Long distance, a little closer
45 Long Distance Relationship Activities That Aren’t Just Watching Movies
Already discussed lunch, work, and the weather? Try one of these 45 games, creative dates, and small rituals that give your next call somewhere new to go.
“What else happened today?” You’ve asked it twice. Your partner has told you about lunch in impressive detail. Neither of you wants to hang up, but the conversation has officially reached the weather. Sound familiar?
You don’t need a more interesting life to have a better call. You might just need something to do. Draw a terrible portrait. Put your snack opinions on trial. Cook the same meal and discover that one of you interprets “a little garlic” very differently.
Here are 45 ways to make the distance feel a little smaller, sorted by the time and energy you have tonight. Most use things already in your home; a few need an app, ingredients, or postage. Pick the one that makes you want to send “want to try this?” right now.
Can’t decide? Try this tonight.
Each bring three photos from your day. Take turns explaining them, then choose one longer idea for another evening. Ten minutes is enough to start.
5 to 15 minutes · together
When you only have 10 minutes
You have ten minutes and approximately half a brain cell left. Perfect. These tiny dates need almost no setup, and being a bit tired might make the terrible humming even funnier.
Play three photo show and tell
Pick three photos from your day: one ordinary, one funny, and one that needs explaining. Take turns telling the story behind each. The slightly burnt toast is just as welcome as the beautiful sunset.
Give each other a tiny room tour
Show your partner one corner of your space they haven’t seen lately. Explain the objects on your desk or the things stuck to your fridge. It’s a small way to let them into your everyday surroundings.
Try a household scavenger hunt
Give each other a prompt: something older than your relationship, something blue, something you should probably throw away. Find an object and explain your choice. Three rounds is plenty; the explanations are the best bit.
Guess the song from a terrible hum
Choose songs you both know and hum a few seconds without lyrics. Award a point for the title and another for the artist. Enthusiastic, wildly off key performances absolutely count.
Draw each other without looking down
Grab paper, set a two minute timer, and draw your partner while looking only at their face. Reveal the results together. This is one date where being bad at drawing makes it better.
Send a voice note mini podcast
Record a two minute episode about a very small event: the dramatic office lunch, your new favorite snack, the dog you met. Give it a ridiculous title. Your partner can send the next episode back.
Play two truths and a small lie
Make all three statements about something recent, rather than recycling facts from when you first met. Your partner has to guess which detail you invented. Then tell the full story behind one of the true ones.
Choose a song for this exact moment
Each pick a song that matches your day and explain why. Listen separately, then compare notes. Save the pair in a shared playlist; after a few weeks, you’ll have a surprisingly specific record of your lives.
Have a camera off tea break
Make a drink and talk with your cameras off. No tidying your room or checking how you look on screen. Ask one small question, such as what made your day easier, and let the conversation wander.
20 to 45 minutes · together
Creative dates that give you something to do
Give your hands a job and the conversation can stop auditioning for a podcast. These dates leave you with something to show each other, even if it’s a portrait nobody should ever frame.
Color one of your photos together
Choose a photo with a story behind it. In Lovla, you can turn it into a coloring page and color together in real time. Pick a palette together, or each claim a different part of the picture.
Make deliberately bad portraits
Spend ten minutes drawing each other using only three colors. Add an over serious gallery title and present your masterpiece. The point is to make something personal, not to produce a flattering profile picture.
Write a story one sentence at a time
Start a shared note with a character and a problem. Alternate sentences without planning the ending. When the plot gets completely out of hand, each write a final line and vote for the more ridiculous finish.
Design your imaginary café
Agree on a café name, then split the work: one person makes a menu while the other plans the room. Present your ideas over a drink. Include one dish inspired by an inside joke.
Follow the same paper folding tutorial
Choose one simple design and start with whatever paper you have. Pause at the same steps so nobody gets stranded halfway through. Put the finished objects somewhere you’ll both see them during your next call.
Make a six panel comic about your week
Stick figures are enough. Each draw three panels showing something that happened, then explain them in order. Give the week a title. Keep the pictures in a shared folder if you want an ongoing series.
Build a tiny exhibition from your camera rolls
Choose a theme such as reflections, strange signs, or things that look like faces. Each select five photos and give them titles. Take turns acting as the curator of a very unserious gallery.
Invent a board game on paper
Draw matching boards with twenty spaces. Together, decide what happens on each special square: tell a joke, move back, choose a song. Use a coin or die to play. Change any rule that turns out to be boring.
Make a postcard for your next visit
Draw a place you want to go together and write a short note on the back. Show each other on the call, then keep the cards for your visit or mail them as a small surprise.
15 to 60 minutes · together
Make ordinary evenings feel shared
Sometimes romance is a grand gesture. Sometimes it’s having your person on the phone while you argue with a jar lid. These ideas bring a little company to the stuff you were going to do anyway.
Cook two versions of the same meal
Pick a forgiving dish, like pasta or rice bowls, and use ingredients you already have. Set a shared start time, prop up your phones, and compare the finished plates. Different time zones? Lunch and dinner still count.
Host a snack tasting
Each bring three snacks and rate them on crunch, flavor, and whether you’d buy them again. You don’t need identical snacks or a delivery order. Inventing your judging criteria is half the entertainment.
Have a breakfast date in mismatched time zones
One person makes breakfast; the other brings dessert or an evening drink. Give it a clear start and end so it fits around work or sleep. Matching meals are optional. A time that works for both people isn’t.
Take a walk and trade observations
Choose safe, familiar routes and talk by voice while you walk. Describe one thing your partner can’t see: the weather, a shop window, a particularly confident pigeon. Stay aware of your surroundings and stop before taking photos.
Run a ten minute tidy up sprint
Pick one manageable task each and start a timer together. Keep the call open, then show your before and after results. Stop when the timer ends. This is company for a boring chore, not an inspection of each other’s homes.
Read a short piece aloud
Choose a poem, a short story you own, or a few pages from a book you’re both reading. Take turns reading passages. Stop whenever something makes you laugh or gives you a question to ask.
Make your own question cards
Each write five questions: two light, two curious, and one completely silly. Take turns picking a number. Allow a pass on any question; a date shouldn’t feel like an interview you can fail.
Do a cupboard only cooking challenge
Choose three ingredients you both have and try to make a snack from them. Set a short time limit and compare your inventions. Agree on allergies and food preferences first, and skip anything that needs a special shopping trip.
Spend a quiet half hour together
Stay on a call while each of you reads, draws, or does a small project. Agree that silence is welcome, then check in at the end. It works best when you both want company without much conversation.
A few minutes each · at different times
Activities for different time zones
When your good morning is their good night, leave something lovely to wake up to. These ideas work in turns, with plenty of room for a late reply and an actual night’s sleep.
Keep a one photo a day diary
Add one picture to a shared album with a sentence about why you took it. Ordinary days belong here too. When you next talk, choose one photo you want to hear more about.
Trade a question across the day
Leave one question for your partner to answer when they’re free. Try something concrete: what would you show me if I were there today? Answer their question before leaving your next one.
Build a playlist with liner notes
Add one track at a time and write a short explanation in a shared note. It can remind you of them, capture your mood, or simply sound good. Leave space for your partner’s response before adding more.
Leave a tiny treasure hunt
Send three clues that point to a shared memory, a photo, or a place you’ve visited. Your partner guesses when they wake up. Finish with the story of why you were thinking about that moment.
Make a collaborative comic in installments
One person draws the first panel and sends it over; the other adds the next. Keep going for a week. Don’t explain what you intended the characters to do. Let your partner take the story somewhere unexpected.
Share a short reading challenge
Choose a manageable chapter or short story and a loose finish date. Leave each other one favorite moment and one question. Avoid turning the chat into a spoiler zone until you’ve both caught up.
Record a sound from your day
Capture a few seconds of rain, your kettle, or the birds outside your window. Ask your partner to guess before you explain. Avoid recording other people’s private conversations or anything that reveals sensitive location details.
Keep a ‘when we’re together’ list
Add small things you want to share during your next visit: a bakery, a walk, a recipe. Put your name beside each suggestion. Later, pick one idea each instead of trying to squeeze everything into the trip.
Write an open when message
Create a note for a specific moment: a hard commute, a slow Sunday, the night before a big presentation. Keep it personal and brief. Ask whether your partner prefers a voice recording, a text, or an actual letter.
45 to 90 minutes · together
When you have a whole evening
You’ve both cleared the evening. Now give it a little occasion: put on something you like, choose one idea, and leave room for the conversation to wander. A date can have a plan without needing a timetable.
Re create your first date
Make a similar meal, wear something that reminds you of it, and each tell the story from your side. Compare what you noticed first and what you were nervous about. You may remember very different evenings.
Give a personal museum tour
Gather five objects that tell part of your story: a childhood keepsake, an old ticket, a book with notes in it. Take turns presenting them. Your partner gets one question after each object.
Plan one realistic day of your next visit
Choose a starting point, a meal, and one thing you’re excited to do. Look up opening times together and agree on what you can spend. Leave room for rest; an itinerary shouldn’t use every available minute.
Have a low budget dress up dinner
Use food you already planned to eat, set the table, and wear whatever makes the evening feel different. Put other notifications away. Choose one conversation topic that has nothing to do with work or travel logistics.
Learn a short dance together
Pick a beginner friendly sequence, clear some floor space, and learn it in small sections. Take turns demonstrating the bits you’ve figured out. You can keep the cameras off until the final, probably chaotic, performance.
Make a relationship time capsule
Each contribute a current photo, a favorite phrase, and a prediction for the year ahead. Store them in a shared folder with an agreed opening date. Add a note about what you’re enjoying in your relationship right now.
Host a themed quiz about each other
Prepare ten questions with a mix of easy memories and obscure preferences. Give a hint when someone gets stuck. Wrong answers are a chance to learn something, not evidence that your partner hasn’t been paying attention.
Take turns planning a mystery date
The planner sends only the time, rough length, budget, and anything to prepare. Keep the activity within things you know your partner enjoys. Reveal it on the call, then swap planning duties next time.
Make a shared memory page
Choose one month, trip, or small milestone. Gather a few photos, add captions, and each write one thing you want to remember. Save the page somewhere you both can revisit. You’re making a keepsake, not a perfect scrapbook.
A date shouldn’t become another task
Before you pick an activity, ask three things: how much time do we have, how tired are we, and do we want to talk or make something? The answer might be different for each of you. Choose the smaller plan if that makes it easier.
Agree on a rough finish time, especially across time zones. Take turns suggesting ideas, and keep a backup for bad internet or low energy. A short voice note can stand in for a video date without anybody having to apologize for it.
If one idea becomes your regular Thursday thing, this list has done its job. You don’t owe the other 44 a turn. Keep the dates that make you laugh, retire the ones that feel awkward, and let your favorite little rituals earn their place.
One idea to make your own
Your favorite photo. Your next date.
Lovla turns your photos into coloring pages you can work on together in real time, then save in a shared journal. Choose a memory and give yourselves a little time to revisit it.
See how Lovla worksWant to make activity 10 tonight? Follow our practical guide to turning a photo into a coloring page, including which pictures work best and how to fix messy line art.
For activity 43, use our 101 Who Knows Me Better questions for couples to build a round without writing every prompt yourself.
Written by The Lovla Team. Ideas for making ordinary evenings feel a little more like time together, wherever you both are.