Sex & Relationships

14 Romantic Valentine's Day Dates You Can Do Over Zoom

Don’t let distance get in the way.

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Here's how to celebrate Valentine's Day virtually.
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When it comes to long-distance dating, nothing says "I love you" like Postmates and FaceTime. But if you’re spending February 14 apart, you might feel the urge to step it up a notch and do something a bit more special. If that’s the case for you and your SO, these virtual Valentine's Day ideas for celebrating with a long-distance partner are sure to heighten your connection — emotionally and remotely.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, long-distance dating in these times is about as fond as it can get. With potential exposures and social-distancing orders still around, it can be challenging when you and your partner have to spend time apart, be it for health and safety reasons or maybe just specific circumstances in your lives. However, video chatting means you won't miss a beat, and these at-home dates are sure to keep your romance remote and fun at the same time.

When it comes to figuring out how to celebrate Valentine's Day virtually, just think about what you would like to do if you were together IRL. For some major V-Day inspo — everything from a virtual wine tasting to a joint candle-lit astrology reading — here are 14 Zoom Valentine's Day dates for you and your long-distance lover.

1

Make Paper Valentines

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Who could forget the true essence of Valentine’s Day? Throw it back by sending handwritten love letters. Mix that romantic gesture with all of the candy and fun you used to have in grade school, and you have an instantly cute date idea to do remotely. Pull out your glue sticks and those scissors with fun borders (read: Run to the dollar store and pick up a bunch of cheap craft supplies you'll use once). Have an old-school affordable Valentine’s date night over Zoom or FaceTime with all the Hershey’s Kisses and Fun-Dip your heart could desire. Bonus points if you send each other your Valentines in the mail.

2

Be Star (Sign)-Crossed Lovers

If your love is written in the stars, spend Valentine's Day reading them. Hire an astrologer or tarot reader to get into your natal charts (there are so many online). Light candles, play some Stevie Nicks, and get bewitched with your beloved. To stay on this metaphysical theme, consider making some “love potions” in the form of cocktails. Crafting a perfectly bewitching brew over video chat will give you another activity to do together.

3

Netflix & Phone Sex

Spending Valentine’s Day apart might have you and your partner lamenting — perhaps mostly for physical reasons. While you can't Netflix and chill IRL, you can start to watch a movie apart-together, only to get distracted by each other's rockin' bods. Cue up a rom-com, use an extension that lets you both watch in sync, and snuggle up for a virtual movie night. If you're feeling a little frisky, ditch the movie to talk dirty on the phone, touch yourself on video chat, or swap some sultry texts.

4

Go On A Memory Scavenger Hunt

Make a list of all your favorite memories — trips you've taken, fun date nights, little knick-knacks you've bought for each other — and create a relationship scavenger hunt over Zoom. Something like, "The first one to find a picture of the last time you saw each other gets five points!" Challenge each other to try to recall specific memories from your shared past (“What drink did I order on our first date?” “Where did we go for our first anniversary dinner?”). Set a timer and decide on a fun prize for the winner.

5

Take A Fun Class

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Taking an online class with your boo will make you feel like you're giving a Valentine to your middle school crush. If you and your partner have always wanted to make fancy cocktails, learn a different language, or pick up a new hobby, take a fun online class together for V-Day. For example, you can book a class on MasterClass and choose from tons of expert-taught subjects. (Bonus points for texting each other while the instructor is speaking, just like back in the day.)

6

Host A Virtual Staycation

Extenuating circumstances may have squashed your upcoming vacation plans, but you and your partner can still get away. For one, you can drink tropical drinks in your living room on Zoom with beachy backgrounds — or you can do a whole virtual staycation together. Pick a city you've always wanted to go to and spend V-Day eating its local cuisine, listening to its music, and pretending you're far, far away.

7

Have A Virtual Wine Or Beer Tasting

What's better than trying a bunch of wine, craft beer, or cider? Sipping a bunch of beverages in your pajamas, while lounging on the couch. Take your date for a virtual wine tasting. You can select wines you want to try together or go for a virtual vineyard tour like Kendall-Jackson. You can even print out tasting score sheets and compare how your ratings match up when you’re all done and tipsy.

8

Make Sweets For Your Sweet

Nothing brings people together like food — especially comfort food. Decide on a snack you both want to make and get to cooking. Whether you get all the same indigents at the store (or order from a pre-order shop like Baketivity), making some sweets together over Zoom will fill your heart and your tummy. Bonus points if your creations are love-themed — red velvet cupcakes, pink heart-shaped cookies, etc.

9

Go To A Virtual Concert

Get ready to wave your lighter in the air (or a picture of a lighter on your phone). See if your favorite band, artist, or performing arts group has live shows available to watch online, be it on YouTube or a streaming platform, and take your lover to a virtual show. Do you like ballet? Opera? Dad rock? A Taylor Swift stadium show? It's all a click away.

10

Recreate Your First Date

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Think about your first date (or an early date that you both cherish) and recreate it at home. Did you get bad coffee and soggy pastries from that overpriced place down the street? Thai food? Were you an hour late, but they dated you anyway? While it may be hard to plan the future right now, it's a great time to go down memory lane. Spend V-Day remembering all the good times you've shared.

11

Cook A Meal Together

Put on your chef hats (real or metaphorical) and put your culinary skills to the test by making a meal together over FaceTime or Zoom. You can follow written recipes online, take a virtual class, or watch an instructional YouTube video and prepare anything from sushi to pasta to a hearty French soup. In the end, you’ll both have a delicious meal to sit down and eat at the same time — although someone’s might be better than the other’s. For the full effect, put Ratatouille on while you eat your finished meal together.

12

Play A Big Game Of Trivia

Nobody said you have to celebrate the big V-Day alone. If you have coupled-up friends (and single ones who need some fun, too!) who are also celebrating at home or apart, invite them all to a big game of remote trivia. Have some set prizes for the winner — and perhaps penalties for when a team gets an answer wrong. Get the wine and cocktails flowing and have some fun together to see who is the brainiest of the couples.

13

Chill Out With A Spa Night

Maybe a couple’s massage is out of the question for you two this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring the spa and shared relaxation to you. Stock up on some face masks, soothings teas, and bath bombs, and then FaceTime each other as you bathe in the bubbles. You might even consider popping a bottle of champagne at some point in the night to sip on as you relax. Cue up some ASMR or mindful Reiki breathing clips on YouTube for maximum relaxation.

14

Paint And Sip

Even if being artistic isn’t quite up either of your alleys, hosting a virtual paint-and-sip night is always fun. Pick something to paint at the beginning of your session — perhaps a portrait of your lover — and see whose creation is the best or most creative at the end. And for the record, the “sip” doesn’t have to be alcohol — hot chocolate and tea will be just as romantic. Plus, you’ll come away with a souvenir from your night that you can send each other or hang on your wall.

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