Next To You
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Date ideas

Long-Distance Date Ideas That Feel Better Than Another Video Call

Good long-distance dates give you both something to do at the same time: cook the same meal, watch the same film, play a game or take a photo strip together. Below are twelve ideas, from easy to a little more planned.

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A Classic Lavender strip: an Asian couple smile, make a peace sign, heart hands and laugh across four photos.
A Kawaii Cute strip with pastel bows: a couple lean together for a smile, peace signs, heart hands and a playful tongue-out shot.

Pick one for this week

Twelve long-distance date ideas

Each idea works with a phone or laptop, and none of them needs you to be good at anything. Start with whichever one you will actually do this week.

  1. 01 · Featured

    Take a photo strip together

    Open a shared online photo booth, pick a frame, count down together and take four photos. It takes a few minutes, it is playful, and you both keep the same strip afterwards. That is what Next To You is built for, and it is in early access now.

  2. 02

    Cook the same meal

    Pick one recipe, shop for it separately and cook with the call propped up on the counter. Eating at the same time, even from different tables, turns a call into a dinner date.

  3. 03

    Watch the same film

    Press play at the same moment and keep a chat open for reactions. Choose films in turns, and save the first ten minutes for guessing who picked what.

  4. 04

    Swap a playlist

    Each of you builds a short playlist for the other, one song per memory or one song per mood. Listen together on a call and explain each choice.

  5. 05

    Online game night

    Pick a game that is easy to learn, such as a co-op puzzle game or a quick quiz, and play a few rounds. A little competition does more for the mood than another catch-up.

  6. 06

    Visit a virtual museum together

    Many museums offer free online tours. Choose a room each, show the other your favourite piece and say why you picked it.

  7. 07

    Send each other a surprise order

    Order a small treat to arrive at the other person's door, like a dessert, flowers or a coffee, and open it together on a call.

  8. 08

    Plan a future trip

    Pick a place you will visit together and build the plan: where you stay, what you eat, what you will skip. Keep a shared note and add to it every week.

  9. 09

    Question-card night

    Take turns drawing questions that go beyond how your day was: a favourite childhood place, something you are nervous about, what you want next year to look like.

  10. 10

    Photo memory challenge

    Each of you picks five photos from your camera roll and the other guesses the story behind them. Then swap, and add one new photo to the pile.

  11. 11

    Learn something together

    Pick a short online lesson, such as a language, a dance or drawing, and practise on the call. Being bad at something together is oddly bonding.

  12. 12

    Write letters, then read them aloud

    Write one page each beforehand. Read your letters to each other on the call and keep them in a folder for later.

Doing, not just talking

Why shared rituals beat passive video calls

A video call is communication. A shared activity is doing something together. Both matter, but they give you different things to remember.

A passive video call compared with a shared ritual
Video callShared ritual
What happensYou catch up and talk.You do one specific thing at the same time.
MemoryBlurs into the last call.Has a beginning, an end and a name: the night you cooked pasta, the strip you took.
EffortLow, which is why it becomes routine.A little planning, which is part of why it feels special.
LeftoverUsually nothing.A photo, a playlist, a plan or a strip.

You do not have to drop your calls. Keep them, and add one shared ritual to them. For a wider list of things to do together, see our long-distance couple activities.

Making a date work across time zones

Put the date in both calendars, and use the same start time in both of your local times so nobody has to do the maths. If your time zones are far apart, pick a short activity for a weekday and save the longer ones for a weekend.

If you would like the date to leave you with something, choose an idea that ends with an object: a photo strip, a playlist, a plan. A shared photo strip also doubles as a gift idea, and a short online photo booth fits easily into a busy week.

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Take a photo strip together, even when you’re miles apart. Join early access and we’ll invite you when the first booths open.