As I’ve learned, dating under quarantine is quite a game-changer… not impossible; but definitely, not ideal either. With President Trump extending social distancing until at least April 30 – virtual dating has to be normalized. It’s the new kind of protection we need to be using with our first dates (or even with those we don’t live with).
Related: 10 Date Ideas While You're Stuck at Home Together
In Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers specifically mentioned “no sleepovers, no play dates” in his tweet about the Safer At Home Order… which, I heard loud and clear, prompting myself (and hopefully many others) to figure out how to be creative while still ‘seeing’ people.
Enter the world of technology and the ability to video chat with whoever/whenever you want whether that’s via FaceTime, Snapchat Video Call, Zoom, Houseparty, or countless other options.
Related: Man Tries Dating by Drone While Social Distancing During Coronavirus Outbreak
With all of this downtime while we self-quarantine (assuming you’re not sick or showing signs/symptoms of COVID-19) has us looking for something the pass the time. If you’re single, you’ve probably downloaded a dating app and have been swiping through your options.
To be helpful and against my better judgment… here are many of the apps I’ve tried over the years… Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel, OK Cupid, Hater, Plenty of Fish, Ship, Zoosk, Clover, and Facebook Dating – that was more than I expected and I did the website versions of Match and Christian Mingle, gotta try ‘em all! Haha.
Related: Dating App "Ship" Lets Your Friends Swipe For You
Chatting on one of the MANY dating apps can only take you so far. I myself, am not a huge fan of having a pen pal and before Coronavirus isolation I was one to take the conversation offline as quickly as I could. What’s the best solution for dating someone you haven’t met and want to be sure you’re not getting catfished with our current situation? Video chats.
As I explained in “10 Date Ideas During Your Isolation” for dates to do from home WITH your person in the same room, it’s important to set the mood of getting ready for your date. Treat a video chat like a regular date – shower, floss/brush your teeth, put on a clean shirt (if you have one), and tidy up the room you’ll be in.
Related: Coronavirus Dating Tips From a Relationship Expert
Pro-tip: consider your source of lighting. This is a video experience, if you’re sitting in the dark, your date can’t see you. Bonus, if you have some way to prop up your phone so you don’t have to hold it the entire time, figure that out before your date (thank me later).
While the first time, a video chat could be enough, we are looking at a lot of social distancing in our future, so you’re going to need ideas to keep these dates interesting. Here’s what I have for you:
1. Order Food for Each Other! That’s right, with so many restaurants having to close their dine-in experience, they have adjusted to take-out/curbside pickup and delivery. IF you’re comfortable with them having your address, order for each other as a surprise; if not, tell the person what to order for themselves. Then enjoy dinner together… via video chat.
Related: SE WI Restaurants Open for Take-Out/Delivery
2. Watch Netflix Together! …or Hulu, or Disney+. Pick something to watch together (a movie, a series, a stand-up comedy special) and start it at the same time… if someone’s internet is a little slower, you may need to pause to let them catch up without getting out of sync.
3. Watch a Concert Together! YouTube has a lot of great concerts to check out – have you both always wanted to go to a music festival like Bonnaroo or Electric Daisy Carnival? Lookup a shared favorite musician and experience it together.
4. Play a Shared Game! This really only works if you both have say… Battleship. If you can figure out how to play a game you both have together, not only are you practicing communication but you’re seeing their competitive side! If you’re both on iPhone, you can play PigeonGames – but you may want to make sure you have a second device for the facetime.
5. Cook Together! Bonus points if you make the same meal, you can see whose spaghetti turned out better or which meal is less burned (I’m assuming one of you isn’t a master chef, and that’s OKAY, it’s an experience to share).
6. Take a Tour! If you want to tour your home… more power to you. But in this case, there are so many virtual tours that you can check out for free while we’re staying at home for our safety. Everything from museums to zoos!
Related: Free Live Streams from Milwaukee County Zoo!
7. Take a Walk Together! According to Wisconsin’s Safer At Home Order, we can still go out for a walk, run, bike ride, or hike… while following social distancing guidelines of staying 6 feet away from each other. That being said, if it’s a nice day, get outside and enjoy some fresh air with each other over the phone, from a socially acceptable distance.
8. Take a Personality Quiz Together! Not only can you learn about each other, but you can also learn about yourself in the process. Some of the quizzes include Myers-Briggs/16 Personalities, Enneagram, and the 5 Love Languages. Yes, I know my answers for each one, I was curious!
9. Ask Questions to Get Closer! Okay, I couldn’t think of a better way to phrase that – of course, you should be asking each other questions. But actually, Google something like “relationship questions” and you’ll be inundated with lists of questions designed to bring you closer together – for example, here’s “20 Questions Every Couple Should Know the Answer To.”
10. Sing Karaoke Together! I am not a fan of karaoke, but so many people are... you can get the karaoke version of so many songs on YouTube, trade-off or pick a song to do together.
There you go, 10 ideas for your next video chat date. Bonus points if either one of you has a pet that can make a timely appearance!
If you have an idea that I missed or something that has worked well for you, hit me up on social media at @JMattMke (same handle on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok)!
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