Things to Do in Long Distance Relationship

Despite the time and space, there are always things to do in a long-distance relationship.

And if you do those things, you can deepen the connection and strengthen the relationship despite the distance.

In this blog, we'll explore what long-distance relationships are, 20 things to do as a couple, how to make them work, and what kills long-distance relationships.

What is a Long-Distance Relationship?

A long-distance relationship (LDR) is a romantic partnership where a significant distance separates the partners, most commonly when one partner lives in another city, state, province, or country.

A 2017 study states that a long-distance relationship is when partners travel an hour or more to see each other.

External factors like work, education, or family obligations usually cause these partners to live in different locations.

Despite the physical gap, LDR couples strive to maintain emotional intimacy and connection through communication and shared experiences. For some, it helps to connect on a deeper level. For others, it’s a struggle.

So, how do you keep the relationship connected and intimate when you're miles apart?

20 Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship

Here are 20 date ideas, surprise moves, and suggestions you can do in your LDR.

Virtual Movie Night: Sign in to Disney+, Netflix, or any other streaming service, and watch a movie or TV show together while having video chats. It’s an easy, long-distance date idea.

Cook Together: Choose a recipe and cook the same meal while video calling. This can also apply to making cocktails. It makes the joy of cooking more exciting.

Online Games: Jump onto the Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, or PC and play multiplayer online games together.

Board Games Night: This works -- trust us! If you both have the same game board, set your pieces up and play! It might be a little hectic, but it will build honesty and communication in your relationship.

Book Club: Who says book clubs have to be for clubs? Choose and read the same book and then discuss it chapter by chapter.

Mixtape via Playlists: Mixtapes were all the rage back in the day. Now, you can do the same by creating playlists for each other and sharing your favorite songs.

Virtual Tours: Many museums, landmarks, and cities now offer online virtual tours. Join together, then bookmark your favorite for when you meet in real life. Think of them as a virtual vacation.

Fitness Challenges: Health and fitness are essential for mental and physical well-being. Keep yourselves in check by setting and sharing fitness challenges and goals.

Learning Languages: Learn a new language together using apps. Then speak to each other in this new language so you get the practice!

Care Packages: A golden nugget to use! Sending gifts, such as cookies, flowers, candles, and whatever your partner loves, is a great way to keep the connection going and surprise them! Make sure to include intimate things!

Make Plans: It might not sound exciting, but it's a great way to add excitement to the relationship. Plus, it helps put a goal on the horizon, making the countdown more exciting.

Online Classes: Taking online courses or workshops on topics of mutual interest can maintain a connection while ensuring you work together on something you like. It's what many of our long-distance couples do with our courses.

Takeaway Night: Who doesn't love to eat their favorite meals from UberEats, DoorDash, or Skip the Dishes? Set a time, order a takeaway, and embrace a great bonding experience.

Vision/Dream Board: Create a shared vision board of your goals and dreams for the future. You can do it the old-fashioned way or find many popular online platforms. It's a fun and interactive way to stay connected.

Surprise Visits: This might be wild (depending on where you live, expensive), but a surprise visit is a great way to increase love, intimacy, and connection for a long-distance relationship. This is great for anniversaries.

Online Karaoke Night: Connect deeper by celebrating your favorite songs with an online karaoke night. You can even use your playlists!

Scavenger Hunt: You can jump on many online scavenger hunts as a team or compete against each other. It's a fun and exciting thing to do as a couple.

Travel Planning: Plan your future travels and bucket list destinations together. It's great to know where your partner would love to travel to and as a shared goal!

Crafting Sessions: Get creative with DIY crafts or artwork! You can have wine and paint night, sew together, or enjoy any other creative activity. All while video calling.

Memory Lane: Share memories and reminisce about your favorite moments together. This will help you reminisce about your greatest moments and bring harmony to your connection.

Now, you should use these activities as part of your larger goal of making the long-distance relationship work.

Here’s how you can do it.

How to Make a Long-Distance Relationship Work

Maintaining a successful long-distance relationship requires effort, commitment, and effective communication.

Here are some strategies to help you navigate the challenges and nurture your relationship:

Establish What You're Doing The Relationship Define your relationship goals and expectations by discussing communication frequency, visits, and plans. This will help establish rules that allow you both to understand what you need.

Discuss Non-Negotiables This is vital to include when going long distance. Discuss what is “off the table” in your relationship. Examples include "We don't go a few days without speaking" or "We must text each other important news". It’s essential to set expectations and boundaries so that you know what the expectation is whenever there's a disparity.

Communicate Your Needs Be transparent and honest with your needs and paint a picture for it. If you say “support”, it’s not clear enough. Be specific with what you want, like "I need you to reassure me we'll stay in contact".

Understand Your Love Languages There are five love languages — words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. If both of you understand each other’s love languages, you can help stay connected on a deeper level.

Set Things Ahead of Time As we touched on above, setting expectations is needed for long-distance relationships. This applies to visits. Plan visits whenever possible and stick to them!

Be Honest About Your Fears A long-distance relationship will push your buttons, so being honest and vulnerable with your fears is essential. Whether that's being abandoned or misunderstood, be transparent to help you grow and work through problems together.

Discuss the Next Steps of a Relationship Nothing helps a long-distance relationship like the future. Don’t be afraid to discuss the next steps, like living in the same place or travel plans. Even if the plan is not feasible now, it helps move the relationship to the next level and allows for possibilities to exist and share your needs.

Overexplain Things Don’t be afraid to explain everything. Because you don’t have the physical presence of reading emotions, you must go deeper to explain what’s happening in your life. Make sure you know everything about your partner’s day.

Support Each Other Be each other's cheerleaders. Support your partner's goals, dreams, and aspirations, even from a distance. This ensures both parties have the support they need and feel stronger as a unit.

Practice Patience & Be Flexible Long-distance relationships require patience and understanding. For some, that can be very difficult. So be patient with each other and trust that your love will last the distance. That might require you to adapt to

What Kills Long-Distance Relationships?

While long-distance relationships can be fulfilling, certain factors can strain and kill them.

Here are what you have to avoid:

Lack of Communication Communication is vital for any relationship, and especially for long-distance relationships. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and feelings of neglect, so make it a priority to have meaningful conversations and set up the next meetup.

Insecurity and Jealousy Trust issues and jealousy can erode the foundation of your relationship. It would help if you learned how to manage it effectively to avoid problems. Build trust through honesty and reassurance.

Neglecting Each Other's Needs Ignoring your partner's emotional or physical needs can create distance and resentment. That's why it's recommended that you prioritize meeting their relationship needs, which could be anything from reassurance to time alone.

Failure to Plan for the Future Uncertainty about the future can cause anxiety and doubt as it just adds more doubts as to whether the relationship can work or not. Discuss your long-term plans and aspirations to create a sense of security for both of you.

Ignoring Red Flags Ignoring warning signs or unresolved conflicts can lead to resentment and dissatisfaction between people. It could be anything from opposing goals or priorities to a lack of honesty. In some cases, it might be a deal breaker in a relationship.

While long-distance relationships come with challenges, they also offer opportunities for growth, connection, and shared experiences. But you must work on the LDR together.

If you want more information on how to make your long-distance relationship work, feel free to search for our Attachment Styles in Partnership: Exploring Interactions Between Different Styles course.

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