Lately, it seems like every other day someone else I know is going into isolation. In the beginning, what sounded like a great excuse to stay home and not go into the office, has become a nuisance. With stress at work and looming deadlines, now is not a great time to not be able to work. To top it all off, I’m in a semi long-distance relationship with my boyfriend.

In the space of three weeks, both of us had managed to separately get ourselves into isolation. Staying healthy and safe is of course important, but I miss my boyfriend. And then it occurred to me, I’m not the only one in this situation. Many couples live even further apart than we do, and some have barely even seen each other since the pandemic started. So, rather than wallowing in self-pity, I decided to research some fun ideas for us to do together, virtually. Unsurprisingly, I uncovered a whole world of things for us to do together, whilst physically being apart. The first things that cropped up are typical things that you would do together, such as going to the movies or visiting a museum. Making these virtual is just as easy, you can pick your movie in advance, and even get dressed up fancy. Make sure your phone is charged though because you’ll want to video-call throughout.

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One of my favorite ideas that I found was to do a surprise dinner date. The idea is that each half of the couple orders a surprise meal for each other, both timed to arrive at the same time. Then, on a video call, they each unwrap the food together and eat the meal as a date. Another great way to spice up a virtual dinner date is to participate in the same online cook-along video. You can choose what meal you want to make, or even sign up for a virtual cooking class. Many museums have been offering virtual walkthroughs throughout the pandemic, and some zoos even have life footage that you can watch together. YouTube became the new place to go for concerts, so why not kit yourselves out for a festival, and watch your favorite bands play live. And finally, why not sign up to do an online escape room together? It’s just as fun as the real thing.