From Cosmopolitan
Navigating a long-distance relationship is no easy feat. Especially when the calendar happens to land on a day like February 14th. But just because you’re in a LDR during the Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean the special occasion has to be any less romantic.
I know, I know, it’s not the same as being IRL with your person. But thanks to a global pandemic, which has pretty much confined everyone to their own home anyway, everyone is kind of in a LDR right now if you think about it. And because of that, there are so! many! virtual date options for you and your partner this year.
Maybe you two can have a steamy video session, maybe you two can virtually vacation together…via a Zoom background. Whatever the case, Valentine’s Day deserves to be celebrated—and we’ve gotchu with some cheap and lavish options.
Below, 27 romantic ways to celebrate V-day in a long-distance relationship that are actually-actually fun. We promise.
1. Eat cake by the ocean. (Like, literally or via a Zoom background.)
Maybe the beach is your backyard. Maybe it’s not. Whatever the case, surprise your partner with a customized cake for V-day and one for yourself (check out these ones by Bake Me a Wish!), get a fork, go outside (but only if you wear a mask and remain socially-distant), and pretend like you’re celebrating together via FT or Zoom.
The ambiance of some fresh air + the cake makes it less likely you’ll be sad you’re not physically with your partner. Plus, cake alone makes everything better. Period.
2. Have some fun with a virtual couple’s sex toy.
Sex toy brands like We-Vibe and Satisfyer both have apps that can be downloaded on your phone. So when you purchase a vibrator or sex toy compatible with the app, you can control the pressure, speed pulses, etc. all from within the app itself.
The best part: With consent from you, it also lets your partner control your toy from their phone too. This means that regardless of if you and your partner are social distancing or 10,000 miles away from each other, your partner can join you during your masturbating session to make a super sexy V-day present, don’t you think?
3. Take a sex class together.
Seriously, book a sex-oriented virtual class together. Whether it focuses on cunnilingus, tantra sex, sex toys, or whatever else, it’ll be a fun experience that’ll definitely bring ya’ll together.
Alternative suggestion: One of Cosmopolitan’s regular experts Tyomi Morgan offers an amazing cowgirl-riding class for $250 individually or a monthly membership of $25. One Cosmopolitan writer wrote in a previous article: “Above just a way to learn about becoming an A+ dick rider, this workout is a safe place to work on your confidence, show yourself that you can be sexy with or without a partner, and help alleviate any build-up tension or anxiety you may be experiencing.” Try it and then show your partner all that you ~learned~ via Zoom.
4. Listen to audio porn together.
If you prefer the sounds to the visuals of porn (hi, yes, same), audio porn may be your new fave thing. And what’s hotter than listening to porn with your partner on the sexiest day of the year? Apps like Dipsea feature short-form audio stories that “spark couple’s imaginations and get them in the mood, no matter how far apart they are.” So yeah, consider this a sure-fire way to spice up your V-day date night festivities.
5. Mentally and emotionally check in with each other.
Journaling is low-key The Move. I don’t know about ya’ll, but for me, it really helps me hone into how I’m feeling. If this is your thing too, try journaling and checking in with your partner this V-day—especially if there’s distance between you two.
You can invest in Partner Appreciation Notes, $15, where each of you write something you appreciate about the other every day—then share it with each other on V-day. Or you can buy a Date Deck like this one, which prompts you with 50 conversation starters as a lil V-day game to take the pressure off monotonous conversation.
6. Stream a movie or show at the same time online.
Sooo… you’re dying to watch a new series that just dropped on Netflix, but you want to enjoy it with your person. You can maintain communication through text or FaceTime them so you can get all their juicy reactions and even eat the same snacks to make it feel like you’re really together. Better yet, try Netflix’s Party feature, which lets you watch simultaneously with someone without having to sync up together manually.
7. Play a not-boring card game together.
Both of you can head over to your nearest store (or hit up Amazon Prime, obvi) and grab a game of Cards Against Humanity, Truth or Dare, or Taboo to add some excitement and competition to your night of video-chatting.
8. Take a matching pic in different places.
I promise, it’s cute. Put your photography and Photoshop skills to the test by meshing together two separately taken pics in completely different locations. You can play around with poses, objects, and scenery to create an artsy version of a photo you two would have taken if you were physically together.
9. Play with some arts and crafts together.
Grab your crafting supplies and get that creativity flowing. Your virtual crafting date can include painting on a canvas, sculpting with clay, or decorating a plain box or scrapbook. You can even turn to Pinterest for some cute DIY project ideas that you’ll both enjoy.
If DIY is so not your thing, do a quick Google search for virtual sip and play classes. Find one you like and create a masterpiece.
10. Enjoy a sunrise or sunset together.
Whether it’s at the beach, on a rooftop, or from your bedroom window, coordinate a time to video-chat that coincides with the sun setting or rising. If time zones are a problem (because they always are), share your sunset/sunrise with them through video and vice versa.
11. Gift them a Spotify playlist.
Include all the bops that remind you of your boo plus the songs that have a special meaning to you and your relationship—like the song that was playing the first time you were in the car together or maybe even the song a passerby was humming while you shared your first kiss. Keep the playlist private between only you two and listen whenever you’re feeling lonely.
Alternative suggestion: Using Spotify’s new Group Sessions feature, share your fave songs with your partner in a playlist OR send each other prompts like “Play a song that reminds you of me” and “Play a song that will always have a special place in your heart.” It’s like the easiest, best way to get to know your S.O. on a ~deeper~ level.
12. Arrange a FaceTime dinner date.
Amp up your normal FaceTime sessions by “going on a date together.” Both of you can cook your own favorite meals and then set them up in front of your camera to have a virtual dinner date. Want to make it official? Try a virtual cooking class together. (Seriously, they’re all over Google.)
13. Seamless them their favorite meal.
If you’re not big on cooking, you can still have a virtual dinner date. Punch in their address on your app and surprise them by sending their go-to take-out order. Nothing says love like pad thai.
14. Make a photo spread of all your favorite mems.
Think: coasters from bars, plane tickets from flying to see each other, football ticket stubs, photos, etc. and collage them on a canvas they can hang up in their room. Construct all this on Valentine’s Day or gift it to them and talk about all the memories via FaceTime.
15. Write in a journal for 365 days or a week or a month or whatever timeline makes sense to you.
Document all your thoughts, how your day went, and what reminds you of your S.O., and gift it to your partner when you’ve filled up all the pages. This will give them insight into your brain and remind them how often they consume your thoughts.
16. Send a video message.
Maybe you’re singing and dancing to your couples song or maybe you’re reading a love note out loud that you wrote. Sometimes it can be so much more intimate and lovely for your partner to see and hear you rather than read something themselves.
17. Send them something handmade.
A gift doesn’t need to be expensive to be good. A heartfelt card or a photo album or any gift you’ve made yourself shows you put time and thought into your gift and will serve as a reminder of how much you care even when you’re not around.
18. Mail them letters leading up to V-Day.
When the only form of contact between you two is communication over the phone or computer, switching it up can be a little tricky. A week or so leading up to V-Day, start sending your significant other love letters (or print out pictures of you two and send them as postcards) in the mail. Receiving mail that isn’t a bill these days is rare, which will make your love note even more special and fun to receive.
19. Mail them a care package of their favorite things.
Fill a box with a few of their favorite things, whether it’s sweets you can only get from a local shop by your place or a sweatshirt with your signature scent sprayed on it—little mementos will let them know you’re thinking of them.
20. Give them a bunch of letters to open at different times.
Long-distance relationships are as hard as they sound, and spending holidays like Valentine’s Day apart make them even harder. Fill envelopes with small gifts and sweet letters to cheer up your loved one based on how they’re feeling at that moment. Label the outside of each envelope with instructions of when to open them, like “when you’re missing me” and “when you’re feeling lonely.”
21. Count down the days until you see each other again by filling a jar with slips of paper detailing things you love about them.
Write as many notes as you have days left so that each day, they can draw one out of the jar to make passing the time a little bit easier. Send them the jar in the mail or give it to them in person when you see each other before Valentine’s Day.
22. Be the first person they hear in the morning and the last person they hear at night.
Get up a little early on V-Day and call your significant other first thing. If you’re used to saving your daily phone calls for nighttime, this will be a sweet little surprise to wake up to. After your busy day, fall asleep talking on the phone at night so it almost feels like you’re right there with them.
23. Plan a V-Day celebration a little off-season.
You don’t have to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. If the next time you’ll see each other is in March, surprise them and plan a full-out Valentine’s Day date for then instead. They really won’t see it coming and that’ll make it all the better.
24. Send a package full of goodies and love notes to your guy/girl’s roommate or friend…
Then, have them lay out the gifts all over your significant other’s room when they’re not looking. They will be shocked when they walk in to find handwritten letters and thoughtful surprises from you.
25. Take advantage of delivery services and surprise them with their favorite adult bev.
Try a delivery service like Drizly to drop off a bottle of your loved one’s favorite alcohol so you two can celebrate together and cheers over FaceTime.
26. Plan a surprise trip to see them.
What is more romantic than showing up when you’re not expecting to see each other? If you can swing the expense of some extra gas money and the time off from work, the ultimate gift you can give your significant other is time spent together on arguably the most romantic day of the year.
27. Even better, plan a trip for you both to meet somewhere else.
Flying or driving back and forth can get a bit redundant, so celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip elsewhere instead. Even if it’s just a staycation somewhere local, a change of scenery will make it feel more like a special occasion than your usual trips back and forth. Just remember to adhere to CDC guidelines and remain socially-distant.
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