Romancing the Plague: Creative COVID Dating Ideas

Spring fever during the pandemic drives many people outdoors for hiking and picnicking dates, which are always fun, but not exactly unique. Want to add another element of fun and creativity to your day in the great outdoors? Try foraging! Grab a handy guide to edible plants in your area, or find one online that you can take with you. There are even apps that will help you identify a plant using a photo from your phone. A popular item for foraging during springtime is the morel mushroom. Wild ginger, sassafras, mint, and berries are also fun to gather. Check out what is common in your area and season and plan ahead. But even if you return with empty baskets, it's the thrill of the hunt that will make this date exciting and fun.

Jamie knew there was something special about Jade even before Jamie found out that they shared the same sense of humor and values and were interested in similar shows. Something about Jade’s eyes in their photos made Jamie want to see where this might go. But COVID. While some people they knew had received the vaccine, Jamie and Jade were not eligible yet. But Jamie had read about some fun, creative ideas for “dates” that could be done from a distance, so after getting to know Jade over zoom, text, and phone calls, Jamie took the plunge and decided to send them a little surprise to let them know they were enjoying their time together-apart. Jade was so thrilled that Jamie had been thinking of them and taken the time to do a little something special, that they reciprocated with their own creative surprise. As Jamie and Jade continued their casual surprises to one another, they became aware of their growing mutual fondness. One day Jade suggested that they try meeting in real life...

Bored with board games? Spice up your date night at home with these creative new twists on some familiar games to transform an ordinary, cheap, date night at home into a romantic and sexy experience.   Start Out Sweet Chocolate Checkers Dust off your old checker board and replace the pieces with chocolates. When you win one of your opponent’s pieces, victory will be sweet as it melts in your mouth. Candy Chinese Checkers Lose your marbles and use your favorite candy pieces, like M&Ms, instead! If you get hungry, feed each other the pieces.   Foreplay Games Naughty Scrabble Only naughty words allowed!   Exploring Candyland or Chutes & Ladders With a marker, replace the tasks or directives (or write on certain squares) with your own flirty or suggestive tasks. See where you end up!   Strip Chess When you take their chess piece, you take a piece of their clothing along with it.   Let’s Get Physical Pleasure Pictionary W...

What can you do when you want to go somewhere with your person and experience something cool or creative, but you want to social distance from others? Sure, there’s lots of virtual experiences out there like checking out art museums or gallery exhibits online, but after a while, you just want to get out and actually go somewhere in real life! We’ve found the perfect blend of getting out in the world, cultural artistic enjoyment, and social distancing: take a self-guided tour of your city’s street art and murals. Whether it’s taking a leisurely stroll together to chat, admire the art and take photos, or perhaps mapping out a bike route through the city, you’ll get some exhilarating fresh air, get inspired by the beauty of your city’s unique art, and have fun making memories with your Someone. To plan: Check out mural & street art databases/apps like MASA  and Street Art Cities  or explore more about street art all over the country at the Google Art Project, Street Art . Als...

The Fantasy Date Have you ever seen some ideal romantic getaway advertised online and imagined you could drop everything to go explore someplace exotic or breathtaking with your favorite person? Turn that fantasy into your virtual Valentine’s Day! Planning ahead Give each other a little fun homework. Much of the fantasy date will involve sharing your…fantasies! Imagine a fantasy destination, anywhere in the world, where you would take your date if money and reality were no objects. Then go from there. Plan your chosen date around your destination, choosing a restaurant, the food from the menu, taking a romantic walk through some special special attraction that you would die to see…  If you like going the extra mile, consider making an invitation to formally invite your special someone to join you in your fantasy. Send the invitation snail mail or make an email or free, private website/video with all the links, descriptions, etc. Make your fantasy as detailed as you want and collect...

Cabin fever during the pandemic drives many people outdoors for hiking and picnicking dates, which are always fun, but not exactly unique. Want to add another element of fun and creativity to your day in the great outdoors? Create some nature art with your date! All that you will need is already there: leaves, twigs, stones, wild berries, snow, pinecones, reeds, shells, thorns—the possibilities are endless. And you can do this activity no matter where you are—a city park, a mountain, your college campus, the beach, or your own backyard! As you hike or wander, keep a lookout for the natural materials all around you that you could utilize for your project and collect them as you go. When you find the perfect spot, start making art! This is the sort of activity that can be done in collaboration with your date or each of you can work on your own projects in proximity to each other. The exciting thing about creating nature art is that it reminds the body of what it was like to play as a...