Activities for a Long-Distance Relationship

Activities bring life into your long-distance relationship. Doing a variety of activities can help you improve your communication and make your long-distance relationship fun and exciting.

Here is a mix of our top activities that can spice up your long-distance relationship:

• Conversation starter games.
• Card games.
• Cooperation games.
• Couple’s getaways.
• Intimate and meaningful conversations.
• Share feelings.
• Share experiences by visiting each other and going on trips together.
• Doing things in your home towns or go away together. 
• Play online games.
• Send each other gifts.

For a healthy long-distance relationship and your general well-being, you should have a mix of different activities.

When you are in a long-distance relationship, there are many things you can do online and during your visits. A long-distance relationship is an opportunity to do fun and exciting things with your partner.

• You can spend time on your personal life goals.
• As a couple, you can work on making the most out of your long-distance relationship.
• You can work on your communication with your long-distance partner.
• There are many fun games you can play online together with your long-distance partner.
• In the long-distance relationship, you can keep in touch over the phone through text messages and over video calls.

Many couples see a long-distance relationship as a struggle. But with a simple mind shift and a list of different things you can do together, your long-distance relationship can be a lot of fun.

Today will talk about various activities you can do in the long-distance relationship with some examples.

Things to Do Before Long-Distance Relationship

Couples can find themselves in a long-distance relationship for one of two reasons.

One reason is starting a new long-distance relationship with someone you met online. Another reason is having a long-distance relationship with your existing partner because of travel, job relocation, or studies.

Before you start a long-distance relationship with someone new or with your existing partner, there are a few things you should do.

In any long-distance relationship, you should have a plan on how long it will last and approximate date of when you can move in together. Having a long-distance relationship for an indefinitely amount of time can put a lot of strain and pressure on both partners.

Another important thing you should do is to agree on how often you will communicate with your long-distance partner. This will help you avoid excessive communication that can lead to boring conversations and a broken long-distance relationship.

Communication in a Long-Distance Relationship

Relationship-Building Activities for Long-Distance Couples 

When you are in a long-distance relationship, you can divide all activities into two groups: online activities and in-person activities.

You can also divide activities into those you do only with your long-distance partner, and the ones you do with people in your life and with people in your partner’s life.

Finally, you can also separate activities by an intention. For example, bonding activities can help you build a stronger and more successful long-distance relationship. Other activities can help you focus on your life goals and ambitions. 

Group activities with people in your proximity will help you grow and develop as a person. Group activities with your long-distance partner and people in their life will help you get to know your partner better and spend fun time with them and become part of their life.

Relationship-building activities can help you get to know someone you’ve met online. When you start a long-distance relationship with someone you’ve never met, you have a few months to get to know them and decide if they are the right person for you.

At the beginning of the relationship, it can be tricky to bring up some topics. Suppose you are already in a relationship and for some reason, you have to separate and be long-distance. In that case, the right activities will keep you connected through the times you are away from your partner.

Relationship-building activities can help you:

• Get to know each other
• Improve communication
• Make relationship fun and exciting
• Help you solve problems
• Make a plan for the future of your long-distance relationship and a timeline for you to know how long will it last and what do you want at the end of it.

Relationship-Building Activities You Can Try with Your Long-Distance Partner

• Conversation starter games
• Card games
• Cooperation games
• Couple’s getaways

Romantic Things to Do for Your Long-Distance Partner 

Romantic things are the foundation for a healthy and successful long-distance relationship. Sometimes being romantic comes naturally and sometimes don’t, but you should still do romantic things for your partner, even if you don’t feel like it.

In the long-distance relationship, it’s easy to slip into negative thinking that can destroy your relationship. To keep your long-distance relationship alive, you should regularly do romantic things.

One of the cute and romantic things to do is waking up your long-distance partner with a phone call or a sweet text message.

Another thing you should do regularly is to send each other gifts and care packages and handwritten letters with photos.

Sweet and Cute Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship 

When you are in the long-distance relationship, you must do sweet and cute things for and with your long-distance partner.

Sweet things you can do range from sending your long-distance partner a quick message now and then telling them that you are thinking of them.

Another cute thing you can do is to send them a love letter. A handwritten letter is a lot more personal. It can carry a lot more emotion to your long-distance partner than a simple text message.

Now and then you must send cute gifts to your long-distance partner. The reason a gift carries a lot of value in a long-distance relationship is that they give you a long-distance partner something tangible that connects them to you.

Gifts for a Long-Distance Relationship

Bonding Activities for a Long-Distance Relationship

When you are in a long-distance relationship, it can be challenging to maintain physical closeness and emotional connection.

Bonding activities can help you:

• Create a connection with someone you just met.
• Maintain a connection with your current partner.
• Build trust with your partner.
• Develop an understanding.

Bonding Activities You Can Do with Your Long-Distance Partner

• Have intimate and meaningful conversations.
• Share feelings.
• Share experiences by visiting each other and going on trips together.
• Do things in your home towns or go away together. 
• Play online games.
• Send each other gifts.

Things to Do Together a Long-Distance Relationship 

In a long-distance relationship, there are two general categories of things you can do together with your long-distance partner.

You can talk about something fun, engaging, and exciting that happened in your life or discuss random exciting topics. You can also play fun games online, or exchange gadgets like remote-controlled underwear.

Another type of things you can do with your long-distance partner is to talk about your relationship.

You can help your relationship by improving communication skills, making plans, setting the timelines, and setting goals for your long-distance relationship.

Here are a few things you can do together with your long-distance partner:

• Play online games.
• Send each other gifts and care packages.
• Plan your visit.
• Work on your communication skills and understanding.
• Send each other romantic messages and handwritten letters.
• Surprise each other by spontaneously planning a getaway trip together.

Online Activities for a Long-Distance Relationship

Online activities are the things you can do regardless of where you are in the world. For example, you can play multiplayer online games with your partner. It can be fun to play the same games online as you do in real life when you visit each other.

Let’s say you like chess (like I do). In this case, you could play chess during your visit when you see each other. When you are away, the two of you can play chess online. When you play chess online with your long-distance partner after having played it in real life, it will bring you the same feeling as when you are together.

Activities You Can Do in a Long-Distance Relationship

• A 3D tour of a place you’d like to visit.
• Multiplayer online games with your long-distance partner and their friends to be a part of their real life.
• Online games with your partner to see how you manage the competition, losing, winning, and supporting each other.
• Games that simulate a real relationship, like Sims, for example. You can play pretend what it will be like for you to live together and how you are going to make decisions and deal with real-life problems.
• Watch a movie together, kind of.
• Video calling while doing something fun and exciting to share that special moment with your partner.
• Study exciting things that interest you both. This is one of my favourites, as it allows you to build your relationship while developing yourself as a person.

Online games can help you learn more about yourself and your partner’s character. There are games specifically for learning about each other like card games with personal questions. But any game that both of you are involved in emotionally will bring out the parts of you that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Things to Do Online with a Long-Distance Relationship 

Here are some things you can do in line with your long-distance partner:

• You can talk to each other over the phone or via video calls.
• You can send each other short messages or discuss something deeper and more meaningful or philosophical.
• You can play games with each other via online platforms.
• You can play with each other sexually by exchanging interactive underwear.
• You can use effective communication to get to know each other better.

Things to Do on the Phone Long-Distance Relationship 

Apart from phone sex or discussing something, there isn’t much you can do over the phone in a long-distance relationship.

Some couples in the long-distance relationship tend to spend a lot of time on the phone as a way of compensating for the lack of physical intimacy.

While they try to stay on the phone longer to feel more connected, in reality, the conversations can become tiresome. Boring discussions can lead to a monotonous relationship. 

If you want to a healthy long-distance relationship, try to keep your phone conversations limited to sharing specific things or telling each other for something interesting.

Intimacy Issues in a Long-Distance Relationship

Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship over Video Calls 

Video calls are a great way to keep in touch in a long-distance relationship. You can do a lot of things while having video calls.

For example, you can have a virtual date, virtual sex, or watch a movie together.

Video calls are also great for having meaningful conversations. It’s the only online way of communicating with your long-distance partner where you can see each other.

Seeing each other’s facial expressions and reaction to what you’re saying helps you navigate the conversation and understand them better.

You don’t get the same feeling as you do when you talk to your partner who is in front of you, but in a long-distance relationship video calling is the next best thing.

Group Activities for a Long-Distance Relationship

You can attend groups and classes with your partner, or you can do group activities with your or your partner’s friends and families.

Group Activities You Can Attend with Your Long-Distance Partner

• Health and fitness classes like yoga or pilates.
• Active and adventurous activities like climbing or go-carting. 
• Cooking classes.
• Chocolate making classes.
• Jewellery making classes.
• Art and crafts classes like dancing, singing, pottery, painting, and drawing.

Group Activities You Can Do with Your Friends or with Your Partner’s Friends

• Have a little get together with friends to play board games and card games
• Adventure sports like sky diving or bungee jumping.
• If you have a bit more money and time you can go away for a weekend in a cabin with a group of friends or just the two of you. 
• Go to a different country and explore a new culture.
• If you want to do a group activity from home, check out online experiences with a group of friends or family.
• Go to a new place and discover what it has to offer. In a new place, you can do sightseeing, explore other cultures and different forms of living.

The activities depend on where you are in the world. You can explore different activities that each of your hometowns has to offer. After that, you can travel to other cities or countries, depending on which activities appeal to you the most.

You can also pick a place that has something unique or extraordinary for you to try. 

Sharing unique experiences will bring you closer as a couple and will leave you with a lot of memories to talk about in between your adventures when you aren’t together.

Fun Activities for a Long-Distance Relationship

Fun activities depend on your definition of fun. First of all, you need to agree that what is fun for you is also fun for your partner. Otherwise one of you will have to compromise, and that will be opposite of fun. 

Both you and your partner must be thrilled and excited about doing a specific activity. The fact that you can do it as a couple makes it even more special.

Fun activities can range from playing online games together to going to explore a new country. But it can also be fun reading a new book and discuss it with your partner or watch the same movie then talk about it. 

The idea is to share the same experience that will help you to grow closer, even if you are physically apart.

Fun Activities You Can Do in a Long-Distance Relationship

• Play online games when you are apart.
• When you are together, you can play card games and board games as a couple or with friends.
• You can either cook a special dish together or cook the same dish while video calling while you are apart.
• Go on an adventure scavenger hunt.
• Meet in a different state or country.
• Explore a different culture that is different from your own.
• Plan a trip and send the tickets in a Criptex to your long-distance partner. Once they solve the puzzle, they get the ticket to go to a place where they will get the next clue to meet you. 
• A shorter version of that can be sending tickets in a Criptex for your partner to decipher. The surprise can be a ticket to meet you somewhere. For that, you will have to send them clues on how to decipher the Criptex.

For a practical guidance on the fun activities you can do while in a long-distance relationship, check out this workbook.

Fun Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship

Many couples struggle with a long-distance relationship because they focus on all the things they cannot do.

But when you change your mind and start focusing on the things that you can do in the long-distance relationship, then you can make it very exciting and have a lot of fun.

To have a happy long-distance relationship, you and your long-distance partner have to have fun in your own lives.

If your own life is dull, it will be tough to make your long-distance relationship exciting. To share fascinating things with your long-distance partner,  you have to do exciting things with your friends, your family, or the people around you.

So it’s essential to balance your personal life and your long-distance relationship.

Don’t rely on your long-distance partner to make your relationship fun. This is something you should do together. You can do many fun things online in your long-distance relationship in between your visits. You can also plan fun things to do when you visit each other.

Spontaneous Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship 

A spontaneous thing you can do in a long-distance relationship can be to send your long-distance partner a random text message during the day. All you need to say is how much you love them.

If you want something more elaborate, you can send them a handwritten letter with plane tickets and reservations for a hotel. It will be hard to beat an exciting trip that you planned and organised for the two of you.

Another spontaneous way to surprise your long-distance partner is to send them a gift, without telling them.

You can imagine them waking up in the morning receiving this mysterious package opening it up to receive a personalised gift expressing your love to them. It would be like Christmas!

Activities and Ideas for a Long-Distance Relationship

You can never have too many ideas for a long-distance relationship. When you are away from your romantic partner, like in a long-distance relationship, you can often feel alone, wishing to have them close.

The more you focus on what you can’t have, the more challenging it will be for you and your relationship. Instead, try different couple’s activities to feel close and group activities to bring fun and excitement into your relationship.

When you can enjoy your long-distance relationship, you will also be able to appreciate the alone time. A long-distance relationship allows you the time to do things that are important for you, your life and well-being.

Activities and Ideas We Came up with that Can Bring Life into Your Relationship

• Go on a romantic and relaxing getaway with your partner.
• Spend a weekend in a cabin in the woods or a house in the sea.
• Spa getaways can be the perfect place to chill out if you need some pampering.
• Adventure getaways are full of excitement that leaves you and your partner with fun memories.
• Explore wild terrains of safari, mountains or jungles.
• Go bungee jumping, sky diving, kayak, or surfing.
• If all you have is a weekend, discovering new places with city breaks can be interesting, educational and exciting. You can learn some history beforehand and plan your route. So when you go and see the place, you will make the most of it. Planning itself can be exciting. It will give you a chance to work together towards a common goal and look forward to a fun activity. 
• Learn a new language together.
• Create a bucket list of the places you would like to visit together.
• Airbnb offers different online experiences from around the world that you can do as a couple or a group.

Things to Do in a Long-Distance Relationship

There are many things you can do to make your relationship healthier and more successful.

The first thing is to realise that long-distance relationships are different from regular ones. They differ in the way you communicate with each other, how often you can be physically together, and the dynamic of your relationship in general.

Long-distance relationships work well for a short while. That’s why you must agree with your long-distance partner on how long your long-distance relationship will last. And bring to the table whether you both like move in together at some point.

Your primary way of communicating in a long-distance relationship is by online means. When you are apart, you will rely on how well you can express yourself through words.

When you are physically together, your behaviour and physical intimacy can express your feelings and intentions better than words. But in a long-distance relationship what you don’t say, goes unnoticed.

Lack of physical intimacy can lead to sexual frustration. That’s why you should plan to have regular visits as much as possible. You can either visit each other in their own homes or have a holiday together in a different place every time.

Things You Should Do to Have a Healthy Long-Distance Relationship

• Express your feelings as clear as you can.
• Your feelings will change, so express how you feel at the moment.
• Ask your partner how they feel about you.

Things to Do When Your Long-Distance Partner Visits 

Visits are exceptional times in a long-distance relationship. These are the times when you can do a lot of things with your long-distance partner.

The most important thing is to see what it’s like to be together in real life. Until you meet each other in person, your long-distance partner is just an idea, that your mind creates with the information they give you.

While in a long-distance relationship, it can be fun and exciting to plan your visits. You can visit each other in a different country every time to make it more appealing.

During your visit, you can do fun things and meaningful things as well. You can make your stay very exciting and very adventurous. Or you can make them more calm and relaxing, depending on your shared interests.

Ideally, you would be interested in similar things so you can have fun together doing them.

Things to Do to Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship 

Apart from having fun with your long-distance relationship, it would help if you also spent some time doing things that help you maintain a healthy long-distance relationship.

Many couples ignore the fact that long-distance relationships are different from regular ones. They expect their long-distance relationship to work the same way as a relationship with the partner with whom they live together.

The key to a successful long-distance relationship is through understanding that long-distance relationships are different. You have to manage them differently than a regular relationship.

It isn’t easy to have and maintain a healthy long-distance relationship without making some adjustments to the way you interact with each other.

In a regular relationship, when you live together with your partner, you catch up on your things at the end of each day. You can hold and kiss each other as much as you want.

A long-distance relationship can give you the same expectation of physical intimacy, which, in reality, will be unfulfilled.

It’s normal to expect physical intimacy from any romantic relationship. But in a long-distance romantic relationship, physical intimacy can only happen during your visits or when you finally move in together.

So you must manage this expectation with your long-distance partner.

One way you can do it is by doing things that make you feel emotionally connected; these things include effective communication, expressing your feelings, doing different things together.

Things to Do to Make a Long-Distance Relationship Work 

Long-distance relationships shouldn’t be much work. Like any relationship, there are things you should do together with your partner.

Some of the things you need to do to make a long-distance relationship work include keeping in touch with each other regularly but not too much.

Regular messages, phone calls video calls, and gifts will help you maintain a connection with your long-distance partner.

But suppose you spend more time texting or on the phone to your long-distance partner than you do living your life. In that case, your conversations can get boring, and your long-distance relationship can become dull.

In the long-distance relationship, it’s essential to make an effort and make it fun and exciting by doing spontaneous things.

A long-distance relationship can be challenging. To make it work, it would help if you know how to cope with a long-distance relationship and the different aspects of being away from your partner.

Here is what you can do to help you cope with your long-distance relationship:

1. Try and figure out what isn’t working for you in your long-distance relationship.
2. Talk about your feelings, doubts, and concerns with your partner.
3. Take time to hear out your partner’s s point of view.
4. Together come up with different ways to solve this problem.
5. It’s easier to find solutions that work for both of you when you and your partner are on the same team.

When you’re trying to make a long-distance relationship work, you should know how to cope with different problems.

In this article will talk about different ways to cope with common issues in a long-distance relationship. But, before we do, answer this question to yourself: Why are you trying to cope with a long-distance relationship instead of enjoying it?

Things to Do to Help Long-Distance Relationships 

Two of the critical things you can do to help your long-distance relationship are having trust and clear communication.

Effective communication works the same in a long-distance relationship as it does in the regular one. In both cases, you need to spend time to learn what is effective communication and how you can improve it so that you and your partner understand each other.

The main difference is that when you are communicating with your long-distance partner online, you don’t see their body language and the change of their behaviour. You also don’t get that certain feeling that helps you navigate the conversation.

Most of the communication in a long-distance relationship relies on how well you can express yourself through words.

When you speak on the phone or when you write messages, you should pay extra attention to how you say things and what you say. Because in this type of communication, the only way you can express how are you saying things is by what you’re saying.

Conclusion

Many couples struggle in a long-distance relationship because they mainly talk on the phone, video calls and text messages to maintain the connection.

After a while, such relationships can become boring, and couples lose interest, despite still feeling love for each other.

Bringing in a variety of activities into your long-distance relationship can make it fun and exciting. There are so many things and different activities you can do to bring your long-distance relationship to life.

The variety of activities will allow you to enjoy being in a long-distance relationship.

Imagine replacing struggling suffering of a long-distance relationship with actually feeling excited to be in one.

The moment you stop treating a long-distance relationship like the one where you live together, you will see the benefits that distance brings into a relationship. You can maintain a connection with your long-distance partner through different activities. At the same time, you get to have a lot of time for yourself to do the things you enjoy with people you love.

When you live together with your partner, you have to consider each other. This becomes a priority and can take over your preferences. So, in many ways, long-distance relationships can be more interesting and less strenuous than the ones where you live together with your partner.

With that in mind, the fact remains, that long-distance relationships shouldn’t last for too long. Having a romantic relationship means being physically close to your romantic partner. 

Otherwise, your romantic relationship can turn into a long-distance friendship, which can also be great. You can embrace the joys of having an intimate friend over a long-distance and being open to having a romantic relationship with someone who is nearby.

Long-distance relationships can be challenging at times. To keep your long-distance relationship healthy, you should do a lot of fun, exciting, and spontaneous things.

In this article, we discussed what kind of things you can do online and during your visits.

The main takeaway is that having fun in a long-distance relationship is not only possible, but it’s also essential. And with tips and ideas that we discussed today, there is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy your long-distance relationship.
Long-distance brings a lot of uncertainties into your relationship. Unprocessed doubts and worries can turn into anxiety and depression.

The best way to cope with negative feelings in a long-distance relationship is to express them to your partner. Also, take time to hear out your partner’s thoughts and concerns.

As long as you and your partner are ready to hear each other out and make an effort to resolve the issues, coping with a long-distance relationship won’t be a problem.

However, suppose you are trying to cope with a long-distance relationship. In that case, that’s enough of a reason for you to take some time and reassess your relationship. If you are in a healthy relationship, you’d be enjoying it rather than finding a way to cope with it.

If you’re coping with a long-distance relationship, it means something isn’t working. Try to find what isn’t working and together with your partner agree on the best way forward that works for both of you.

How Healthy Is Your Long-Distance Relationship?

If you are having doubts about your long-distance relationship and are not sure if you should try to fix it or let it go, here is our step by step guide to help you and your partner reassess your relationship and make an educated decision that works for both of you.

Relationship Coaching for Long-Distance Couples

Long-distance relationships are hard to maintain without knowing exactly what they involve.

However, once you understand what long-distance relationships are, what they are not and how to navigate them, you are a lot more likely to make it work.

We specialise in helping long-distance couples create and maintain a healthy relationship by building intimacy, trust and effective communication.

If you are starting a long-distance relationship or are already in one, send us a message to book an individual coaching session for yourself or a couples coaching session for you and your partner.

Frequently Asked Questions