For Long Distance Relationships
13 of my favorite tech features and online games to keep you connected. Romantic and platonic.
Maintaining a long-distance relationship can be difficult but definitely manageable. Quality time together is extremely important and being able to effectively do so may become more challenging over time — especially when spending time together becomes a predictable routine. Creativity is key. Here are some of my favorite ways to add variety to the time spent together.
- Create Your Dream Home Together.
Sweet Home 3D is a free open-source program that lets you create your 3D and 2D interior design model of a house. This can be done online or with a free downloaded version. Since furnishings are included and the program allows you to move the objects wherever you want to design your home, you will not need a great deal of knowledge to use their software.
YouTube provides great tutorials on how to use this program as well. Distribute the house planes needed in 2D then generate the plan into a 3D model in the preview to give you a general idea of how it would be in the finished product.
Planner 5D is similar to Sweet Home 3D. Planner 5D, in my opinion, Planner 5D offer more modern designs/features.
“Use the 2D mode to create floor plans and design layouts with furniture and other home items, or switch to 3D to explore and edit your design from any angle.”
Or Play Sims and/or Minecraft together…
2. Scener.
“Scener is a free service that enables you to watch shows and movies socially from any major streaming platform in perfect sync.” The only downside is that “everyone will need a valid account for each service.” I do find my way around this by sharing screens on Zoom. However, with Zoom, the sound and/or motion pictures will not always be in sync.
3. Apple’s Calendar Feature.
If you both use Apple devices, Apple’s calendar allows you to share your schedule with your partner by email and/or number. Your partner may either “only view” or “view and edit” your calendar plans. I find this feature incredibly helpful with/or without the distance. With such a busy schedule, sharing calendars allows both partners to delegate time to each other. If your partner lives in a different time zone, Apple will have their schedule in accordance with your time zone and will note their time zone on the side. Microsoft and Google have a calendar feature too (for those that don’t use/don’t like Apple).
Pro Tip: Check to see if your partner has an important date coming up (an exam, know that they're exhausted after work) to schedule that “rant” later — know when to make it about yourself. Use the calendar to stay in the loop, without excessive communication throughout the day.
4. Wordle Multiplayer.
If you aren’t familiar with Wordle, it is a word guessing game that tasks the player with correctly selecting a random five-letter word. You are only given six tries to guess the word, but the game will give you hints with each try. You will learn to strategize what random first five-letter word to guess — that you believe will give you the most hints. Wordle multiplayer allows you to send a link to your partner to play against them. You are both given the same word, the first one to figure it out wins.
Bonus tip: The “New York Times” offers a daily wordle — as a couple, you can use this to schedule a short bonding hour to zoom in and figure out the daily wordle together.
jklm.fun is another fun word game. You are given three-letter and have to come up with a word that has those letters somewhere/anywhere in the word — Ex. Given “erz,” you can make the word “overzealous.” Join a random party and invite someone with a link to your same party.
5. Xbox Game Share.
Xbox game sharing allows you and your partner to share each other’s game libraries. The one with the Xbox set as “home Xbox” may share their games with the recipient. A bonus to game sharing is that the recipient may receive Xbox Live Gold membership, including Game Pass privileges if the main Xbox already has access to them. This is a great way for you and your partner to play a wider array of games on a budget.
I will write an article on my many favorite Xbox games for long distances. Link here.
6. A Shared Spotify Playlist.
Share your favorite songs with each other through the distance and listen to them on the way to work etc. “Make any playlist Collaborative to let your friends add, remove, and reorder tracks.” I associate songs with specific memories — the song playing in the car during our first date, the theme song of our favorite show, etc., so I find this feature pretty meaningful.
7. Go on Virtual Dates Together.
The tools used are similar to Google Maps’ drop person/street view function. While Google Maps provides satellite views and street or city views, 360 cities provide inside VR views of buildings.
8. Future Email Time Capsules.
Write a love letter to be spent in the future. Write a letter together about the current state of your relationship and send it to yourselves in the future — and see how much you’ve grown. Maybe include current fond memories or problems so that your future selves may see how much your relationship has developed over time.
9. Take Quizzes Together.
- Love Language Test: Know how to show your partner love, and let them know how you would like to receive love. Visit multiple sites and read up on it — the best thing to do is to communicate with your partner and ask.
- BDSM Test: Maybe you're not into BDSM? But you have a few hidden kinks. Spice it up in the distance and get excited for the flight to see ;) Note-during this wait don’t let your expectations exceed reality.
- Buzzfeed Quizzes: They might sound dumb but it is about finding ways to laugh and spend time with each other. You might find it really silly and enjoyable.
- Meyer’s Briggs personality test and Enneagram quiz on Truity. I find these quizzes to be of patterns and generalizations, many would compare them to zodiac signs. But they can be interesting to discuss. Heck, discuss your zodiac signs—don’t fight if the internet deems them incompatible.
10. Virtual Claw Machines: Win Actual Prizes
You will lose your money with Toreba. It is a very accessible gambling game.
“Play up to 5 times for free! Come play a real crane game online and get official Japanese plushies and figures! Get the same feeling as playing a crane game in an arcade with Toreba! Prizes won will be shipped to your doorstep!
The exciting and fun game makes its way to Android!”
11. Treedom.
Treedom allows you to plant and name a real, nonvirtual tree and follow its growth! You may choose the type of tree you would like to plant, and choose the location of where (insert tree name) could be planted. As soon as your tree is planted, you will receive a photo of your tree and will be regularly informed of its growth!
The company claims to be non-profit, etc. I support you to research into every company you put your money into.
12. Attend Upcoming Concerts Together Virtually.
Songkick.com offers a number of concerts to live stream together. View “all upcoming live-streamed concerts,” and schedule the date in your calendar.
13. Online Escape Room with Zoom.
Keep in mind, that you can divide the cost among group members. Great with friends and online double dates. Categorized: least to greatest by cost.
- Romeo and Juliet Escape Room: $0. No video conference tool is required.
- Escape The Midnight Express: $0. No video conference tool is required.
- Trapped in the Web: Prices vary by room choice. The video conference tool is optional.
- Hogwarts Digital Escape Room: $0. No video conference tool is required.
- Minecraft Escape Room: $0. No video conference tool is required.
- Oregon Trail Escape to Willamette Valley: $0. No video conference tool is required.
- Expedition Escape: Prices vary by room choice. The video conference tool is optional.
- Escape Live: Prices vary by room choice (fairly cheap). Video conference tool is required
- 60out: Prices vary by room choice, day of the week, and time of booking. Video conference required.
- The Panic Room: Prices vary by room choice. Online 3D graphics.
- Confundrum Escape Rooms: Prices vary by room choice. Online 3D graphics.
- Enchambered: Prices vary by room choice. Online 3D graphics.
- Lockbox Escape Room: Prices vary by room choice and package deals.
- LuCo Online Escape Room: $20/person. Video conference tool is required.
- Modern Genius: $49. Video conference tool is required.
- Black Noir Murder Escape: $49. Video conference tool is required.
- Lost in the Artic: $49. Video conference tool is required.
- The Redemption Game: $49. Video conference tool is required.
- Grand Theft Escape: $49. Video conference tool is required.
- Sherlock’s Escape Room: $159 per group of 1–8 people. Video conference tool is required.
- Mad Genius Escape Co.: Now permanently closed.