After taking a required Intro to Psychology course as an undergrad, I have never looked back. Since my doctoral program, I have specialized in adult relationship therapy. Through my studies and clinicals, I wrote several articles for professional journals and currently in the midst of writing a book.
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Virtual Date Ideas
How do you connect with a current or potential partner when going out isn’t an option? You plan a virtual date! Both you and your date can have an amazing time with an experience that’s both fun and low stress. Looking for some fun date suggestions? Check out these 16 virtual date ideas for the inspiration you need.
6 Reasons to Set a Virtual Date Night
Online dating is more popular than ever, especially with Millennials and Gen-Z. It’s only natural that many singles are also choosing virtual dating, especially for their first dates. So, why is a virtual date so appealing? There are a few reasons.
1. Getting to Know One Another
Have you ever invested, time, money, and travel into a first date only to find you and the other person just don’t click? That’s a common enough experience. So much so that more people than ever prefer virtual first dates. It’s just a low pressure way for two people to get to know each other without the stress of an in-person date.
2. Safety
Everybody deserves to date in a way that makes them feel safe. For many, that means waiting awhile before spending time alone together. If you aren’t ready to exchange addresses or meet in person, suggest one of the virtual dates listed below.
3. Low Commitment
There can be a heaviness to planning and executing in-person dates. That’s a drag when you aren’t quite sure there’s a connection. Keep things laid back and low commitment with a virtual date. Sometimes, ya just gotta keep expectations under control!
4. Long Distance Relationship
“A virtual date is just another way to make a difficult situation work despite the issue of distance. Only this time, instead of postal services, people have social media, messaging apps, and a host of other digital tools at their disposal.”
Marta Levchenko, dating coach
Good virtual date ideas are the sauce you need to keep your long distance relationship happy. Sure, a sweet text or video call is great, but long distance couples have to spice things up.
Long distance relationships can become stale. Conversations dry up. When you have a selection of fun, virtual dates to choose from, you and your long distance partner can maintain your connection, have fun together, and even learn more about each other.
5. Bonding With Your Partner
Even folks who aren’t in long distance relationships can get closer with virtual dates. Imagine that you only have time and money to go out a few times a month. When you incorporate virtual date ideas into the mix, you have a reason to spend time with your lover even more often! That’s what strengthens the bond between you and helps you find common interests.
6. Saving Money
Not all virtual date ideas are free, but many are. So, if lack of cash is keeping you home, many of these options are ideal for you.
Related reading: Outdoor Date Ideas
16 Fun Virtual Date Ideas to Try
You’re here for virtual date idea, so let’s get down to it! Try one of these suggestions for your next date night, or use them to inspire some of your own virtual date ideas.
1. Virtual Tours
Take* a tour of an art gallery, museum, or other place of interest without leaving home. You can even enjoy a virtual hike through a park, the French Alps, or even the National Women’s History Museum. Check YouTube for virtual tour videos, or go to the website of the place you’d like to explore. So many of these places have tours available online. Head over to Google Arts & Culture for a large selection of tours that have been curated for your enjoyment.
2. Virtual Wine Tasting
You’ll need to do some planning for this virtual date. Many wineries offer virtual wine tasting experiences, but you’ll need to reserve your spot ahead of time. They’ll need that time to make and send out a wine tasting kit to you and your partner.
Your wine kit will usually include several varietals of wine, and possibly food items for pairing. In most cases, an expert will join your zoom date to guide you through the tasting experience. You and your partner can choose to focus on a specific type of wine, region, or other category. You’ll have a great time and come away with better understanding of the wines you enjoy.
Related reading: Does Distance Really Make the Heart Grow Fonder?
3. Virtual Game Night
If you’re seeking a fun virtual date idea, try virtual date games. This is such a broad category that you are guaranteed to find something that both of you will love. Here are a few virtual game night choices to try:
Online Trivia Games
Put your knowledge to the test. Go head to head with your date, or team up against others. There are several online platforms for playing online trivia games. So, hop online, grab some snacks, and show how smart you are!
Multiplayer Online Games
What’s your pleasure when it comes to online game play? Are you into Fortnite, Splatoon, Apex Legends, Among Us, or something else? Maybe you and your partner love nothing more than to immerse yourself into the fantasy and world-building of an hours-long Dungeons & Dragons. You have so many things to choose from. This has the potential to become a weekly virtual date for the two of you.
Board and Card Games
If you crave the opportunity to play games like Life, Monopoly, Chess, Rummy, or even Cards Against Humanity with your lover, here’s some great news! Most of your favorite games are available online on platforms that will allow you to play against each other in the spirit of friendly competition or collaborate together to play another team. That’s indeed a fun Zoom date idea.
Games for a Zoom Date
What if there are no virtual date night games for the titles you and your date want to play? No worries. You’ll just need a bit of creativity. For example, buy two copies of the game you’d like to play together. Then arrange a Zoom date so the two of you can coordinate your board setup and moves. Also, cards are a flexible and portable option for a session of virtual date night games.
Virtual Escape Rooms
Virtual escape rooms are a great option when you can’t get together to visit an escape room in person. You’ll spend time together in a virtual room solving puzzles and completing tasks as you work towards a mutual goal. Virtual date ideas like this aren’t just fun, they can help you and your partner build a better relationship.
4. Online Cooking Classes
If you’re in a long distance relationship, you probably miss sharing meals together. There may not be any true substitute for tasting food together, but a cooking class is still a fun virtual date idea for you and your long distance partner.
You can use video chat to prepare a recipe from a YouTube video, or find a class on a virtual learning platform. The two of you can focus on mastering a single dish, learn new cooking techniques, or prepare an entire meal together. Later, you can make your favorite dish together.
Babish Culinary Universe
Formerly known as “Binging with Babish,” this Youtube Channel that is run by Andrew Rea, an incredibly talented chef who rose to fame by creating real versions of dishes from our favorite pieces of media. If you and your partner have a favorite series, or have always wanted to try something from a certain piece of media you can plan a virtual date of learning the recipe from this channel, getting on a video call, and watching that show together while enjoying the foods that they eat at the same time.
Online Cooking School
America’s test kitchen is known for a lot of things. Such as great recipes, and excellent kitchen equipment reviews. However, an online cooking class is something that they offer as well, which makes for one of our favorite virtual date ideas. You and your partner can enjoy a virtual date by visiting onlinecookingschool.com. You can enjoy a 3 week trial for free or pay about $20 a month. With this you and your partner can have access to the many classes, tutorials, and recipes that are available.
5. Creating a Vision Board
“By representing our life goals and desired future in such an impactful way, vision boards activate our subconscious mind to make decisions that support our top priorities.”
Jack Canfield, author
If you want your relationship to last a long time, consider setting shared goals with your partner. This is an important ritual of connection that creates a deep sense of teamwork and cooperation. You’ll also have opportunities to connect meaningfully in the future as you review and refine your shared objectives. Couples who do this are less likely to split up and experience greater relationship satisfaction.
If the idea of hashing out goals together seems less than fun, take a creative approach with vision boards. What’s a vision board? They are visual representations of goals you want to achieve in the near future. For example, if you and your lover want to take a dream vacation you could use Canva or another tool to create a virtual board with any visual or text elements that represent your goal and things to motivate both of you.
6. Planning a Fantasy Vacation
Some people play fantasy football. Some of us plan amazing vacations down to the minute detail that we may or may not ever take. That’s another fabulous idea for a virtual date. You and your partner can spend a couple of hours selecting the perfect destination, choosing the ideal spot to stay, and even selecting all of the places you’d go see together. Browse pictures together, imagine all of the memorable moments you would create.
You’ll enjoy some quality time together. Later, if you want to make this a reality, you can keep the spark alive by turning that fantasy vacation into a vision board.
Related reading: 29 Exciting Long-Distance Date Ideas
7. Virtual House Hunting
Have you ever spent a Sunday afternoon going to open houses? That’s a fun way to explore new homes, and get an idea of what you and your partner might want in the future. Thanks to real estate websites and technology that brings us virtual home tours, this is one of the newer virtual date ideas on this list.
It’s easy! Just pick a zip code and head over to your favorite home sale website. Set your pr*ice range and filter for homes that offer virtual tours. Then, hop on Zoom as you screen share to walk through mansions, fixer-uppers, cottages, etc.
8. Music Night
Don’t all virtual date ideas deserve a great soundtrack? Spend the perfect virtual date night curating the perfect music playlists on your favorite streaming platforms. Together, both of you can share music you love to enjoy an amazing listening experience. Then, keep the spark alive by bringing out those music playlists when you want to hear your favorite songs again.
9. Virtual Movie Date
If you’re feeling lonely and need an emotional connection, try a simple movie date. Use a Chrome extension like Teleparty (FKA Netflix Party) and watch something romantic together. You can stay connected during the movie over the phone. Or, turn it into a fun Zoom date idea.
10. Virtual Coffee and Conversation
Enjoy a virtual date over coffee and video chat. In this simple, virtual date idea, you stay c*onnected by spending time together doing something quite simple. You join one another for a cup of coffee. These small, but positive interactions are so important. Remember that you don’t always have to do something complicated or expensive to spend quality time together.
11. Personality Tests (A Getting to Know You Session)
Are you looking for a virtual date idea for a first date? Grab a deck of conversation cards and have a getting to know you session. Use the cards as icebreakers to help you connect with one another and find your points of compatibility. The two of you could even try out one of those online personality tests.
Related reading: Couples Quiz—Are You Game?
12. Virtual Classes
So fun, virtual date ideas involve learning something together. Find something that interests both of you, and then create some memorable moments by taking a class together. You can take *online art classes, learn about winemaking, craft jewelry, or even learn to fix your cars together.
You can find options for classes at your local community college, public library, or online learning platforms. Some classes are even designed for couples as a fun way to engage in a hobby or project together.
13. Opening a Care Package Together
This virtual date idea requires a bit of planning and legwork, but it’s worth the effort! This idea begins with each of you shopping for the other, putting together, a sweet care package, and shipping it off.
Once each of you has your package, you can begin phase two of this virtual date idea. That’s when you open your gifts together. You can make this virtual date idea even more interesting by choosing a theme.
- Items that cost less than $10
- Gifts that are a trip down memory lane
- Food and drink gifts only
- Humorous presents
Sometimes, receiving thoughtful gifts makes all the difference when you can’t be in the same room together.
14. Getting Fit Together
Virtual dates can be used for yours and your partner’s health and wellbeing. Try taking a Peloton class together. Put together a collaborative yoga playlist and work through a video that you watch together on YouTube.
15. Watching Your Favorite Comedian
If you are looking for fun virtual date ideas, what would be better than laughing together. When it comes to positive interactions, you just can’t beat a shared sense of humor. This is the perfect bonding experience to help the two of you stay connected.
16. Simple Video Calls
Not all virtual dates need to have a complicated theme, nor do they have to take hours of planning. Your date idea can be as simple as committing to weekly video calls. The fact that you are holding space for one another to talk about things that are important to you is exceptionally important to your relationship. Sometimes, that’s the best date idea you can have.
Related reading: Morning Date Ideas
Share Planning for Virtual Dates
Take turns planning your virtual dates. This way, one person doesn’t feel as if they are taking on all of the emotional labor of this. It’s important that both of you enjoy these virtual dates rather than having them feel like a chore. It’s also the best way to ensure that virtual dates touch on things that are fun or interesting for both of you.
Geoffrey Williams
