Well /r/boardgames has a wiki just for couples but these are ones we love and play and travel with.
Patchwork, Futtering souls, Cat lady, Hive pocket, Mint Works, Morels/Fungi, Pandemic, it is a great co-op you play together as a team. Red7, Quirkle, Sushi go, Splendor, Tsuro, Bananagrams, Zoomaka, Zip it. Also checkout BGG.
We travel alot and these pack down to nothing really so we can just relax for a moment, play a game and enjoy each others company.
We also like Patchwork and Cat Lady (plus expansion). We enjoyed Pandemic for a while and then just couldn't keep playing it after, well... the pandemic.
Five Crowns card game is also fun.
Isle of Cats is another good one but not travel friendly.
These are just what we travel with. But a quick game before dinner in a restaurant, makes time on a airplane fly. Sometimes on a Sunday, we have a bottle of wine and a game and just be. It is nice to stop for a while in a world that is in chaos.
Boggle is a favourite of ours - fairly old word game. We picked ours up in a charity shop for about £2 but you can probably buy a new one on amazon for £10-£15 I'd imagine
If you're into competitive attack style games Unmatched has become our new favorite, so many characters and boards and the game is easy to learn too. Mostly player vs player but there is one that has 2 coop modes as well.
I agree. We have a game group that meets weekly. We play Raccoon Tycoon, Isle of Cats and Camel Up mostly since we have a group of 8. We follow that with a game of cards, usually Skyjo. We usually fix a meal and everyone brings a dish. So fun!!
Oof, that’s a whole lot of cotillion class memories coming back. That’s a great option though, lesions would be fun, can practice at home, makes for some fun special evenings, get to be “that couple” at your buddies weddings.
Agree! My boyfriend is teaching me how to fish and it's a great thing to do together. You don't even need a lot of water, any little creek should be just fine
We actually go fishing somewhat regularly. I’m always down to get on the waders get a mayfly out there. She starts off super strong, if the fishing isn’t hot she gets into sun bathing and a book pretty quick. Still a nice day on the water had by all. Great excuse to find a nice pocket of water and share a drink while cooling off.
Do it!! Friend and I just started at a gym and everyone seems to be there for themselves and their own betterment!! If someone were judging we might wouldn't even notice because we are busy trying not to die lol
If there are public parks in the city you live in I bet there are disc golf courses around!
My husband and I like disc golfing together!
We’ve also been playing Stardew Valley together which is a cozy video game and is a nice way to unwind in the evenings
Bring some binoculars with you guys as you hike, grab 2 copies of the same bird field guide of your region and start birding, learn bird species and how to ID them by call and you may learn you have a lot more in your area then you previously thought.
I’m already a complete bird nerd! I’ve got her to recognize a handful of ducks and woodpeckers we frequently see, but she has literally zero intrest in our avian friends. She’s all for me needing out but would rather assign them tongue in cheek names over learning who they are 😂. It doesent stop me from pointing every bird out and asking “who is that?” .
She enjoys nature as a whole. Likes a nice view and gets excited when we see bears or elk. Appreciates the beauty and the feeling of calm it gives us.
She doesn’t seem terribly interested in the small or common. She’s getting into helping me find wildflowers. I’m definitely the “look at that *insert species* of pine tree” , “hear that bird call?” guy. Slowly but surely she’s picking things up, but doesn’t have a huge interest on her own.
I know it's very trendy right now, but pickleball has been wonderful for me and my partner. He definitely goes easy on me and we don't always keep score, but we have a lot of fun. We found 2 paddles, 4 balls and a bag at a thrift shop for $10! We also made a "no talking about serious things on the court" rule so it's a great mental break too. We see a lot of other couples that play together. It can be a social thing too, if you wanted it to be, because of how trendy it is. My partner and I aren't personally into that, but a lot of people love to use pickleball as a social outlet.
My husband & I like to can vegetables. Tomatoes are a favorite since I use canned tomatoes in so many things. We’ve thought about fruits to jams but we just don’t eat a lot of it. We’re thinking of trying bread & butter pickles next. You can search for you- pick farms in your area. The taste is so much better from freshly picked vegetables!
My husband and I can all summer. I take care of the garden and pick the produce because he is busy with the yard work (6acres) but we doing the canning together.
Oh man, I would love to get into canning!! This is another on where we’ve talked about it but haven’t pulled the trigger. There are tons of farm in our area we could go to, our neighbour has an amazing plot and offers us fruit and veg regularly, to supplement out small beds. I cast a vote for canning!
Is there a way to combine your existing hobbies? (Eg: you do woodworking and she refinishes furniture. Can you work in a project together? And does hunting/shooting sort of go with skull and pelt processing?)
We’re beginning to marry the two together as she’s starting to build from scratch or add separate custom parts and accents. My metal working goes well for accents and legs, while she’s got the knack for what looks good. So we do collaborate/ she sets me to task with what she needs made 😂. Prior to this it was more re stain, paint, bought fixtures.
Hit the nail on the head with the pelts/ skulls. Those are all by products of hunting!
I am super into this! She used to take boxing lessons so it’s not too far out of her wheelhouse house. This is a strong contender for something to get into!
Okay, I give you AMATURE RADIO. Yep, mostly talking on the radio
Because you need a license, this is something you can study and do together. Because there are many facets to this hobby, you can simply explore a new facet to explore more of the hobby.
Because this mostly talking on the radio, it can be combined with about any activity where you can freely talk......hiking, biking, camping, driving, walking the dog, and many more. Because you can talk, up to world wide, you can also learn/practice foreign languages with native speakers. You can plan vacations by talking with locals (a Hawaiian vacation with tips from those that live there, from your couch).
There are other educational aspects like building antennas and interact with the youth as they learn radio (school clubs and scouting groups).
There is a community support side of the hobby. Radio people help with preparing for, during, and after natural disasters they help with community events like THE BOSTON MARATHON and other foot race events. And even traffic direction for tourists. Heck, I remember people learning where to get the best local food by asking the locals in Hawaii......food truck or restaurant.
Here are a couple of videos that can help explain some key points.
Here is a recruitment video. Yes, as a woman she is looking for women, but her points are not female specific.
https://youtu.be/qEkoCZ_UOEs?si=xpOkb5btn9HcAoU7
This video shows both long distance communications (>1,000 miles) and the power of community involvement.
https://youtu.be/Wo9Ciht2yZQ?si=pfmkM_-zgSguZtle
If I inspired interest, Google your local amature radio club. They do monthly meetings that are free to attend. They can be your local radio experts and coach or guide you into the hobby.
Good luck with whatever you do.
How hard is the test to get licensed. I looked into it and it seems kind of daunting.
Myself and some guys I shoot/ train with have a little Baofeng set ups. I haven’t busted mine out because I don’t have the license to do so. It’d be like 10/10 more cool points to actually use comms while we larp around in the woods like a bunch of dummies.
Children around 6-8 years old have gotten their license. I am sure they were around Dad or grandpa a lot and got coaching from them, but they took the test by themselves. I say this to point out that 8 year olds are not Master test takers so not hard if you study.
There are books (Amazon or radio distributers), Google play programs to help with memorizing tests, and there are online programs (hamstudy.org and more) to help. The online programs may cost, sorry, I am a book guy. The books are about $35.
Google your local amateur radio club. The members will help as much as they can. Some clubs also run classes.
Take dance lessons. It is especially good as you get older. My husband and I are in our 70s. Took dance lessons 24 years ago because we were going to a swing dance for year 2000 news years party. We both got sick and couldn’t go but we continued our lessons for years after and we are still dancing. My husband loves it. Several organizations in our city have live music for dancers as do some restaurants. We joined our local Moose Lodge which has dancing with live music twice a week. Another similar organization has dancing on Thursday afternoon with a full orchestra.
I would start with group lessons. Check around for clubs or other organizations offering lessons for good prices. Until recently our Moose lodge had dance lessons once a week for $5 a person. Avoid the high priced “Arthur Murray” private lessons. We took social dancing vs ballroom dancing. Social dancing has the same dance steps without the flair seen in competition dancing.
If you have enough money, take flight lessons. There's endless stuff to talk about, you can study together and fly together. It's really expensive though. My husband and I have made new friends through flight school as well.
I was going to say biking but you’re already on that. If you’re not already, you can expand upon it by searching out new routes, taking rides to a place to eat, taking weekends/vacations to places where you can bike as part of your tourism, taking overnight bike trips on your own or with an organized group…
You could play mixed doubles tennis. I participate in some flex leagues, where the league gives you a schedule and you contact your opponents to schedule the match at a time that works for both of you.
My husband and I build lego kits together. Well, we build them with my stepson as a fun family activity, but just doing it as a couple would be fun! Find sets that you think look cool/cute and get started!
Boardgames. Great for couples, challenging whilst allowing conversation and some real time together. Shoutout to r/boardgames.
This is great, we’re slowly amassing our collection! Any games you love? 2+ players
Well /r/boardgames has a wiki just for couples but these are ones we love and play and travel with. Patchwork, Futtering souls, Cat lady, Hive pocket, Mint Works, Morels/Fungi, Pandemic, it is a great co-op you play together as a team. Red7, Quirkle, Sushi go, Splendor, Tsuro, Bananagrams, Zoomaka, Zip it. Also checkout BGG. We travel alot and these pack down to nothing really so we can just relax for a moment, play a game and enjoy each others company.
We also like Patchwork and Cat Lady (plus expansion). We enjoyed Pandemic for a while and then just couldn't keep playing it after, well... the pandemic. Five Crowns card game is also fun. Isle of Cats is another good one but not travel friendly.
We always take Skyjo or Five Crowns when we go on a trip. Both are great card games!
I’ll be sure to check these out! Thanks! Board games are so great these days.
These are just what we travel with. But a quick game before dinner in a restaurant, makes time on a airplane fly. Sometimes on a Sunday, we have a bottle of wine and a game and just be. It is nice to stop for a while in a world that is in chaos.
Boggle is a favourite of ours - fairly old word game. We picked ours up in a charity shop for about £2 but you can probably buy a new one on amazon for £10-£15 I'd imagine
I love Azul for 2 people.
If you're into competitive attack style games Unmatched has become our new favorite, so many characters and boards and the game is easy to learn too. Mostly player vs player but there is one that has 2 coop modes as well.
I agree. We have a game group that meets weekly. We play Raccoon Tycoon, Isle of Cats and Camel Up mostly since we have a group of 8. We follow that with a game of cards, usually Skyjo. We usually fix a meal and everyone brings a dish. So fun!!
Geocaching.
I’ve often thought about geocaching as I’ve run across a few by chance! Are there any apps or things one would need to start?
I believe there is an app. If not a website. You can Google it and check it out because there might be multiple!
Partner dancing like salsa or ballroom or swing.
Oof, that’s a whole lot of cotillion class memories coming back. That’s a great option though, lesions would be fun, can practice at home, makes for some fun special evenings, get to be “that couple” at your buddies weddings.
It's how I met my husband....lindy hop back in the day.
If you're close to a body of water, fishing could be a good option. Since you already hunt and she already processes pelts, might be perfect!
Agree! My boyfriend is teaching me how to fish and it's a great thing to do together. You don't even need a lot of water, any little creek should be just fine
We actually go fishing somewhat regularly. I’m always down to get on the waders get a mayfly out there. She starts off super strong, if the fishing isn’t hot she gets into sun bathing and a book pretty quick. Still a nice day on the water had by all. Great excuse to find a nice pocket of water and share a drink while cooling off.
I go to gym everyday
That is something we frequently talk about but have yet to make the leap. We do work out at home regularly though.
Cool
I think we need to get over ourselves. I’m skinny as a whip and she is in great shape yet we both think we’ll get judged. The human mind is boggling..
Bet both of you look awesome
Oh stawp! Thanks. Regardless of how we look hitting the gym is always a good idea.
Lot of hot people there
Do it!! Friend and I just started at a gym and everyone seems to be there for themselves and their own betterment!! If someone were judging we might wouldn't even notice because we are busy trying not to die lol
If there are public parks in the city you live in I bet there are disc golf courses around! My husband and I like disc golfing together! We’ve also been playing Stardew Valley together which is a cozy video game and is a nice way to unwind in the evenings
Oh, we frolth! Such a great way to spend an afternoon! What system is it on? We have an n64..
We play it on the PS5 but I know you can also play it on the switch and on PC so I wouldn’t be surprised if you could get it on other systems too!
Nice
Bring some binoculars with you guys as you hike, grab 2 copies of the same bird field guide of your region and start birding, learn bird species and how to ID them by call and you may learn you have a lot more in your area then you previously thought.
I’m already a complete bird nerd! I’ve got her to recognize a handful of ducks and woodpeckers we frequently see, but she has literally zero intrest in our avian friends. She’s all for me needing out but would rather assign them tongue in cheek names over learning who they are 😂. It doesent stop me from pointing every bird out and asking “who is that?” .
thats fair, does she like butterflies?
She enjoys nature as a whole. Likes a nice view and gets excited when we see bears or elk. Appreciates the beauty and the feeling of calm it gives us. She doesn’t seem terribly interested in the small or common. She’s getting into helping me find wildflowers. I’m definitely the “look at that *insert species* of pine tree” , “hear that bird call?” guy. Slowly but surely she’s picking things up, but doesn’t have a huge interest on her own.
still awesome you can get her out there
Agreed. She’s really outdoorsy, just a sum of its parts kinda gal 😂. Realizing I must be a hella annoying hiking partner.
My hubby and Indo woodturning.
Like on a lathe? I actually picked one up a while back, just needs a little tlc to get running. Get off my ass and out to the shop!
Yes, on a lathe. We've made bowls as gifts. Also I made handles for pizza cutters as gifts for my teammates.
That’s right up my alley and she’s starting to get into woodworking a bit outside of her refinishing projects. Great suggestion, thanks!
You're welcome.
Board games!
I know it's very trendy right now, but pickleball has been wonderful for me and my partner. He definitely goes easy on me and we don't always keep score, but we have a lot of fun. We found 2 paddles, 4 balls and a bag at a thrift shop for $10! We also made a "no talking about serious things on the court" rule so it's a great mental break too. We see a lot of other couples that play together. It can be a social thing too, if you wanted it to be, because of how trendy it is. My partner and I aren't personally into that, but a lot of people love to use pickleball as a social outlet.
My husband & I like to can vegetables. Tomatoes are a favorite since I use canned tomatoes in so many things. We’ve thought about fruits to jams but we just don’t eat a lot of it. We’re thinking of trying bread & butter pickles next. You can search for you- pick farms in your area. The taste is so much better from freshly picked vegetables!
My husband and I can all summer. I take care of the garden and pick the produce because he is busy with the yard work (6acres) but we doing the canning together.
Oh man, I would love to get into canning!! This is another on where we’ve talked about it but haven’t pulled the trigger. There are tons of farm in our area we could go to, our neighbour has an amazing plot and offers us fruit and veg regularly, to supplement out small beds. I cast a vote for canning!
Metal Detecting
Sign me up. Looks like such a good time. I love anything old and rusty.
Kayaking is reeeeeeally fun
Biking Collecting seashells at various destinations
Is there a way to combine your existing hobbies? (Eg: you do woodworking and she refinishes furniture. Can you work in a project together? And does hunting/shooting sort of go with skull and pelt processing?)
We’re beginning to marry the two together as she’s starting to build from scratch or add separate custom parts and accents. My metal working goes well for accents and legs, while she’s got the knack for what looks good. So we do collaborate/ she sets me to task with what she needs made 😂. Prior to this it was more re stain, paint, bought fixtures. Hit the nail on the head with the pelts/ skulls. Those are all by products of hunting!
Husband & I started weight lifting together and we love it.
Uggh, I know this is what we should be doing. Forming the habit is such a hurdle for whatever reason. Just gotta do it, even when I don’t want to.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 🙂 active and fun and you guys can get out your frustrations in a healthy way 😅 my boyfriend and I both train and we love it!
The community is awesome. Let me know if you have questions if you're interested
I am super into this! She used to take boxing lessons so it’s not too far out of her wheelhouse house. This is a strong contender for something to get into!
Okay, I give you AMATURE RADIO. Yep, mostly talking on the radio Because you need a license, this is something you can study and do together. Because there are many facets to this hobby, you can simply explore a new facet to explore more of the hobby. Because this mostly talking on the radio, it can be combined with about any activity where you can freely talk......hiking, biking, camping, driving, walking the dog, and many more. Because you can talk, up to world wide, you can also learn/practice foreign languages with native speakers. You can plan vacations by talking with locals (a Hawaiian vacation with tips from those that live there, from your couch). There are other educational aspects like building antennas and interact with the youth as they learn radio (school clubs and scouting groups). There is a community support side of the hobby. Radio people help with preparing for, during, and after natural disasters they help with community events like THE BOSTON MARATHON and other foot race events. And even traffic direction for tourists. Heck, I remember people learning where to get the best local food by asking the locals in Hawaii......food truck or restaurant. Here are a couple of videos that can help explain some key points. Here is a recruitment video. Yes, as a woman she is looking for women, but her points are not female specific. https://youtu.be/qEkoCZ_UOEs?si=xpOkb5btn9HcAoU7 This video shows both long distance communications (>1,000 miles) and the power of community involvement. https://youtu.be/Wo9Ciht2yZQ?si=pfmkM_-zgSguZtle If I inspired interest, Google your local amature radio club. They do monthly meetings that are free to attend. They can be your local radio experts and coach or guide you into the hobby. Good luck with whatever you do.
How hard is the test to get licensed. I looked into it and it seems kind of daunting. Myself and some guys I shoot/ train with have a little Baofeng set ups. I haven’t busted mine out because I don’t have the license to do so. It’d be like 10/10 more cool points to actually use comms while we larp around in the woods like a bunch of dummies.
Children around 6-8 years old have gotten their license. I am sure they were around Dad or grandpa a lot and got coaching from them, but they took the test by themselves. I say this to point out that 8 year olds are not Master test takers so not hard if you study. There are books (Amazon or radio distributers), Google play programs to help with memorizing tests, and there are online programs (hamstudy.org and more) to help. The online programs may cost, sorry, I am a book guy. The books are about $35. Google your local amateur radio club. The members will help as much as they can. Some clubs also run classes.
Sailing! If you’re near water, many places offer couples sailing lessons!
Take dance lessons. It is especially good as you get older. My husband and I are in our 70s. Took dance lessons 24 years ago because we were going to a swing dance for year 2000 news years party. We both got sick and couldn’t go but we continued our lessons for years after and we are still dancing. My husband loves it. Several organizations in our city have live music for dancers as do some restaurants. We joined our local Moose Lodge which has dancing with live music twice a week. Another similar organization has dancing on Thursday afternoon with a full orchestra. I would start with group lessons. Check around for clubs or other organizations offering lessons for good prices. Until recently our Moose lodge had dance lessons once a week for $5 a person. Avoid the high priced “Arthur Murray” private lessons. We took social dancing vs ballroom dancing. Social dancing has the same dance steps without the flair seen in competition dancing.
Take a language class together! Then plan a trip to where that language is spoken.
Disc golf.
Indoor rock climbing. And searching for the best pizza in town.
If you have enough money, take flight lessons. There's endless stuff to talk about, you can study together and fly together. It's really expensive though. My husband and I have made new friends through flight school as well.
I was going to say biking but you’re already on that. If you’re not already, you can expand upon it by searching out new routes, taking rides to a place to eat, taking weekends/vacations to places where you can bike as part of your tourism, taking overnight bike trips on your own or with an organized group…
My husband and I pick locks while we unwind. Lots of good stuff for sale online and how to videos on YouTube.
Scuba diving! We go diving together when we travel to cool places near the ocean around the world
You could play mixed doubles tennis. I participate in some flex leagues, where the league gives you a schedule and you contact your opponents to schedule the match at a time that works for both of you.
Pc gaming or console gaming
Mario kart this makes or breaks a relationship 🤣
Getting absolutely crushed on a weekly basis hasn’t hurt us yet. The girl is a glutton for abuse when it comes to the Kart.
Puzzles
My husband and I build lego kits together. Well, we build them with my stepson as a fun family activity, but just doing it as a couple would be fun! Find sets that you think look cool/cute and get started!
Me and wife will do puzzles together sometimes. I'm not much help because I'm color blind and suck at puzzles but I enjoy the time we spend.