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Listen, I”m not saying Valentine’s Day 2021 is going to be the most amazing one ever. What I do hope to do with this post is show you that with a little creativity, you can have a special day, even while we are all social distancing.
Even better, as I was putting this together I realized how DANG CHEAP these date ideas are. In a year where many lost their income and/or are struggling with un/under employment, I’m happy to provide budget-friendly solutions while still keeping the magic of a romantic holiday alive.
6 Quarantine Friendly Valentine’s Day Date Ideas
Host a Zoom Brunch
- If one or both of you are culinarily inclined, you can include making the food together as part of your date.
- You can even make it a competition to bring some pep to your time together. See who can make it look the nicest (after all, how your food is presented is just as important
as how it tastes) by learning some basic plating techniques. - If cooking sounds like your idea of a chore, then order it out. Depending on your location, you can both order from the same restaurant to make it feel more like you’re having brunch together.
- You could also order from a meal-delivery company that way you can ensure you both have the exact same ingredients and recipes to work from, with minimal prep work and shopping.
Play Online Games
- If both of you have a Nintendo Switch, you could visit each other’s Animal Crossing Island.
- Or, if you’re down for a challenge, both of you could try something like Fortnite or Overwatch together.
- One game that’s great for playing together is Minecraft. With hundreds of mods, and dozens of game modes, the two of you can make this game into whatever you want it to be. Create a castle, fight monsters, and craft all sorts of materials to improve gameplay.
- There are also hundreds of options you can play in your online browser, like chess. (Queen’s Gambit, anyone?)
Dance Like No One’s Watching
Or if you’ve wanted to learn to Salsa, Tango, Waltz, or any other more traditional dances, you could practice on your own for when you’re allowed to see each other in person again. There are a TON of free Youtube videos for this!!
Learn a Youtube Craft Together
YouTube is full of thousands of videos teaching you to do anything from finishing your patio to knitting a scarf. (Truly, Youtube and TikTok are the unsung heros of 2020.) If you can learn it, there’s someone on the platform teaching you how to do it!
Is there something one or both of you have been wanting to learn, but have never taken the time to do? Valentine’s Day is the perfect chance to give it a shot! (For Valentine’s Day worthy idea, an online cocktail tutorial would likely be my pick.)
All you have to do is search for a craft you want to try. Look for beginner videos and then go
from there. Give the two of you a few hours to try it out, and then see what you produce by
the end of it!
Take Turns Reading a Book
Reading bedtime stories isn’t just for little kids anymore. Reading together as a couple has big benefits, especially in quarantine: whether you want to read something for a little bit of escapism, self-improvement, or more knowledge with which to handle future problems. Plus, it can help you feel incredibly connected to one another.
If you feel a little weird reading out loud, the two of you can read before hopping on a call and then talk about the sections you read. Think of it as your own mini-book club. It’s up to you whether you want to read the whole book ahead of time, or if you want to do just a few chapters.
Virtual Museum Tour
I confess I haven’t done a virtual museum tour, but I know that when the pandemic started hitting many places hard in March, many museums and national parks started offering virtual tours. BUT I will say they look very cool and my interest has been piqued. I’ve wanted to try them but just haven’t gotten around to it. (Having a baby will do that. ha!)
There are more than 2500 museums to choose from, so if the two of you enjoy arts and culture, this could keep you busy for weeks on end. Especially that now you’re not confined to museums in your area, you can see dozens of them from just about anywhere in the world.
Museums and cultural exhibits help us learn about the past and multiple subjects from a different perspective. Plus, depending on where you go, you’ll gain knowledge about a subject you may not have considered studying before. And if you’re artistically minded, museums are a great place for inspiration.
The TL:DR
Get creative this Valentine’s Day, but also stay safe and keep it virtual if you can.
Also, in putting together this list, I realized I’ve always put together some type of article or content in honor of Valentine’s Day. Who knew I loved the holiday so much? (I barely put together holiday content each year lol.)
Here is a look back at some related reading and what I’ve posted for Valentine’s Days of yesteryear.
