Happy almost Valentines Day! I will be spending Valentine’s Day by myself with my friends dog (dog-sitting) and Facetiming friends all day while I eat chocolate and drink wine. I’m not super enthused with the dating scene right now (not that I ever have been really) but I’m a pretty creative person when it comes to virtual dating. I know some people have gone back to the in-person dating, but not this gal! Get your COVID germs away from me! It’s hard to actually find someone who wants to date over video calls but I’ve heard stories where it isn’t totally awful. So here are some ideas that I came up with that I don’t want to go to waste that you should totally use if you are having a virtual date night this Valentine’s Day.
A crucial element of the success of a date from this list is that you need someone who is totally down to get to know you in a socially distant way, or act a little foolish over a video call. Are there genuine guys out there who want that? You tell me.
Some of these ideas are great for breaking the ice and getting to know someone for the first time. Other ideas are better for if you already have a boo thang or your roommates are around to make it a double date situation. I sincerely hope someone looks at this list and thinks “wow that’s a fun idea” at least once. This list is basically proof that I can be a really fun person to go out with IF I COULD GET A CHANCE I mean… if the opportunity ever comes up.
Guy’s Grocery Games: Last summer I was talking to a guy who had the brilliant idea that we should do a virtual Guy’s Grocery Games while dressed as Guy Fieri. I was so down! I had the flame shirt and wig in my Amazon cart ready to buy, and then he ghosted me after telling me his roommate had COVID. (Is that the new method of ghosting now?) Anyway- both of you assign a dish to the other person with one challenge. I wouldn’t go too hard on each other. Something like “make a pizza with no marinara sauce or cheese” or “make a dish with only orange ingredients”. Cook together over Facetime or Zoom and try not to burn your houses down since you’ll be soooo distracted by that magical spark between you both over the phone. Bonus points if you both dress like Guy.
Taco Swap Night: I did a have an actual virtual date last summer where this guy and I ordered each other tacos. The date ended up being a bust because neither one of us liked the food we got each other. My advice: be clear on how much you can spend on each other and what you do or don’t like on tacos. This guy was so picky, so the tacos he got me were so bland, and he didn’t like the tacos I got him. I also spent way more money on him. If you’re adventurous, you should totally order each other what you would get for yourself! It’s a fun way to break the ice.
Zillow Shark Tank: I totally got this idea from Tiktok (so thank you @jordandumb) but I think it’s a super fun and safe date idea. Both of you go on Zillow and pick the same random city. You each pick several houses in that city and then you pitch to the other person why your houses are better than their, in a Shark Tank like format. You may need a day or two to prepare for this one. Tip: you’ll impress the other person more if you dress up, even if it is a virtual date.
Virtual Happy Hour: I do this with my friend Ashley almost every week and it’s always so fun! One of you decides on a signature cocktail for you both to make, and the other person decides on an appetizer. Don’t tell the other person what it is you’re making though! Just send them a list of ingredients. Sometime’s it’s pretty obvious what you’re making based on the ingredients, but its still fun and delicious.
Netflix Party Drinking Game: Both of you download Netflix streaming party on your Google Chrome browsers and watch the same movie in real time, together. I recommend a movie you both have seen so you can talk through it. There is a chat function you can talk in, but you could also Facetime on your phone so you can actually speak to each other. Make it a drinking game and take a sip or shot every time someone does something or something happens… you’re going to have to be more specific depending on what movie you pick.
Paint Night Charades: You both need paint or markers, and a note pad of paper. One at a time, you have to draw something while the other person guesses. You can make it a more “get to know me” sort of game and make the topics things like “favorite place I’ve traveled”, “favorite movie”, “most embarrassing moment” or “favorite song”. Just make sure you’re drawing/painting where the camera can see your art.
Online Game Night: You can do this over Zoom, Facetime, Google Meets… any sort of video conferencing tool, so that you can see and hear each other. The games you can play that don’t require any apps or physical cards or boards are “two truths and a lie”, “never have I ever”, and “charades”. If you’re both willing to get supplies, you could also play “Guess Who”, “Heads-Up” or “Pictionary”. A very classic ice breaker game that can ease some of the tension. You can also bring your roommates in for this one. Sometimes the more people, the better!
Wine and Cheese Tasting: There are wineries and vineyards that will set up a virtual wine and cheese tasting for you. It can be a little pricey for a first date, but you would both get wine and cheese either sent to your home or set aside for you at your local grocery store. Someone will also walk you through the different wines and cheese like you’re at a real tasting. This may be a better group date or double date to also get down the cost. So if your roommates are around, get them to join in the virtual date fun!
Scavenger Hunt (in your own houses): This could be a pretty ballsy way to get to know each other better, depending on what you’re willing to show. What you need to do for this virtual date is set up a list beforehand for each other of things you both need to find in your house and bring back to the camera in one minute. Don’t tell each other what the list is before because you don’t want the other person to cheat and think about items before you say them. Some ideas are “something lime green”, “something you use every morning”, “something with a school logo on it”, “your favorite book”, etc.
Let me know if you’re virtual dating anyone right now in the comments! Would love to hear about if you use any of these ideas!
Thanks for reading! xx