Love is what you’ve been through with somebody. ~ James Thurber

Your long distance relationship is a challenge, but keep in mind that your experiences don’t have to end (putting your relationship on “standby mode”) the minute one of you takes the flight. You can make your long distance relationship (almost) as exciting as the real one. Skyping, texting, and using FaceTime are life-savers for your communication, but there is a huge risk the both of you might get bored  (or tired of the same style  of day-to-day communication).

After talking to bunch of friends who are/were in long distance relationships at some point in time, I came up with this list of activities for you to do in your long distance relationship:

Take your communication online to the new level:                  

1. Create an Instagram account. Share your relationship story, inspire others, and become friends with other long distance couples. Check out our account here.

2. Start a shared blog. Write down your experiences or anything that worries you. It will reward you with a better understanding of yourself and each other. Get advice from people who went through similar experiences. Who knows, maybe anything from making good friends who share similar interests to becoming successful bloggers and making money?

3. For those who prefer talking over writing, think about creating a Youtube channel together!

4. Join Pinterest. It’s full of ideas in any field you enjoy. You have the option to create an image board and contribute to it together. Maybe you would like to share an interior decoration board and gather ideas for your future home? Do you like to keep an eye on what’s new in the fashion world? Explore!

5. Get a long distance relationship app just for the two of you. It will make you feel closer (check here for the best app recommendations).

Play games:                       

6. Steam is an amazing entertainment platform! It provides users with features such as friends/group lists, cloud saving, in-game voice  options, chat functions, and a wish list. Plus, it can be cheap! Keep an eye on their holiday or summer sales. You might get amazing games at next to nothing!

7. Second Life is an online interactive virtual world where you two can be whoever you want and do whatever you feel like – go on a romantic holiday or clubbing all night!

Challenge yourself:

Come up with a common goal the both of you would want to achieve and set up the conditions, deadlines, schedule, rules, even penalties- use your creativity.

Advantage: it might be a beginning of you forming up some healthy habits. My boyfriend and I have done some health-related challenges which have become a part of our daily routines, even after closing the distance.            

8. ”Turn that One-Bag into a Six-pack” challenge: Find an exercise and nutrition plan suitable for both of you. I recommend to check out this Body Building website. It has a big variety of fitness and diet plans designed for men and women. Start working together on having a beach body for the summer!

9. Try tea-(de)toxing, juicing, or gentler ways to detox. Think of saying no to caffeine, dairy, or the happy hour in your neighborhood bar for a while – anything that works for both of you (keeping in mind that a hungry man is an angry man!)

Keep in mind: this challenge needs A LOT of support and understanding. Anyone who’s done a detox plan knows that these activities require a lot of motivation and will most likely give you continuous obstacles. However, if you both decide to pamper your liver, and give your bodies a break from digestion, it’s going to be a beneficial experience for your relationship too. You will  deal with stressful situations better and learn to support each other.

10. Headstand challenge: Simple- whoever sends a picture of them doing a headstand without support first, is rewarded with the best erotic massage next time you meet!

11. 10 km running challenge: Set a deadline and take the preparations seriously. Go jogging and stay on a call – I love exercising together, because it gives me that extra push to put in more effort. From my personal experience, I can say that simply hearing them does the job!

12. Have your “first times” together while on a Skype call or FaceTiming. I have had so many first times with my boyfriend (online and offline), and I feel that’s what makes our relationship special. Think about something that is easily accessible for both of you. It gives you some excitement. Maybe neither of you have tried a fish spa, waxing, acupuncture, or eaten snake soup before?

13. Cooking challenge: Think about a dish neither of you has cooked before. Look online for recipes, buy ingredients, and cook it while on a Skype call (but don’t show the cooking process). Once you are finished, share the results and see who turns out to be a better chef!

Learn together:

Think of something that the both of you would like to learn. It will give you the  benefit of improving your skills and increasing memory capacity.

14. Learn a new language together, and open the doors to new culture. Who knows, it might even bring about career opportunities. Go through this comparison of language learning apps and websites, and choose what works for you. All of them are free!

15. Take an online course together. Explore Open Learning for almost 3000 courses from around the world.

16. What about playing a new instrument? It is actually possible to learn and play a new instrument together as long as you have time. You can watch YouTube for online tutorials and practice via Skype.

17. Think about sports or a new martial art which you both would like to learn and start training so you can compare your results the next time you meet.

Look for new options:                          

18. Include checking out websites like Secret Flying and The Flight Deal into your daily routine. They magically feature airlines’ mistakes before they get fixed. You are probably short of money ALL THE TIME since you spend all your savings to see your better half, but the deals on these websites are hard to refuse. The chance to meet soon might be waiting for you there!

Don’t forget the “traditional” activities:                      

19. Watch movies together. Download the extension here to watch Netflix simultaneously and interact online with your sweetheart.

20. Read together. Use this website which allows you to share your browser screen, share files, have a live chat or a video call while reading books online here.

21. You can use the same platform I mentioned in #20 for shopping online. It’s amazing because you don’t need to look for a separate shopping platform which allows two users to be online simultaneously. You can just use any of your favorite online stores and share them on screen.

22. Don’t forget snail mails. Take your time to hand-write and send them a letter. Don’t be scared if you are not a great writer. Sharing what you feel, in any way you prefer, will do the job and make their heart melt.

23. Send care packages. Don’t think that these require a lot of money. You only need a bit of creativity. You might want to knit a sweater or a scarf, make an album of your pictures together (including notes with reasons why you love them), send “Open When…” letters, make a CD with your favorite songs, or make a photo collage. I’ll have many more care package ideas coming soon!

24. And, of course, don’t forget having romantic online dates with a glass of wine and some intimacy!

Find what works for the both of you,and nurture your bond using some of those ideas. If you have more ideas, leave a comment below and I will add them to the list!