Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Cheesy, cute, ultra-romantic couples will flock to every happening and popular place in town, leading to long waiting times and too much love around for your taste.
Why not try these out-of-the-box ideas for your special date with your special someone and make the fourteenth day of February memorable for the both of you?
1. Recreate a date
There is always that one date you remember fondly, be it your first date or just something else that you both cherish. Why not do it again? Wear the same clothes, meet at the same place, eat the same food, and relive the memories.
2. Watch a movie that has zero romance
Accept it, you pretty much express your love to each other in bits and pieces almost every day of your relationship. On this Valentine’s Day, why not do something totally opposite? Marathon a horror movie series like Scream, or action movie series like Die Hard, and let love take a back seat.
3. Escape the city
Bypass your regular favourite hangouts altogether and go away from the city to explore a new place. Spend time travelling and getting to know a part of another city and make special memories out of the usual.
4. Cook together
Why waste money on the specially overpriced menus everywhere? Stay back home, look up the recipe for your favourite dish, and cook it yourself. It’s scientifically proven too, that cooking together strengthens the bond.
5. Participate in an open mic event
Do the most unconventional things, this V-Day. Search for an open-mic event, go there, and participate. Try to be funny together, and fail miserably, make the audience laugh anyway. Or enter a karaoke competition and slay everyone else.
6. Write a story together
Sometimes joy lies in the simple things in life. Think of a world and characters together, and give shape to a story that you both came up with. Write it together and give birth to an amalgamated masterpiece. Think of a unique pen name for the both of you to top it off.
7. Gift each other daily items
Most of the times, gifts lose their novelty, especially if they aren’t something you’d use every day. And what you use every day, well, gets over quickly. So gift your partner something that they use on a daily basis, but better. Like good shampoo, or a set of good-quality towels.
8. Behave like a tourist in your own city
Every city has specially made tourist rides and attractions and it’s a good opportunity to see why your city attracts so many tourists and look and experience it from their point of view. And what better a way to do that than do it with your partner.
9. Pick a random restaurant
Go to Zomato and search for an area in your city where you’ve never been, and pick a restaurant from there to celebrate date night. Or decide on a random number, drive out counting restaurants, and dine at the one corresponding to the number. Even if it’s a McDonald’s, you’ll know you enjoyed making the decision that got you here.
10. Leave little notes in books in bookstores
Go to however many bookstores you can, pick out your favourite book series, and leave little love-filled notes of encouragement to anyone who’ll pick them up in the future. Know that the two of you left a little legacy in those notes, and made memories not only for yourselves, but others too.
11. Attend a random event
Open the day’s newspaper to the events page, close your eyes, let your hands roam and meet at a place on the page. Whatever that event is, attend it, and be a part of it. Maybe you both will find a new combined hobby to enjoy.
12. Take a walk early, really early
Late night walks are cliché. Super late night walks aren’t. There will be that one window of time when your city will sleep. Empty roads, street lights, and dawn around the corner. Meet up at that time and take a walk together, making a memory at an ungodly hour.
13. Dare to go on a double date with an unknown couple
Scope out another couple in the restaurant you’re going to and talk them into making it a double date with the two of you. It’s just like picking a girl or a guy at a better, but much much better.
So ditch the stereotypes, and take the path less taken, because that is how you’ll explore each other and make unforgettable memories.