How to make your Long Distance Relationship as real as it is exciting? Journalist Emma Specter gives us some tips.

For me, the ideal day is basically lounging in bed watching Netflix or FaceTime with friends and family (and sometimes taking a short walk to stretch my legs). So if there’s one person who’s predisposed to being successful in a long-distance relationship, it’s me. However, that wasn’t always the case. When I lived in Austin and my partner lived in Los Angeles, I often felt frustrated. The problem wasn’t our relationship per se, but the inability to see each other more than once a month. Yes, being in love and having someone to think about is wonderful. But we quickly get tired of the endless questions like “What did you eat for lunch?”

We now live in the same city, but if like me, before, you are part of the LDR club ( long distance relationship ), and you want your relationship to last despite the kilometers, here are my best tips and tricks, tested and approved.

5 Date Ideas to Try With Your Partner When You Live in Two Different Cities or in Long Distance Relationship

1. Watch the same movie at the same time

We’ve all done it during lockdown (I remember that awesome, if slightly melancholic, evening watching A Cinderella Story with my best friends who live miles away). Watching your favorite movie with a boyfriend or girlfriend feels like you’re physically together, even if it’s been months since you’ve seen each other. Personally, I recommend a well-crafted comedy like the cult classic Broadcast News , but a Pixar will do the trick too.

2. Write letters (on paper!)

You got it: I’m ultra-connected. So this step was a new one for me (where are we in Bridgerton ?), but now that I’m about to move in with my partner, I’m thrilled to have kept all the letters and notes he wrote me, as a memento of this strange but wonderful time in our lives. Maybe they’ll end up framed in our living room… or maybe not.

3. Do fitting sessions via video call

I love shopping online, just like any other millennial, but I have to admit that I sometimes miss shopping in-store. Remember that little teenage ritual where you would change in the changing room, pose for your friends and then debate the all-important question: “Should I buy it or not?” To recreate the experience with my partner, I would replay the entire process over a video call, on FaceTime or Zoom. His reviews were much more positive than my inner voice, which encouraged me to try on that sexy swimsuit, for example.

4. Surprise your partner with gifts

There’s nothing better than receiving a surprise package, especially if the sender happens to be your long-distance boyfriend , for no reason other than to please you. In my relationship, it’s been everything from weird candies to custom t-shirts to caviar tastings (more rare). And even though I was dying to call him and yell “HEY, I SENT YOU A GIFT!”, I was kindly waiting for him to receive it.

5. Prioritize halfway reunions

Yes, it’s a bit of a cheat, but let me convince you. We were constantly looking for cheap flights to see each other, but even the low-cost ones were sometimes beyond our budget. In order to save money, we chose an intermediate destination (Phoenix in our case). We rented a cute Airbnb and ended up in a city that neither of us knew (neither had to suffer the rhythm of the other), the opportunity to go in search of the best gay bar in the area for example, it was very very romantic.