You'd be hard pressed to find a virtual date that could rival the feeling of being with each other, but putting in the effort and organizing an experience that is more thought out than a Facetime call goes a long way. Here are a list of virtual date ideas that I actually did with my long-distance girlfriend.

1. 360 virtual tour of Rome

Wander through iconic landmarks like the Colosseum and Vatican City, immersing yourselves in the rich culture and architecture of this ancient city. There are plenty of free 360 tours on Youtube, so just pick one, start a Facetime call, and play the videos at the same time. By just holding up your phone and moving around, you'll be able to look around the scene as if you're actually there. Syncing the videos is a bit of a hassle but it can lead to some good laughs. Here's a free Youtube video that would be perfect for this date.

The awesome thing about this date is that there are free 360 walking tours of most famous landmarks. Feel free to search for other landmarks and locations, just make sure to include the keywords 360/VR.

2. Cine2Nerdle - Test your movie knowledge

You probably have never heard of Cine2Nerdle, but I can assure that my girlfriend and I love this game. You and whoever you're playing against take turns listing a movie that shares the same actors, directors, or writers. Once somebody can't name a movie, the game ends and the other player is victorious. There is a little more nuance to the game because you can ban certain actors and can only repeat the same link three times, but that's the general concept. The best part about this game is that you can challenge each other or work together against a random person online (I know that some couples are extremely competitive).

3. Take a trip down memory lane

Take a deep dive into your past together by exploring your camera rolls. Share and reminisce about cherished memories, uncovering forgotten gems and reliving the moments that brought you closer as a couple. To take this date to the next level you can create shared photo albums with specific themes. Apple allows iPhone users to do so with relative ease.

4. Create your bucket lists

You'll be suprised at how much you find out about your partner during this activity. Who would've known that my girlfriend wanted to swim with whale sharks? What even are whale sharks? Should I be scared?

5. Paint and sip

For this classic date you'll have to buy paint supplies ahead of time, but it's well worth it. A bit of alcohol (if you prefer it) is sure to lead to some hilarious memories. Official Bob Ross episodes are now on Youtube so you can pick any landscape that spots your fancy and follow along.

6. Plan a vacation

Does your partner have any suprising destinations that they want to visit? Would they want to go on a cruise around Alaska or lay on a Carribean beach? Casually explore places, share Pinterest boards, and get a list going of adventures yet to be made. If you have the funds for it then even better.

7. Wikirace

The concept for Wikirace is simple: start on the same Wikipedia page and choose a random topic/subject as an endpoint. You two then race to get from page A to page B by just clicking on the links found within said article. The first player to arrive at the desired page wins. If you want to learn more about it, you can check out the rules here:

8. Teleparty - Watch together

Join your partner on teleparty to watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Youtube, and more at the same time. If you're afraid of technology feel free to try to sync a video yourself, this chrome extension is just nice because it eliminates the hassle of trying to get the two videos just right.

9. House hunt together

Hop on Zillow and act like would-be homebuyers touring an area. Share your dream home preferences, discuss design ideas, and explore different neighborhoods together. If you have more of an eye for the luxurious, wander over to more well off areas or find multi-million dollar mansion tours on Youtube (Enes Yilmazer has some great ones).

10. Pottery night

Get your hands a little messy and your creativity flowing with a pottery night for two! Grab some air-dry or oven-baked clay, and set the mood for a relaxed yet artsy evening. Sculpt mugs or figurines together, or for a really fun evening, try to sculpt each other. Just make sure that you do a good job because it could lead to some arguments.

11. Send each other carepackages

My roomate and his girlfriend did an advent calendar full of $1 items and it looked like a blast. Why not make that a year round activity via carepackages? Set a budget and construct a carepackage of small items that you think your partner would need, like, or laugh at. Inside jokes are encouraged! Here are some ideas for things to include:

• Handwritten note
• Printed photographs
• Chapstick
• Sweet treats
• Candles
• DIY Coupons - an IOU just between you two
• Fun socks

12. Try to learn origami

This date is perfect because you already have everything around the house to create origami. Sure you can buy nice origami paper, but post-it notes or printer paper cut into a square will work just fine. Since this activity is relatively mindless, I'd recommend finding a list of deep relationship questions and talking through those as you fold away.

13. Clothes shop together

To be honest, I never really knew where my girlfriend got her clothes. Turns out that it's actually pretty fun to talk about each others outfits and subtley try to mold their sense of style.

14. Geoguessr

By now I'm sure that many of you have seen the viral videos of people who are ridiculously good at Geoguessr (like below). If you haven't, let me briefly explain the game.

GeoGuessr is an online game that drops you in a random location worldwide using Google Street View. Your mission? Guess where you are based on the surroundings. It's a thrilling challenge that tests your geography skills and takes you on a virtual tour around the globe, turning ordinary street views into an exciting guessing game.

15. Make a shared music playlist

Get ready for a laid-back date night with a shared playlist! Dive into your favorite jams, swap tunes that hit differently, and craft a playlist that's all about your vibe. It's like creating a musical diary of your relationship - one track at a time. 🎶✨

16. Partner Scattegories

It's Scattergories, but with a personal twist to make it all about you two. Swap out the usual categories for ones that hit close to home, then play as you normally would. Here are some fun ideas to get you rolling:

• Something that icks your partner
• Past date locations
• A song you both like
• Something your partner says
• Food you had together
• Dessert your partner likes
• Country neither of you have visited
• A friend of your partner

17. Partner mood board/scrapbooking

Pick out any mood board/scrapbook creation software of your choice and throw together some romantic collages. Come up with a theme for the boards and give each other 15 minutes to craft away. Here are some fun themes to get you thinking:

How they see you - Try to describe your partner in just 5 adjectives and scour the internet for a picture representing each of the 5 adjectives.

In a perfect world - What would your ideal future hold? Where would you be in life? Would you have kids? Would you travel the world?

Your journey - What were your first thoughts about your partner and how did they develop over time? Chronicle your time together.

18. Board games online

Only having two players limits your options but there are still some classics that you can find online for free.

• Stratego
• Chess / Checkers
• Battleship
• Bananagrams
• Codenames: Duet

19. Tour a museum online

Roam the virtual museum halls, check out cool artifacts, and chat about all the interesting stuff you stumble upon. Unfortunately unlike monuments, there are very few free 360 tours of Museums on Youtube (probably due to commercial art rights). Instead you're going to have to look for tours through the official museum websites. To save you the hassle, I've compiled a few of my favorites below:

20. Try out lovedove.co

This may be a shameless self-promotion, but Lovedove was created to solve this exact issue. Go on 3d interactive video call dates like escape rooms, trivia, compatability gameshows, and way more.