don’t involve you sitting on the phone and talking every time. It’s important to maintain good communication, but you’re also allowed to have fun together and interact in other, new ways.
These 50 tips will give you plenty of ideas on how you can make your next virtual date night affordable, fun, and memorable.
This post is all about online date night ideas.
ONLINE DATE NIGHT IDEAS:
1. Share ghost stories with the lights off
Get under your blankets, video chat or phone call, and turn off the lights. Share your best ghost stories or, better yet, find some online. You’re guaranteed to find some creepy ones that will make you glad you’re on a video call.
2. Plan a long-distance movie night
Pop your popcorn and forage for some snacks to complete the night. Choose something at random or the first movie on your watchlist. Hit play at the same time or use a tool to watch together on your computers.
3. Find video games to play over video chat
Do a little research to find the best online games for your weekly date night. Ask your partner what they like to play and find something that will work for both of you. There’s no better way to have fun with your partner than from the comfort of your own home.
4. Visit local animal shelters and socialize with the animals over video chat
While it may not be the most obvious romantic evening idea, you and your partner can spend some quality time together while you pet animals in different parts of the world. Whether you’re two hours away or two days away, the two of you can visit your local shelters and pet some cute cats and dogs. But, beware, you might come home with one.
5. Get together with another long-distance couple for a double date
Misery loves company, especially when you’re missing the physical touch of your partner. Find another long-distance couple that understands what you two are feeling and go on a date with them. Order some food or just set up a time to chat together via video chat. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel after you talk to people who understand you.
6. Join free online cooking classes together
Get out of your comfort zone and start cooking. There are plenty of options online to make this a fun way to have a good laugh on date night. Go to the grocery store to pick up your ingredients and go home to video chat and cook along with the online class you’re following. The best part is that you get to end the night by eating together.
7. Do a remote scavenger hunt
Plan it out, so you’re both ready. You can use an online game that already has it set up or you can make up the rules for yourselves. This is a great way to find some interesting facts about the place where your partner lives, even if every clue can be found in their living room.
8. Watch the actual movie Date Night
Who wouldn’t want to watch a number of unsavoury characters try to spice up date night with romantic date night ideas?
Get drawn in by the uneasy blend of action in New York City while a mob boss (Mark Wahlberg and Ray Liotta) messes with the lives of Claire and Phil Foster, played by Tina Fey and Steve Carell, the male lead.
Suddenly, their night out to a trendy Manhattan bistro goes from a bored married couple’s attempt to bring back the spark to a couple of thieves and a case of mistaken identity.
9. Make a playlist of your favorite songs and share them
Creating a playlist is one of the most creative ideas and it’s also one of the best free date ideas. You can use your music streaming service of choice and create a playlist you can listen to live with your partner.
Take this date to the next level and listen to it on your own. That way, when you meet up for one of your regular date nights, you’ll be ready to tell them how much you loved the songs they picked out for you.
10. Scour YouTube for food tours of your favorite cities
Look up a cute, popular city with the words “food tour” next to it. You’ll find tons of videos ready to make for the best fun date nights. They get even better if you go to the store to find the foods you see in the video and try them as the video talks about them.
11. Take your partner to your local park and visit theirs
For those days you want a chill, enjoyable day of sitting in the fresh air and people-watching, this is the fun date night idea for you. Bring your partner and a snack with you as you both go to parks near you.
You can chat about your day, show them around your park, and talk to each other in a new environment. If you’re brave and great at multitasking, you could even video chat while you go for a bike ride in your neighborhood.
12. Order takeout from your go-to restaurants and eat together
On those nights you don’t feel like cooking, order some takeout from your favorite restaurants and talk while you eat dinner.
When you’re in a long distance relationship, these small moments are going to create your favorite memories. You can still enjoy the mundane, little things in your relationship no matter how far apart you are.
13. Turn on your favorite TV show
Watch your favorite show together and live-react. There’s no better feeling than ranting at the stupid decisions people make in shows and ending the long rant with a good laugh. It can be nice to change up your virtual date ideas, so the two of you continue having a great time together.
14. Go through old photos on your phone
Scroll through the timeless gems that you don’t look at anymore. Talk through the stories behind each of the images. Bonus points if you show them the embarrassing ones from when you were a kid.
15. Try out different streaming services to find the perfect movie
Finding free movies can be annoying if you don’t have access to streaming services. But it’s not impossible.
The best ways to find free movies are to sign up for free trials that you cancel before you get to the end of it. Look through the streaming services you have to find the perfect romantic movies or a cute night in.
16. Video chat with your partner at a local museum
Make this into one of your cute date ideas by setting rules. Since you’re not supposed to talk in a museum out of respect for the other museum visitors, make it a rule that you can’t talk until you leave.
Then, compare notes. Ask questions like what did enjoy the most, what art spoke to you, and what exhibit was your least favorite.
17. Go on virtual museum tours
If a quiet museum isn’t your style, this is your sign to try out a virtual museum tour (there are tons of free options out there). Explore it while you video chat and talk about how much you love or hate the exhibits like you’re ready to publish your opinions in the New York Times.
18. Visit your local library and pick out a book to read to each other
Surprise each other with books you think they’ll like. Maybe you choose a book that is riveting and one of the best things you’ve read or one that’s guaranteed to be so much fun when you read it out loud. Either way, you get to act like a couple of thieves and share your treasures.
19. Find online board games you get to play against each other
The odds are you can find the game you like to play in real life is also online. There are plenty of free online versions of games that you can play to replicate a board game you’d play if that person were sitting right next to you at the table.
20. Sign on for a calm, no-frills video chat
You don’t always have to plan out an extravagant date to enjoy some partner love. Remember that the romantic date night idea might just be you two talking and enjoying each other’s company. There’s nothing wrong with staying in your comfort zone for the night.
21. Eat ice cream together while you’re on the phone
Bond over a pint of ice cream. Get your favorite flavor from the store and pair it with conversation or even a good movie and TV series. Do it the way you and your partner feel the closest in your long-distance relationship.
22. Cook a new recipe at the same time
Find a recipe you two will both (hopefully) enjoy eating even if you can’t cook. Follow the instructions and you’ll be surprised at how good of a job you and your partner are at making a delicious meal. The goal is to enjoy each other have make this fun.
23. Go down memory lane and reminisce about your favorite memories together
Talk about your favorite memories together. Use social media as a jumping-off point if you can’t narrow it down. You could even go through some old texts to see how awkward you two were when you first got together.
If you’re brave, talk through your first date and what you thought of each other the first time you saw each other.
24. Play truth or dare
Have fun and learn about each other. Ask questions you never ask and dare them to do fun or spicy things. This is a great way get shake up your virtual dates and try something you don’t usually do (especially in person).
25. Make a dinner reservation in each of your cities and go via video chat
Go eat. It’ll be your last name, party of one, but you’ll be video chatting with your partner, who will be doing the same thing in another place.
Timezones might get a little complicated for this one if one of your dinner times is too different. But, it’s an excuse to get creative and enjoy some good food in a restaurant together even though you’re apart.
26. Learn about yourselves with tarot cards
Get some real-life tarot cards or get a free reading on the internet. Either way, you and your partner will enjoy some laughs while also reflecting on your lives. Somehow, tarot cards always seem applicable to our lives even if we don’t want to admit it.
26. Get a bottle of wine from the grocery store and do a virtual tasting
Go to the store and get some wine. It won’t be the same as going to a wine tasting and getting to sample a couple of different kinds, but it’s never a bad idea to drink wine with your partner.
So, get a bottle that you like or that you’ve never tried and go home to research it. Learn about the bottle with your partner and look up theirs. You can even watch a video that teaches you how to do it right.
27. Take a virtual tour and test each other
Go on a virtual tour somewhere and test yourselves. Make sure your partner was paying attention by quizzing them on what you saw. A lot of websites have built-in quizzes to make this all the more fun.
28. Go on Zillow and look for your dream home
One of the best virtual date night ideas is looking for homes you’d never buy. Sure, you can spend this time somewhat productively to find homes you might one day afford.
But, the fun way of doing it is finding places you’d never be able to buy and counting how many pools they have. Bonus points if you find more than two elevators.
29. Watch a TedTalk together
Do yourself a favor and watch one right now if you’re hesitant. You will get something out of just about every TedTalk there is, so find one to watch with your partner.
This can be a one-and-done situation if you’re not mind-blown by the end. But, there’s something very attractive about watching your partner geek out on something, so we recommend trying it.
30. Take a free online course together
There are lots of free, quality courses available to you online. If you’re interested in learning just for the sake of learning and you and your partner share that interest, this is a great idea for you two. You can find courses from schools like Harvard, Stanford, and more.
31. Try those foods you or your partner hated as kids
Try those foods again. You may still hate the foods you hated when you were younger, but at least you can say that tried them again to make sure. This is a fun activity to get you and your partner a little out of your comfort zone just enough to have a good laugh about it.
32. Meditate over video chat
Whether you’re having a stressful day or you’re just integrating self-care into your lives, meditation is a way to bring yourselves together. Not only do you get to explore something meaningful and deeply personal, but you get to do it together and strengthen your bond.
33. Surprise them with a delivery of their favorite takeout
Order their favorite meal from their favorite restaurant without telling them. You might double-check that they get it from the front door if they are the type of person who doesn’t like to answer the doorbell. Then, eat with them and watch them enjoy the food they love.
34. Host a virtual happy hour where you two make drinks
Make some drinks, virgin or alcoholic, and socialize while you drink. You can even make the process of mixing drinks into one of your fun date ideas to have a few laughs before you settle down. Talk about your day, rant about your coworker, and ask your partner about how they’re doing.
35. Attempt a virtual escape room
Find a virtual escape room online and try it together. Don’t set your hopes too high because they can be challenging. If you’re the super competitive type, remind yourself this is all about having fun and bonding in a new way.
36. Take quizzes to find out which type of bread you are
As silly as online quizzes can be, they usually do say something about you. It’s fun to find out which character you are from your favorite TV or which type of vintage candy you most represent. If you’re brave enough, you could try and create your own quiz together.
37. Pick a random object to share with your partner
Throw it back to the days of show and tell where you grab an object and talk about it. This is much more fun when you show your partner your room and have them select something for you.
It could be as simple as “I got this at the store because I needed one.” When it is, take turns going a few more times.
38. Put on your favorite throwback songs and dance
There’s nothing like recreating a dance party from every date night movie ever. So, pull up a playlist and start blasting it to dance. Set your device down somewhere to show every dance move and dance to the beat of the music. Let loose and enjoy this time with your partner.
39. Grab art supplies from a craft store and create
Raid a craft store and let all of your creative ideas come out. You can create a gift for your partner or create art worthy of the wall or that place in the closet where no one will ever find it. Either way, keep judgment out of this date and create whatever you want. You can do a dramatic reveal at the end if you want to spice things up.
40. Tune into animal cameras from zoos around the world
Watch animals wake up, walk around, and interact with each other. You’ll find yourselves fawning over these cuties as they do their thing. This is a great way to spend some time together without actively having to talk or fill the silence.
41. Find a photo album and go through each picture
Go old school with a photo album and talk through each picture. Show them the good, the bad, and the adorable. You might even get to show them a picture of your extended family members to make them feel that much more connected to you.
42. Take the Myers-Briggs personality test
Test out your compatibility by figuring out your four-letter personality. We’re kidding about the compatibility part, but it’s still interesting to find out how this tried and true test with psychological research behind it can reveal a lot about you.
43. Stream a virtual concert
Attend a virtual, free concert with your partner. Dance wildly in your room or sway back and forth to the music, depending on what your genre is. There are tons of options online for you, so do a deep dive to find the kind of music you two like.
44. Create a presentation for a topic you care about and share it
No matter how much you love each other, there are topics that each of you likes more than the other. You specialize in certain areas the other person could probably not care less about. The good news is you get to share your favorite topic with your partner. While they won’t care about the topic, they’ll love to see you get in the zone.
45. Video chat while you two are asleep (and plug your devices in)
There’s no shame in missing the small things. When you’re apart, you don’t remember how it feels to sleep next to the person, listen to them sleep, or just feel their presence off of the video chat.
Luckily, there’s a fix. It’s not going to be super creative or one of the most fun date ideas, but it’s only designed to be comforting. So, call or video chat while you sleep.
46. Participate in free, online dance classes
Learn to do the tango or ballroom dancing through an online class. Do the thing you’ve always wanted to do and do it for free, online, with your partner. The best part is that you two are the only ones who can judge each other.
One day, you can do it in person when you live in the same town again. But, for now, you can pop it and lock it with just the two of you to see while you learn together.
47. Tour government buildings in both of your cities
Go on tours of buildings in your countries and cities. You can find videos online or even walk-throughs that have been created specifically for citizens to look through. Touring the state capitol building may not be the most glamorous, but don’t sleep on it as something interesting to break up your routine.
48. Exchange childhood movies and watch them together
Watch the movie that made your partner who they are. These are the movies they watched when they were a kid and they stuck with them enough to share with you. So, be sure to ask what makes the movie so meaningful to them. You might be able to find free movies if your childhood picks are old enough, especially if you can’t find them on streaming services.
49. Create a bucket list together
Make a list of activities you want to do together. These activities can be when you meet up again or anytime when you two are long-distance. They can be as simple as playing Jackbox games together or as complex as flying to another country. Have fun, and be creative, but also be honest about the activities you want to make sure you do with your partner.
50. Talk through your financial goals together
You don’t have to be one of the married couples you see on TV to talk about finances. Talk about it now and talk about it three months.
If you two see a future together, you should plan like you two will one day share finances. Whether you share a bank account or not, it’s important to talk about your financial goals and how you’re working on achieving them.
