Though having to be physically confined to home with social distancing as an important initiative that’s currently in place, this doesn’t mean you can’t be social in other ways. Enter, our ideas on how to keep the party going--while still maintaining a safe distance, of course.
Netflix Party & Chill – host a virtual movie night with friends. Keep hearing all the fuss about Tiger King? Wanting to re-watch Gilmore Girls in a judgement-free zone? Destined to inspire your own baking contest with The Great British Baking Show? Simply download the Google Chrome browser extension for free, choose a show or movie you’d like to watch, create a party, share the URL to invite friends, and get your Netflix Party on. https://www.netflixparty.com/
Skype Happy Hours – Facetime, Skype, Zoom, and more offer ways to see each other while keeping in line with keeping home. Why not make your own favorite cocktail at home and catch up with friends with a virtual “cheer” and some face-to-face time? One of our favorites is from Tanner’s Treehouse Lounge at Pasea:
Recipe:
- 2 oz Ketel One Cucumber Mint Vodka
- ¾ oz fresh Lemon Juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- ½ oz St. Germain (or any elderflower liqueur)
- Chopped Cucumber (chop 3 slices)
Directions: Combine all ingredients into a shaker with cubed ice. Aggressively shake for 10-15 seconds. Pour into a rocks glass and top with crushed ice. Garnish with a fresh cucumber slice.
Virtual Game Nights – Mario Kart Championships anyone? Nintendo Switch is making it easy to find friends and play virtually with a variety of fun games like Mortal Kombat, Mario Party, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and more. Just be careful of Rainbow Bridge, no matter if you’re Princess Peach herself, no one stays on for long. Otherwise, fun phone apps like Words with Friends, Uno Friends, Scrabble, and more can keep the friendly competition going on the small screen.
Get Sweaty with Friends – Fitness apps and technology have come a long way so find your friends virtually or get coaching with apps like Nike Train Club or Peloton, now offering 90 days of fitness classes for free on their app.
Volunteer from Afar - Looking to make a difference with your newfound downtime? There’s a variety of ways to volunteer virtually whether solo, with friends, or to make new ones. Opportunities range from United Nations Volunteers to help organizations working for peace and development to Smithsonian Digital Volunteers to help transcribe historical documents, or Project Gutenberg whose goal is to create the largest digital library in the world.
Concerts from your Couch – Artists like Coldplay, John Legend, Charlie Puth, and Pink have all hosted Instagram Live Streams of performances from their homes. Make some new friends with a virtual concert watching session from your social media feed and feel the uniting power of music.
Send Digital Postcards or Postcards Digitally – Want to send grandma a little note to say hi? Proud of that dish you just made of your dad’s famous recipe? Missing your BFF’s birthday? Send a digital postcard with an app like Postale or take advantage of the free online Postcard Maker through Canva. If snail mail is more your style, send an actual postcard from the ease of your cell phone with the app MyPostcard, which will stamp and mail all of your postcards worldwide from anywhere to everywhere.
