10 Date Ideas for Couples During the Pandemic 💘

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With Valentine’s day coming up, I would like to share with you 10 date ideas for couples during the pandemic. With everything being closed and the recent curfew at 8 PM, it can seem pretty hard to find some fun activity to do with your partner. Hopefully, those 10 ideas will inspire you to get out of bed and enjoy your free time on weekends, or transform a boring evening in lockdown into something fun!

1- Winter Hike

It is not because there is snow that you can’t go for a hike! Many places offer hiking all year-round, and it can be a pretty nice experience to do with your sweet half. Near Quebec City, there is the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, the Station Touristique Duchesnay, and a little further there is the beautiful Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier. For more destinations all over the province of Quebec and information about winter hiking, make sure to check the SEPAQ website. One of my favorite spots that I love to go to is the Parc des Chutes de la Chaudière (see pictures). During winter, the icy path allows you to go very near the waterfalls that are quite impressive!

2- Buffet Night

I am a complete fan of the TV show Gilmore Girl, and this is something that the two main characters often do on their traditional movie nights. This idea consists of going to many different take-out places and to buy a little of everything: sushi, tacos, Chinese food, pizza, etc. It can be a little bit more pricy than going to only one place, but for one time it can be fun! You will have for every taste and it can be a good idea if your partner and you can’t agree on what to eat;).

3- Binge-Watching Night

I have recently discovered that Netflix makes a category of shows “Watch it in One Weekend”, which is perfect for binge-watching. Eight, nine, or ten episodes is enough to get addictive without spending all of your time watching it. Here are 3 of my favorites TV shows to binge-watch that are perfect if you want to do a sleepless night Netflix edition with your partner.

Outer Banks

If you still haven’t watched it, now is the time! This TV show of only 10 episodes depicts the story of three teenagers that undertake a treasure hunt with an ultimate prize worth 40 million dollars. The plot is thrilling, and you really get attached to the characters! It also gives major summer vibes, which can help forget the cold weather for a moment;) There is one season for the moment, but it suggests that there will be a sequel…

Equinox

Equinox is a Danish TV show that portrays the story of a woman who decides to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her sister that happened 20 years ago. It can be quite scary at some moments, so if you are not familiar with occult fiction, watching this before going to bed might not be the best idea;). I have been quite surprised to discover how many foreign shows Netflix offers. Indeed, there is a lot of great stuff, and it can also be a good way to learn a foreign language.

GirlBoss

This is the type of show that I could watch a second time without getting bored. It depicts the story of a young woman in California who starts selling second-hand clothes that she transforms into something fashionable. The show follows the story of the young women since the moment she gets the idea until she reaches success. We also follow her in her personal life and its ups and downs. The show is based on the story of Sophia Amoruso, which is the founder of the very profitable fashion business called Nasty Gal.

Finally, there is also a section called “Bingeworthy TV Shows”. It is kind of the same concept, but these TV shows have more than one season (which is not the case with the first category presented). However, it does contain very great TV shows that are suggested based on your interests.

4- Homemade Spa

This is quite traditional, but it never gets boring! Plus, it can only be positive for your relationship to take the time to pamper your other half. Face mask, massages, taking a bath, or everything that includes relaxing and taking care of ourselves. For homemade face mask recipe click here. For a guide with videos on how to give a perfect back massage, click here.

5- Hygge Night

Candles, sweet songs, a cup of tea, blankets, and a pictures album; this is all you need for a perfect hygge night with your sweet half. For those who are not familiar with hygge, this Danish word refers to a “quality of coziness that makes one person feels content and comfortable” (Merriam-Webster) Hygge is really about creating an atmosphere of comfort and of security that can be transposed into many subjects, seasons, activities, and more. I am a complete fan of the hygge life philosophy, so more articles about this subject are to come;). For this hygge date-night with your partner, I suggest you to create a cozy atmosphere with some sweet music and a hot cup of tea, and look at some old pictures of yourself when you were both young as well as when you started dating, etc. This is a very fun activity to do that will bring back a lot of memories! For another hygge activity, make sure to read the following idea;)

6- Board Games

A board games night can be a very fun activity to do as a couple. Monopoly, Chess, Boggle, choose your favorite games, and the winners can get what he/she wants! Who knows? Maybe you will discover a competitive side of your partner that you did not know existed before! Popular card games such as Cards Against Humanity or What do you Meme can also be very fun games to play with your partner. Finally, if you are looking for a calm game around the fire to learn about each other, the Hygge Game would be a perfect fit.

7- Cooking Competition

Who is the best cook in the couple? Time to find out! I suggest you to plan two evenings to do this activity, so one evening per participant. The chef of the night has to do a starter, main course, and dessert. If you want to add a little competition to the activity, rate each others’ meals!

8- “Memes” Creation

This is an activity that I often do with my boyfriend and that is sooo fun. There are plenty of memes templates on the internet that you can download and then personalize with your own pictures. You can create a meme by adding pictures of your partner and shorts sentences that fit with the chosen template. The results are simply hilarious! Here are some templates:

9- Quiz Night

There are many ways you can do a quiz night. The first idea that I suggest is that each of you creates a little quiz that contains specific questions about your tastes, interests, dreams, etc. Then, you have to answer each other’s quiz and try to get as many right answers as possible! Who knows the other better? This quiz will help you find out;) You can also find those types of quizzes online: How Well Do You Know Your Partner, 20 Questions All Couples In A Strong Relationship Should Be Able To Answer.

Finally, there is also The 5 Love Languages Quiz that every couple, in my opinion, should do at least once. This quiz will help you discover the best way for you to feel love as well as the most effective way to demonstrate your love to your partner. The five possible languages are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, the act of service, and physical touch (sheknows.com). By understanding your love language as well as the one of your partner, you will have a better understanding of each other’s needs and wants.

10- Skills exchange

Your partner plays guitar and you are a master in yoga? Time for a skill-exchange night! The purpose of the activity is to learn one of the skills or hidden talents of your partner. Whether it is your incredible recipe of banana bread or your partner’s hidden talent for playing chess, trade one of you skill for one of your partner. As well as being very fun, this type of activity demonstrates that you recognize and appreciate the talent or skill of your partner and that you can learn from each other, which can strengthen greatly a relationship. I am not a love expert, but I know that every human being loves to be recognized in what we are good at, and this being told by your partner can never harm.

This is it for my 10 dates night ideas for couples during the pandemic. I hope it inspired you for Valentine’s day or it gave you some ideas on how to transform a boring evening in lockdown into something fun. If you have other ideas, do not hesitate to share them in the comments, I would love to read other ways my readers have found to make use of their spare time during the pandemic :).

À bientôt!

Juliette

References:

Snow Hiking Trails: https://www.sepaq.com/quoi-faire/randonnee-hivernale-sentiers.dot?language_id=1

GirlBoss true story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/real-girlboss-rise-fall-nasty-gal-founder-sophia-amoruso/

The 5 Love Languages: https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1059295/what-are-the-5-love-languages/#:~:text=What%20Are%20the%205%20Love%20Languages%3F%201%20Words,4%20Acts%20of%20service.%205%20Physical%20touch.%20