Relationships

11 Activities Guaranteed To Bring You And Your SO Closer

by Blair Thill
Julien L. Balmer

When it comes to dating, our generation has a seemingly endless number of activities to choose from. That's why, when it's time to plan our quality time, we usually choose to go to drinks…or dinner and a movie?

The world is our oyster, and yet we can easily fall into a dating rut. We do the same activities over and over, thinking, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”

But here's the thing: Doing the same thing over and over gets old. Fast. Relationships can naturally fall into ruts, so you and your SO need to make an effort to spice things up.

The good news is that we're here to help. Here are 11 nontraditional activities guaranteed to bring you and your SO closer together.

1. Book club

Intelligence is one of the sexiest attributes you can find in a partner, which is why you and your SO should join a book club. It'll spark intelligent discussions about the book you're reading and give you a reason to put down your phones and do something together.

2. Podcasts

Fan the flame of the book club by listening to a new podcast together. Apart from being a great alternative to watching TV, podcasts will help diversify your interests and expand your typical conversation topics. Plus, you can listen to them pretty much anytime and anywhere.

3. Cooking classes

Best case scenario when you take a cooking class is that you'll find new recipes that you're both gaga over. Worst case scenario? You totally screw up the recipe, start a small kitchen fire and create a hilarious memory to cherish and laugh about. It's a win-win!

4. Wine-pairing classes

It's probably safe to assume that you know how to drink a glass of wine. (It's not really that difficult.) But there is much more to wine than just drinking it.

Learning how to pair certain foods with specific kinds of wine will bring you and your SO that much closer to attaining (amateur) Top Chef status. Plus, your newfound culinary knowledge is bound to wow your friends the next time you host a dinner party.

5. Yoga

There's a reason why millions of people are obsessed with yoga, even thousands of years after it was invented. Plus, science says it's good for you! According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, numerous studies have found that yoga can help reduce pain, lower blood pressure and even relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. Just think of how great you and your SO will feel after a nice yoga sesh.

Namaste.

6. Babysitting

If one of you has a niece or nephew in close proximity, offer to babysit for a night. You'll glimpse a future where you have little ones of your own, which will inherently bring you closer together.

7. Dance classes

Dancing means trusting your partner to lead or follow you around the dancefloor without inflicting bodily damage. It creates a kind of closeness you can't substitute, and it isn't bad for what happens between the sheets, if you catch my drift.

8. Road trips

Let's start by acknowledging that road trips have the potential to go terribly wrong (most often because of hunger-fueled irritability). But if you persevere, then you know you can go the distance, both literally and figuratively.

9. Crashing a wedding

This gives you a chance to get creative together, since you'll have to come up with alter egos and create a backstory explaining your connection to the bride and groom.

10. Snorkeling

Snorkeling offers a beautiful undersea view and a compelling reason to not talk for a few hours. Remember: Sometimes, a relationship's silence is just as important as its conversations.

11. Art openings

You don't have to be an artist or a member of the cultural cognoscenti to go to an art gallery and enjoy a dose of culture.

Though you might not realize it, there are most likely art galleries in your city that open their doors to the public for new shows and exhibitions on a rotating basis. Apart from exposing you to new and innovative artists, gallery openings offer some of the best people-watching you can find — not to mention complimentary champagne.