While it’s important to stay safe this Valentine’s Day, it’s also important to take your mind off the ongoing pandemic and reconnect with your partner. You may not be able to go out for a meal or attend a show, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a memorable evening!
Even in these tough times, romance can flourish. If you’re already thinking ahead to February 14 and putting together plans for a romantic evening, let us act as your muse and provide a little sprinkle of inspiration.
We’ve got a whole host of quarantine date ideas for safe and intimate at-home date nights right here, so whether you’re quarantining together, or self-isolating miles apart, we’re sure you’ll find something to make this Valentine’s Day the most special yet.
Quarantining Together
1. Take A Trip…Down Memory Lane
Nothing rekindles the spark quite like a freewheeling trip down memory lane. Reminisce about the early days of your relationship as you explore each other’s photo collection, or bring a selection of items that hold sentimental value and take turns talking about why they mean so much to you. Either activity is sure to stimulate conversation and make for a relaxing, nostalgic, and intimate date night.
2. Plan Your Dream Vacation
Memory lane aside, there aren’t too many far-off places we can visit in the current climate. However, planning a trip can be an exciting activity in itself—even if it’s little more than just fantasy for now. Whether it’s a cross-country road trip, a backpacking adventure through Europe, or an African Safari, sit down and put together an itinerary that gets both your pulses racing.
Pro Tip: It doesn’t have to be an extravagant getaway far away! Stay local and be a tourist in your own hometown. Support local businesses and create your own romantic getaway where you live!
3. Celebrate Valentine’s with a Touch of Class
Taking a class or course together is a great way to connect as a couple, and with a wealth of options available online it’s also one of the safest quarantine date ideas. De-stress by learning how to meditate, get creative with an arts and crafts workshop, or whip up something special during a cooking or mixology Masterclass.
4. Dine Al Fresco
Second only to the candlelit dinner on the list of the ultimate romantic date ideas, an idyllic picnic is still possible during quarantine. If you have a wide open space near where you live and can adhere to CDC guidelines on social distancing, there’s little to stop you from enjoying a traditional picnic. However, if that’s not an option, simply lay your checked blanket and wicker basket down in the garden, on your balcony, or even on the living room floor, and imagine that you’re all alone in a sun-kissed meadow.
5. Solve a Puzzle Together
Switch off all your electronic devices so that there are few distractions, lay out some snacks, pour a couple glasses of wine, and work together to complete a puzzle. If you want to add an extra special touch, surprise your significant other with one of our customizable photo puzzles. You can even use one of these jigsaws to help you pop the big question if you’re feeling so inclined.
Besides putting puzzle pieces together, playing board games or learning new card games can be a fun way to host your own game date night! Show off your competitive side and make the losing player clean the dishes or give the other a well-deserved foot massage!
6. Sing & Dance All Your Cares Away
Tune out everything else, and enjoy a musical night in. Sit and hold hands while you listen to a favorite album, live stream a concert from the comfort of your own home, belt out some classic duets during a private karaoke night, or get all dressed up and share an intimate night of dancing to a mix of slow tunes. No matter which option you choose, we know you’ll hit the right note.
Quarantining Apart
7. Dine By Candlelight and Blue Light
Just because you’re apart and unable to meet in person, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the intimacy of a candlelit dinner. First, prepare yourself separate meals, light a few candles, and dim the lights in your respective homes to set the mood. Then switch on an app like Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime, and enjoy your meals together. You may not be sharing the same room, but you’ll be sharing in the same ambience. Most importantly, however, you’ll still be able to chat face to face and gaze longingly into each other’s eyes.
8. Hold A Virtual Wine Tasting
Whether you consider yourself a connoisseur, or you just want to drink a few glasses with bae and have some fun, a wine tasting night is perfect for virtual Valentine’s daters. Simply agree on a couple of wines to taste in advance so that you can purchase the same bottles, and you’ll be good to go. Mini bottles are ideal for tastings like this. Continuing with the theme, you could each prepare tasting notes and compare them with those of a sommelier online. Vino you’ll enjoy yourselves on this date.
9. This Night Can’t Last Forever, But You Can Draw It Out
Sketching each other’s portraits is a great date night activity. Of course, you’ll never be able to do your darling’s beauty justice, but it’ll be fun to try. The fact that this activity will be conducted over a video call won’t detract from it at all. In fact, it might only enhance the fun, as there’ll be no chance for peeking before the big reveal. You could also try doing caricatures, but be careful, we don’t want the next article you read to be ‘The Best Ways to Find Someone New During a Lockdown.’
10. Put Your Game Faces On
Why not add a little healthy competition into your date night by going toe-to-toe in a series of games? There are a host of apps and websites that can facilitate such activities, like Houseparty and Jackbox.tv. You can also find digital versions of classic card and board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, and Uno. However, if ‘Call of Duty’ is a little more your speed, then a night of playing Xbox live and chatting over your headsets might be an ideal Valentine’s date.
11. Hold a Grand Opening
This is a pretty simple suggestion, but it’s a fun one nonetheless. Mail your gifts to each other well in advance and then plan your virtual date around the unboxing. It’s a great way to build anticipation and it means that you won’t miss the wonderful sight of them tearing through gift-wrap in wide-eyed excitement. If you’re looking for some gift ideas, be sure to check out Zazzle’s Valentine’s Day gift ideas for inspiration!
Cute Gift Ideas for Your S.O.
12. Do a Watch Along
Whether you choose a movie or a tv show, a watch along is a wonderful date night idea. Simply set up your video call and then hit play at the same time, watch along together, and commentate, critique, or ridicule as you please. These days, streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus, as well as apps like Facebook Messenger, even have ‘watch together’ or ‘groupwatch’ features to ensure your viewings are perfectly in sync.
Whichever activity you choose from our list of quarantine date ideas, we hope you have a safe and magical night this February 14. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Seamus is a Content Specialist at Zazzle. He is quite happy in the role. So, if you’re following, that makes him a content Content Specialist. Seamus likes to write, read, watch sports, drink good beer/coffee, and spend time with his two beautiful kids. To say that he doesn’t like ketchup is an understatement.
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