30 Date Ideas for Long Distance Relationships in 2025

Long-distance relationships aren’t easy—but they also don’t have to feel distant.

The good news? Technology, thoughtful planning, and a little spontaneity can make the distance feel smaller.

So, despite the time and space, you'll find there are always things to do in a long-distance relationship.

And if you do those things, you can deepen the connection and strengthen the relationship despite the distance.

In this post, we’re excited to explore:

• What truly defines a long-distance relationship.
• 30 creative and meaningful date ideas that will strengthen your relationship.
• The practical tips for nurturing your long-distance bond.
• The common mistakes that can ruin long-distance relationships

What is a Long-Distance Relationship?

Everyone knows what a long-distance relationship is, but there’s no harm in understanding the finer definitions.

“A long-distance relationship (LDR) or long-distance romantic relationship is an intimate relationship between partners who are geographically separated from one another.” The reasons for a long-distance relationship to occur include work, education, or family obligations.

So, why do people search for long-distance relationships? They want to know how to make the relationship work despite all its challenges.

That's because most couples think it's impossible to actually continue the relationship. However, a 2023 study found that “long-distance couples can have equally strong or stronger intimacy bonds” and have “more adaptive self-disclosures than their counterparts.”

It’s all about understanding the challenges you and your partner will face when it comes to your relationship:

Challenges of Long-Distance Relationships

• Lack of Physical Presence: A lack of regular physical contact can lead to feeling alone, depressed, and, obviously, a decrease in intimacy.
• Emotional Isolation: While you might have friends and family around you, it's a little different when your partner isn't around. The uncertainty and longing associated can cause stress and anxiety.
• Different Lifestyles: You might work a very different schedule from your partner, or they have different commitments (family obligations, hobbies) that make communication difficult.
• Different Time Zones: Coordinating communication across different time zones can be difficult, leading to misaligned schedules.

Despite these challenges, many couples successfully maintain long-distance relationships. They do that by making sure they enjoy as many "Dates" as possible.

30 Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship

With creativity and effort, you can stay emotionally connected despite the distance between you. Here are 30 fun activities to keep your relationship strong and exciting!

Virtual Date Ideas

• Virtual Movie Night: Sign in to Disney+, Netflix, or any other streaming service, and watch a movie or TV show together while having video chats. It’s an easy, long-distance date idea.
• Cook Together: Choose a recipe and cook the same meal while video calling. This can also apply to making cocktails. It makes the joy of cooking more exciting.
• Online Games: Jump onto the Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, or PC and play multiplayer online games together.
• Board Games Night: This works -- trust us! If you both have the same game board, set your pieces up and play! It might be a little hectic, but it will build honesty and communication in your relationship.
• Online Classes: Taking online courses or workshops on topics of mutual interest can maintain a connection while ensuring you work together on something you like. It's what many of our long-distance couples do with our courses.
• Takeaway Night: Who doesn't love to eat their favorite meals from UberEats, DoorDash, or Skip the Dishes? Set a time, order a takeaway, and embrace a great bonding experience.
• Online Karaoke Night: Connect deeper by celebrating your favorite songs with an online karaoke night. You can even use your playlists!
• Scavenger Hunt: You can jump on many online scavenger hunts as a team or compete against each other. It's a fun and exciting thing to do as a couple.
• Crafting Sessions: Get creative with DIY crafts or artwork! You can have wine and paint night, sew together, or enjoy any other creative activity. All while video calling.
• Virtual Tours: Many museums, landmarks, and cities now offer online virtual tours. Join together, then bookmark your favorite for when you meet in real life. Think of them as a virtual vacation.

Surprise & Thoughtful Gestures

• Surprise Visits: This might be wild (depending on where you live as it could be expensive), but a surprise visit is a great way to increase love, intimacy, and connection for a long-distance relationship. This is great for anniversaries.
• Care Packages: A golden nugget to use! Sending gifts, such as cookies, flowers, candles, and whatever your partner loves, is a great way to keep the connection going and surprise them! Make sure to include intimate things!
• Memory Lane: Share memories and reminisce about your favorite moments together. This will help you reminisce about your greatest moments and bring harmony to your connection.
• Write & Mail Handwritten Letters: A lost art that makes a big impact. Try it and your partner might really appreciate the effort of this old-school approach!
• Open When" Letters: A unique approach for letters! Send a collection of letters for specific occasions, like "When You Miss Me", "When You're Sad," or "When You're Ready for Adventure!".
• Travel Planning: Plan your future travels and bucket list destinations together. It's great to know where your partner would love to travel to and as a shared goal!
• Mixtape via Playlists: Mixtapes were all the rage back in the day. Now, you can do the same by creating playlists for each other and sharing your favorite songs.
• Learning Languages: Learn a new language together using apps. Then speak to each other in this new language so you get the practice!
• Subscription Box Surprise: A little similar to care packages, but they work a treat! Sign them up for a subscription they’d love (book club, snacks, etc.) so they can enjoy and love you even more!
• "Saucy" Deliveries: Spice up the relationship by sending saucy gifts that showcase how much you love and miss each other!

Creative Date Ideas

• Daily Photo Challenge: Send one picture of you, or your day, everyday. And your partner does the same!
• Virtual Concert: Whether it's a live stream or a pre-recorded performance to enjoy at your leisure, it's a wonderful way to uplift your spirits and move to the music together.
• Recreate Your First Date Over Video: Now, it depends on what you did for your first date, but this can be done if it's possible!
• Storytelling Game: Ready to become famous authors? Build a story together, one sentence at a time, to see where the story goes!
• Touch Lamps: A new modern gift that works for both of you! A pair of these lamps will light up when one of you touches it, so you can always stay connected.
• Vision/Dream Board: Create a shared vision board of your goals and dreams for the future. You can do it the old-fashioned way or find many popular online platforms. It's a fun and interactive way to stay connected.
• Countdown Calendar for Your Next Visit: Thanks to some very cool countdown apps, you can make a shared countdown timer for your next meeting.
• Virtual Stargazing: Discover constellations, share insights, and delve into fascinating conversations about the mysteries above. Embark on a stargazing adventure together!
• Book Club: Who says book clubs have to be for clubs? Choose and read the same book and then discuss it chapter by chapter.
• Fitness Challenges: Health and fitness are essential for mental and physical well-being. Keep yourselves in check by setting and sharing fitness challenges and goals.

Now, you should use these activities as part of your larger goal of making the long-distance relationship work.

Here’s how you can do it.

5 Rules for Making a Long-Distance Relationship Work

Here are five essential rules to develop the right mindset, strong communication habits, and pure commitment can help you and your partner thrive in a long-distance relationship.

1. Set Clear Expectations

It's the uncertainty that makes long-distance relationships a struggle. And that uncertainty brings up lots of emotions and issues. Hence, it is important to set clear expectations:

• Establish the Goals of the Relationship: Define your relationship goals and expectations by discussing communication frequency, visits, and plans. This will help establish rules that allow you both to understand what you need.
• Discuss Non-Negotiables: Discuss what is “off the table” in your relationship. Examples include "We don't go a few days without speaking" or "We must text each other important news". It’s essential to set expectations and boundaries so that you know what the expectation is whenever there's a disparity.
• Communicate Your Needs: Be transparent and honest with your needs and paint a picture for it. If you say “support”, it’s not clear enough. Be specific with what you want, like "I need you to reassure me we'll stay in contact".

2. Communicate Effectively (But Don’t Overdo It)

Make time for deep conversations—but avoid feeling pressured to be available for communication 24/7. It can be draining on yourself and your focus. Here's how you can get the right balance:

• Understand Your Love Languages: There are five love languages — words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. If both of you understand each other’s love languages, you can help stay connected on a deeper level.
• Over-Emplain Things: Don’t be afraid to explain everything. Because you don’t have the physical presence of reading emotions, you must go deeper to explain what’s happening in your life. Make sure you know everything about your partner’s day.
• Quality over Quantity: While there is nothing wrong with daily check-ins, it's all about the depth of the conversations. Try to avoid the pressure of constant availability and instead prioritize meaningful conversations.

3. Keep the Spark Alive

Spontaneity works great for LDRs because they’re very unexpected and exciting. It adds "sparkle" to proceedings. That’s why you should work on:

• Surprise Each Other: We gave you 10 great things for you to enjoy and surprise each other in meaningful and open ways.
• Flirt and Stay Playful: Don't let the lack of physical intimacy impact your romance—send flirty texts, voice messages, or even love notes.
• Create Shared Experiences: From creating your first date to touching lamps and dream boards, coming together for shared experiences helps you bond quickly.

4. Build Trust and Security

Distance can trigger insecurities--mainly jealousy, issues of trust, and fears of abandonment. Building that trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship:

• Be Honest About Your Fears: A long-distance relationship will push your buttons, so being honest and vulnerable with your fears is essential. Whether that's being abandoned or misunderstood, be transparent to help you grow and work through problems together.
• Discuss the Next Steps of a Relationship: Nothing helps a long-distance relationship like the future. Don’t be afraid to discuss the next steps, like living in the same place or travel plans. Even if the plan is not feasible now, it helps move the relationship to the next level and allows for possibilities to exist and share your needs.
• Avoid Jealousy Traps: Social media, lack of communcation or even the complete opposite, like constant check-ins, can create tension. Avoid these pitfalls and trust your partner unless given a real reason not to.

5. Always Have a Plan for the Future

A long-distance relationship without a future plan can feel like it's not going anywhere. Keep the relationship on track by:

• Creating Meeting Milestones: Set goals like “We’ll visit every 3 months” or “We’ll take a trip together this summer.” Having something to look forward to can make a huge difference in the future of the relationship.
• Support Each Other: Be each other's cheerleaders. Support your partner's goals, dreams, and aspirations, even from a distance. This ensures both parties have the support they need and feel stronger as a unit.
• Practice Patience & Be Flexible: life is always changing and that has an impact on relationships. Long-distance relationships require patience and understanding. For some, that can be very difficult. So be patient with each other and trust that your love will last the distance.

5 Common Mistakes That Ruin Long-Distance Relationships

Long-distance relationships require effort, but certain mistakes can weaken even the strongest connections. Here are five key pitfalls to avoid:

• Insecurity & Jealousy: Constant suspicion, overanalyzing texts, and needing excessive reassurance creates emotional exhaustion and erodes the foundation of your relationship. Build trust through open communication and consistency.
• Lack of Communication: Poor communication is a problem for all relationships; harder even for LDRs as it can lead to misunderstandings and feelings of neglect. Make consistent and transparent communication a priority to strengthen the relationship.
• Neglecting Each Other's Needs: Ignoring your partner's emotional or physical needs can create distance and resentment. That's why it's recommended that you prioritize meeting their relationship needs, which could be anything from reassurance to time alone.
• No Long-Term Vision: If there’s no end goal, what are you working toward? Uncertainty about the future and the relationship can cause anxiety and doubt as it just adds more doubts as to whether the relationship can work or not. Discuss your long-term plans and aspirations to create a sense of security for both of you.
• Ignoring Red Flags: Ignoring warning signs or unresolved conflicts can lead to resentment and dissatisfaction between you and your partner. It could be anything from opposing goals or priorities to a lack of honesty. In some cases, it might be a deal breaker in a relationship. So if you spot a red flag, make sure you address it.

While long-distance relationships come with challenges, they also offer opportunities for growth, connection, and shared experiences. But you must work on the LDR together to avoid these mistakes so you can strengthen your connection and make the distance feel smaller.

Key Takeaways of Long-Distance Relationships

• Long-distance relationships aren’t easy—but they also don’t have to feel distant.
• Challenges of long-distance relationships include not being physically present, different time zones and lifestyles, and emotional strain.
• You can make the LDR better by participating in virtual and creative dates and surprise gifts.
• Make sure you set clear expectations, communicate effectively, build trust, and always have a plan for the future.
• Insecurity, no long-term plan, red flags and minimal communication are pitfalls to overcome!

Remember that distance doesn’t define love—effort does.

Every couple is different, but with the right mindset, an LDR can build resilience, deepen trust, and create an even stronger foundation for the future.

If you're looking for deeper insights into relationship dynamics, search for our Attachment Styles in Partnership: Exploring Interactions Between Different Styles course.

They can help you navigate the emotional side of long-distance relationships and strengthen your connection.

And before you go, I have this question for you: What’s one thing you and your partner can start doing today to bring you closer—no matter the miles between you?

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