LIFESTYLE: 10 'DIFFERENT' DATE IDEAS

After being in a relationship for a few years now, it can be easy to sink into a routine of doing the same things week in week out: Nando’s, cinema, shopping, vegging out on the sofa etc. With it coming up to Valentines day I decided I want to come up with fresh ideas of things me and my boyfriend could do. Now I know Valentines day isn’t for everyone, and not everybody has a boyfriend or girlfriend, so most of these ideas you could do with your friends or family too! I did a bit of research from around the web and these are my favourite ideas.

AT HOME

Cook: So if you’re boyfriend is anything like mine, the extent of his cooking is putting beans in the microwave and preheating the oven. Cooking together is a great way expanding both of your cooking horizons and it’s also pretty fun too! Plus, food = the best thing ever, duh.

Scrapbook: This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but with three years worth of pictures and memories, I’m thinking it might take a while. Cue date night. Rope in your boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, family or friends to put together a scrapbook to document your adventures together. Scrapbooking is super relaxing and how nice will it be to look back over everything in a few years time?

Play a game: Things can get a bit heated when one of you has the property somebody else wants in Monopoly, or when your Sims keep arguing, but playing something from your childhood together is actually really enjoyable! You can reminisce about all the games you used to play when you were younger, make a team and bond over old school PS2 games and have a break from social media with a board game.

Movie night: Me and George love films. We’re at the cinema at least once a week, but that can end up being pretty expensive. Raid your DVD collection, grab all your blankets and quilts, get the pizza in and just sit and watch. Perfect for relaxing after a busy week at work or university.

OUTSIDE

Disposable camera day: I LOVE this idea! You can actually do this as an accompaniment to any of the other date ideas, especially scrapbooking. During your day out together take along a disposable camera and just snap everthing; you two pulling funny faces, buildings, scenery, what you ate, what you did, anything at all. Then you can print them all off to keep for the future!

Activity days: Some of my favourite kinds of trips are when me and George go out and take part in activities. Whether that’s bowling, lazerquest (i need to go), the zoo or facing your fears at Go Ape like I did last year, it’s definitely a world away from sitting in Nando’s sharing some halloumi cheese.

Bike ride: Exercise and fun? Yes, it does exist! I haven’t gone on a bike ride in years but me and George talk about it pretty regularly. He lives next to some gorgeous countryside and we need to take advantage of it. 

Picnic: Tying in nicely with the above, how about a lovely picnic? Grab your favourite foods, a flask and a blanket and explore your surroundings. Take it along with you on your bike ride, go on a walk and see what you can find, or plan a day out around your picnic. You can sit, chat and soak up the impending sun of Spring!

Roadtrip: I don’t know if it’s just me, but I love going on long drives. Turn up the radio, take some snacks, have a deep chat, take in the scenery. Either plan a route you know you love or ignore the maps and go on an adventure.

Hit the club: Not everybody’s idea of fun, but when me and George ended up in a club just us two, we ended up dancing the night away (badly). Go out, grab a few drinks, lose your inhibitions and have a good boogie. 

For me, my boyfriend is my best friend too and I think being able to have fun together is super important. You can also write all the different ideas you come up with on pieces of paper and pop them into a Date Night Jar. Then, when you’re thinking of planning a date and don’t know what to do, just pull out a piece of paper! It’s not only fun, but it also means that you’re always doing something different and exciting. There are SO many date night ideas floating around the internet, so let me know if you have any go-to different date ideas!