6 virtual date ideas to get you through lockdown

Looking to add a bit more fun to your virtual date night? Give one of these lockdown-friendly ideas a go.

Dating in the era of coronavirus is hard. Whether you’re in the early stages of dating someone or you’re separated from your partner as a result of the lockdown, virtual dating has quickly become the way of the world.

Of course, we’re incredibly lucky to live in a time where video-calling apps such as Zoom and FaceTime allow us to communicate easily with our loved ones – instead of taking a trip to a local bar or popping round their house for a drink, we can now jump on a video call and speak face-to-face within moments.

However, there’s only so much talking one can do before sitting on FaceTime for hours becomes kind of same-old – and that’s where this list of virtual date ideas comes in. 

Even though a date night over video call may not be quite the same as in person, it can still be a great way to spend time together (especially if you’re in those awkward first stages where conversation is less fluid) and add some fun to your relationship during these difficult times. 

Cook together

If you’d prefer not to splash the cash on a takeaway date, why not have a go at cooking together?

Simply pick a recipe (it could be one neither of you have tried before if you want to set yourselves a challenge) and get started. 

Not only do you then get to spend some quality time together and have a laugh when someone inevitably messes up, but your food will be ready at the exact same time, meaning you’ll be able to sit down and have a more conventional date afterwards. 

Order each other dinner

If your local restaurants are still delivering takeaways, why not mix things up and order a meal for each other? Sure, you could just order your own food and eat it at the same time over FaceTime, but there’s something extra cute about ordering a meal for your date.

All you need to do is set a budget, pick a restaurant (or not, if you want a real surprise) and get ordering – bon appetit!

Watch a film

Bring movie night online with Netflix Party, a chrome extension which allows you to watch a TV show or film with your date over the internet.

Forget the days when you had to click play at the exact same time or pause your screen because the other person’s was buffering: now, having a virtual movie night is as easy as pie.

Play an online game

Let your competitive streak run rabid by playing online games alongside your partner. The best bit? You can now play most games you’d play in real life online, including famous card games like Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens.

If you’ve both got a gaming console like a Nintendo Switch, you could play a number of your favourite games in online mode including Animal Crossing (you can visit each other’s islands, it’s incredibly cute) and Mario Kart.

Try 36 questions

Dive straight into the deep end and put the science to the test by playing the 36 questions game. Based on a study by psychologist Arthur Aron (and others), the 36 questions are broken up into three sets and gradually get more personal. They were designed to test whether intimacy between two strangers can be accelerated when you ask personal questions. 

If you’re feeling brave enough, why not give it a go? It’s all in the name of science, after all… 

Go for a walk together

Although holding hands and going for an evening stroll is no longer on the agenda, getting out of the house (within government guidelines, of course) and speaking over the phone is a great way to get the conversation flowing.

You could even take it in terms to narrate everything that’s going on around you.

Images: Unsplash

Source: Read Full Article