GOING THE DISTANCE: 15 VIRTUAL DATES DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING

We all thought dating was hard enough… then COVID-19 stepped onto the world stage. Whether it’s a first date or fifth, the global pandemic has thrown quite the wrench into the dating scene. Zoom date, party of two? No thanks. But we won’t leave you hanging!

HERE ARE 15 VIRTUAL DATES TO KEEP THE FLAME ALIVE, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE APART. 

1. Are you both concert or festival-goers? These are dire times for both! Stream a past concert or show, and feel like you’re in the audience together. This is a great jumping-off point for adding future shows to your bucket list together or learning about each other’s music preferences. Some of these shows are a part of history, showcasing talent that is no longer touring. Living room dance party? Yes, please!

    

2. Take a tour of a faraway museum, monument, or zoo. Technology is allowing us to see sights like the Sistine Chapel and the Monterey Bay Aquarium from the comfort of our homes. Together, you can share the memory of seeing something for the first time, while making a plan to see it someday in real life.

    

3. Do dinner, delivered, by each other. Each of you will order dinner for the other. There are two main approaches--you can either order your favorite for your date or take your best guess of what would be their favorite. You might find you don’t know their tastes as well as you thought!

    

4. Get intimate with a personalized tour of your home or your apartment. We don’t mean bring your computer from room to room. That’d be too easy! Instead, get curious about each other’s home life, asking questions like what room do you spend the most time in, what piece of furniture was your first purchase in your twenties, what shirt in your closet have you owned the longest...get creative with this virtual show and tell! Bonus points if you have photos or scrapbooks that you can go through. Baby pics #ftw!

    

5. Teacher time! Channel your inner teacher and think of a topic you know well. Take turns instructing each other on a silly or serious subject that you feel you are a self-proclaimed “expert” on. Whether it’s how to make the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich or what you believe to be the proper way to organize a DVD collection, entertain each other and earn some laughs or street cred.

    

6. Have you brushed up on your cooking skills in quarantine? Maybe even learned to cook something new? We challenge you to cook with your partner, while apart. You’ll be tested to compromise when selecting a recipe, and you won’t step on each other’s toes in the kitchen. Food is great at bringing people together and stirring up romance. Want a challenge? Take an online cooking class together!

    

7. Take your date on a virtual tour of your hometown (if you’re not from the same town, that is). Share your computer screen and pull up Google maps, showing him the places that played a role in who you are: the house you grew up in, the school you went to, where you had your first job, the street you first rode a bike on, etc. Get really descriptive about these places or use Google earth to bring it all to life, as you showcase where you come from. Break out the old Facebook photos and use those to show each other your memories in your fave places!

    

8. There’s never been a better time to explore your palates and wine preferences with your partner. Most wine experts will tell you, there are no wrong flavors to identify in wine, it’s super subjective to your individual palate. Once both of you have picked up the same bottles of wine, start sipping. Take turns describing to each other the scents, tastes, and textures of each wine. You might be surprised where your palates align. Not sure where to start? Book a virtual wine tasting with our Flame speaker, Sam the Sommelier! 

    

9. Who’s more competitive? Find out by challenging each other to an online game. Today you can find many classic board games online--from Clue to Monopoly and Battleship to Scrabble. Whether you’re after something lighthearted or a test of strategy, there’s an online game you’ll both be excited to play together. 

    

10. If you’re looking to get deep with your date, take them through 36 Questions that might make you fall in love. These probing questions skip the small talk and cause you and your date to consider deeper topics that you might not otherwise land on in your conversation. It can take the pressure off a virtual date by having a list of questions to turn to.

     

11. There are three things many couples butt heads on: books, movies, and music. So create an exchange and talk about it! Assign a book for your partner to read that they normally wouldn’t, create a playlist of music you love for them to listen to, or have them watch a movie that has a special place in your heart. After you’ve each completed your assignment, hop online to chat about it. You might just find some common ground!

     

12. For something that requires 100% commitment from you both: try a themed dinner date. Go all out and think of a far-off destination you both would rather be traveling to right now (Paris, please?!). Then, take that theme and run with it. Set the scene with a Zoom background inspired by the destination, dress like you’re there, and make or order in a multi-course dinner fitting that country’s cuisine.

     

13. Are you an artist at heart? Time to test it out! Set a ten-minute timer for you and your date, and attempt to draw a portrait of each other. Ok, so maybe it comes out more like a caricature, but it’s sure to cause a few laughs! Bonus points if you exchange the final pieces via snail mail for a lasting memento. 

     

14. Netflix and chill? Quarantine quickly became synonymous with binge-watching television shows for many of us this spring. Pick a new show that neither of you has watched, and binge away, but at the same pace. That’s right, decide if you’re going to do one, two, or even three episodes per week, and stay on track together as you move through the season or series. Recapping your thoughts together after each week or episode will definitely lead to some unexpected conversations. 

     

15. Keep up with your June fuel goals with a virtual workout! If fitness is something you both value, it can be fun to try a virtual workout class or challenge that neither of you is familiar with. Sweat together, without the smell--it’s a win-win! 

     

We know times are tough, girl. But hang in there! Charge up that phone or computer battery, minimize your background noise, and get ready to test your connection (on your Wi-Fi and with your date!). If your dating life can survive social distancing, it’s likely to go a whole lot further in real life!