Great for first encounters, friends, and partners⌠even your mom!
By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor
The word âdateâ has a heavy, often romantic implicationâbut it doesnât have to! The important part of âdatingâ is ensuring you and someone youâre interested in having a relationship withâromantic or otherwiseâspend quality time together. So, whether youâve run out of quarantine-safe date ideas to keep your long-term relationship fresh, or youâre bonding with your mom or initiating contact with a friend from an app, hereâs a list of great quarantine-safe date ideas. And the best part is, all of these ideas work great for long distance relationships and friendships too!
Coffee & Walk
Grab some coffee and go for a socially distanced walk together! Use this opportunity to ask each other questions or play ice breaker games while getting some exercise; fresh air always helps set a positive tone to any day. As a bonus, if you didnât already know it, now you know how your walking companion takes their coffee.
Video chat dinner
This one is fun for long-distance: start up the FaceTime or a Zoom call when you both get to the grocery store and shop together, collaborating on the dish youâre gonna make and the ingredients youâll need. (Make sure to say goodbye for now so you can both safely get home). When youâre both settled into your respective kitchens, start up the video call again and guide each other through the recipe, while chatting and getting to know one another better. Then compare the results of your dinners before digging in.
Plan vacations using Google Maps
Who isnât itching to get back out there and travel?! So, when to plan a vacation together using Google Maps? Hit the âfeeling luckyâ button and see where Google suggests. Then, do a little research and swap photos, events, locations, accommodations, and more! Using Google Street View can make it feel like youâre already there.
Care packages
Why not put together packages full of the recipientâs favourite things, or things that remind you of them and mail it to them? Or, if itâs possible, deliver it in person and leave it outside their door. This not only shows you care, but itâll also add a little excitement to their day to receive some mail. As a bonus, you could start a joint journal together to keep more in touch and share your thoughts and ideas.
Watch a show or movie together
Netflix Party, Zoom screen share, and TwoSeven are designed to help you sync up your video content and give you a chat box to react to whatever youâre watching together. Pop some popcorn, bring out the Twizzlers, and pop in a comedy, or a romantic movie!
Paint or draw each other
Use your phone screen as a picture, study it, and draw each other! Then show off your mad portrait skills. Go one step further and add your drawing to each otherâs care packages.
Cocktail experimentation
Try out some new cocktail recipes and have some fun sampling them along the way! Why not create some fun drinking games and get to know each other in a new way.
Rent a hotel room
If youâre more interested in in-person âdates,â why not rent a hotel room together and watch movies or cable TV while ordering room service? You can bring crafts, boardgames, and drinks too!
Scavenger hunt
Take turns planning epic scavenger hunts around the city. Carefully plan out all the pitstops and leave hints that only the two of you would know to look for. Keep in mind what the prize at the end will be. Remember to keep covid protocols in mind and donât leave any hints inside stores with reduced hours or with those who donât want to participate.