Long Distance Date Ideas Spinner

The best long distance date ideas give your call something to do together: cook the same recipe in two kitchens, watch a movie in sync, play a quick game live on the call, or walk each other through your hometowns on Street View. The spinner above has 129 dates made only for couples who live apart. Pick how long you have, your budget, what you have (phone, laptop, Discord or a console) and your time zone gap, then spin. Every date comes with steps, what to prep and a text to send your partner.

How does the long distance date spinner work?

1. Tap an underlined word to change it. Vibe, time you have (15 minutes to a whole evening), budget (free or under $10), device, and time zone gap.
2. Spin. Not this one? Spin again, or hide it for good. Save the ones you like with the heart.
3. Send it. Copy the ready text or share the plan as a link. Your partner opens the same date on their phone, no account needed.
4. Go A to Z. The A to Z dates tab gives one date per letter and tracks which letters you have done.

Which long distance dates work with a big time difference?

Most lists assume you are both awake at 8 pm. If you live 7 to 12 hours apart, tap One of us half asleep or Cannot call today. You get dates like these:

• Breakfast and dinner date. One of you eats breakfast, the other dinner, at one table on camera.
• Sleep call with a story. The one who is awake reads a chapter while the other falls asleep.
• Wake-up call. Your evening is their morning. Call them awake.
• Watch your sunrise and their sunset. Only possible with a big gap, which makes it yours.
• Shared journal, open-when letters, voice note scavenger hunt. No call needed at all.

For tools that help with time zones, see apps for long distance couples in different time zones.

Virtual date ideas with games

Games give a call energy, and a short game fits a short call. Set the vibe to playful or competitive for ideas like a minigolf duel, Four in a Row best of five, Truth or Dare on video, a trivia race, a geography guessing game, Pictionary on a shared whiteboard or an online escape room for two. More in our long distance relationship games guide.

Discord and console dates

If you met online or game together, set the device word to Discord or a console:

• Discord watch party with a bingo card of things you think will happen in the movie.
• Study or work date in a voice channel: 25 minutes quiet, 5 minutes talk.
• Co-op campaign you only play together, one chapter per date and no playing ahead.
• Build your partner a level in a game with a level editor, with a secret message inside.
• Minecraft build date: a tiny house, one room each.

A to Z long distance dates

Alphabet dating means one date per letter. Open the A to Z dates tab, tap a letter, and do that date. When you tap We did this, the letter turns dark, and the bar shows how many of the 26 you have done. A few letters: A is art night, B is breakfast and dinner, M is a minigolf duel, Q is a question jar, X is a date in a box you mail, Z is the zoo cams.

Why a planned date helps when you are apart

Calls can turn into the same daily update. Doing something new together helps: in studies with couples, doing a short new and exciting task together raised how good couples felt about their relationship more than a routine task did (Aron and colleagues, 2000). Those couples were not long distance, so take it as a good reason to try something new on your next call, not a promise. For more, read our long distance relationship tips and video call ideas.

Honest limits

• Some dates need the same streaming service, game or console. The card says what you need under Prep.
• Prices are rough, in US dollars. Postage for snack swaps and date boxes varies a lot by country.
• Your saved dates and A to Z progress live in this browser. Clearing browser data removes them.
• Counting down to a visit? Use our free countdown until I see you. Want a static list to read? See long distance date ideas.

Planning a date for when you are together, or a first date? Try the date night generator or the first date ideas generator.