Pandemic Dating Ideas: How to Plan the Perfect Virtual Date

Looking for love and finding it, can be difficult in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. With in-person dates being risky business in more ways than one, prospective lovebirds have to get creative online. But don’t worry about feeling weird about going virtual, everyone’s doing it. In the earliest days of the pandemic, one popular dating app went from one billion swipes to 3 billion in a single day! In May of 2020, another well-known app saw an increase of 700% in account activity and 70% increase in video dates. So now that you know you’re right on trend, and you don’t need to worry about that slim wallet if funds are tight, here are a few ideas to help you plan the perfect virtual date…

Take Them on a Virtual Date of Your Town

 If you can’t take your love interest to your favourite haunts, why not take your date on a virtual tour? On your Zoom date, jump into Google Maps and create a tour of what your date would look like, starting at the place you would pick them up. Plot a few stops along the way, including a restaurant you would love to take them to, a favourite museum or art gallery, include a stroll through a park or unique neighbourhood, and don’t forget to stop somewhere for dessert. Be their personal tour guide and build a little anticipation for when you get to take them out in person.

Have Dinner Delivered to Each Other

If the two of you have been chatting for some time, you’ve probably talked about all of the usual topics; Favourite movies, places you’ve travelled, how you spend your time on the weekends, and what you like to eat. Since you can’t sit down at the dinner table together, why not order delivery for each other! Make it special with custom condiments, and set up a FaceTime or Zoom call so you can unpack it together. Set your dining area up with some candles, coordinate your music with one another, and voila! An intimate virtual date.

Take a MasterClass Together

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to make time to better ourselves be it through upgrading professional skills to pivot to a new career, learning a new language we didn’t have time for before, or learning about a topic or subject matter that’s important or interesting to us. Find out what sorts of hidden passions your date may have, and see if any of them match yours. Maybe you both want to learn how to cook like Gordon Ramsay, or learn how to write an award-winning TV show script like Shonda Rhimes, or, if you’re feeling extra daring, maybe you both want to learn the secrets to wellness and emotional health from superstar relationship experts. Find some common ground and take a class together - It’s bound to make you feel more connected.

Go on a FakeCation Together

If there’s one thing that connects us right now, it’s our inability to get out there and see the world. But just because our passports are collecting dust and our luggage is stuck in a holding pattern, doesn’t mean we can't let our imaginations take flight. Let’s see how well you ‘travel’ together on a FakeCation. Pick a destination that both of you have ever explored, and plan out an itinerary. If you’re both into food and wine, find some virtual foodie tours, or a virtual wine tour that you can take together from the comfort of your homes. The best part? You get to keep that slim wallet in your back pocket, because FakeCations are free!

Look, we know going on a virtual date is nowhere near as exciting as the real thing, but we have to remember, we’re in a time when taking care of one another means keeping our distance. Virtual dates provide a unique opportunity to focus on our communication skills, take some extra time to take a deep dive on our love interests and build up some anticipation for when this is all over.