Let me be clear. As awesome as relationships can be, if you are in one for long enough, it can be quite trying.

One of the big challenges of long-term relationships is that you run out of date ideas. Seriously. Being in a long-term relationship can sap date creativity.

It’s not like you just started going out and every new day is some sort of adventure because you haven’t done certain things together yet. You haven’t been to certain places yet. But the longer you’re in a relationship, the shorter this list becomes.

In fact, if you’re not careful, your dates might soon become routine. In fact, at certain times, you might even feel that you’re just going through the motions.

This doesn’t mean that you have fallen out of love with each other. The emotional intensity might still be there. The problem is, you have come to some sort of impasse regarding dating ideas and your overall creativity.

To jumpstart your search for hot new date ideas, here are 10 suggestions that might bring some much-needed life back to your dates. PS. You don’t have to wait for a special holiday like Valentine’s day to do something special. But we do have a guide for that here as well!

Remember, you don’t have to go through the motions. They don’t have to be routine. Your dates can be as vibrant, interesting, and amazing as your first few dates.

Idea #1: Take an arts and crafts class together

What makes this idea so awesome is that it forces you to sit down together and come up with lists. She lists arts and crafts she’s interested in, and you come up with your own list.

You then compare notes and decide which ones you have in common and which interests you’d like to share.

If anything, figuring out which arts and crafts classes to take together can be an adventure in learning more about each other, sharing each other’s passions, and embarking on a new journey of discovery.

Remember, if you just stay safely within your comfort zone, you’re not going to grow.

You might think that certain arts and crafts ideas are just out of the question for you, but don’t knock them until you try them. They might actually open a new door into a personal interest you thought you didn’t have.

Idea #2: Go to a “pick your meal” farm trip

Depending on where you live, there are farms that are open to the public. These farms allow you to pick crops that are then going to be cooked by the farm’s staff for your lunch or dinner meal.

The great thing about such trips is the fact that not only do you save a lot of money, but you also get to figure out where your food comes from. It’s a great way to reconnect with Mother Nature as well as discover each other’s culinary preferences.

Again, the best kinds of dates are adventures in mutual discovery. You and your date may think you know enough about each other, but you’d be surprised as to the things you don’t know. Food is a great and safe way to explore each other’s preferences, tastes, and personal quirks.

Idea #3: Go on a hot air balloon ride

Depending on the season and your location, it may be good idea to go on a hot air balloon ride date. This kind of date really expands both of your horizons. Not only is there a change of place, but there’s also a tremendous sense of adventure.

There is also a hint of danger because hey, let’s face it, nothing is guaranteed. All sorts of things can happen on your hot air balloon ride.

Still, if you’re looking for great views and a memorable experience, hot air balloon ride is definitely high up on anybody’s list.

Idea #4: Go on a camping forage lunch or dinner date

A camping forage date is quite different from your typical camping adventure. If you’ve ever gone camping with your significant other, you know that you only need to strap on a backpack, bring enough bottled water, and you’re good to go.

You hit the trail and, before you know it, after putting one foot in front of the other, you get to the end of the trail and you get a ride back. That’s how most camping trips begin and end. Maybe you would throw in a campfire and overnight camping in the middle.

But what’s so awesome about a camping forage lunch or dinner date is that it’s a same-day hike. You’re not going to camp overnight. Also, you’re foraging for food. There are certain trails where there are lots of naturally available edible food in the trails.

The great thing about this type of date is that you are on your own so there’s a sense of adventure. You really can’t quite predict what will happen.

Also, you are forced to be creative because different wild foods are in season in different times of the year. This allows you to work with your date and tap into each other’s resourcefulness, cleverness and survival ability.

It’s not as dramatic as those TV survivor shows, but you get the point. It’s definitely a great way to entertain both of your personal interest in the great outdoors.

Idea #5: Build something in the outdoors together

If you have a friend or a relative that have access to wilderness land, this might be a good date idea.

You don’t necessarily have to work on a DIY project together. You don’t necessarily have to put up a rustic countryside mansion. Instead, you can just make something together like a chair or a table.

Of course, your date has to have an adventurous side. This is a great way of creating memories. It’s out in the open in the great outdoors.

It also taps into your personal creativity and resourcefulness. It’s ideal for couples who are very independent-minded, resourceful, and love building things from scratch.

Idea #6: Watch the sunrise at the beach

This is probably one of the most cliched dates, but I’ve included it in the list anyway. There’s just something about watching the sunrise at a beach that really gets to the heart of any relationship.

Remember, the essence of your relationship is shared experience. When you share any kind of experience, your level of intimacy grows. You get to know each other better. And there’s nothing better to cap this off or memorialize this than watching the sun rise at a beach.

Now, you have a lot of leeway as to the things you could do before, during or after the sunrise. You can cook a nice meal, you can hike a nice scenic trail, you can collect pebbles on the beach – there are just so many things you can do. The only limit, really, is your imagination and your resources.

Still, regardless of where the beach is, and regardless of when in the year you decide to do it, you definitely need to watch the sunrise at the beach. It would probably be one of the most memorable dates you’d ever go on.

Of course, you can’t just pick up and do it. You might be putting yourself in harm’s way if you did that. A little bit of advance preparations as far as logistics, as well as safety and camping equipment, can definitely go a long way.

Of course, if you are looking to watch the sunrise at some sort of beach resort that you only need to book, then you can get by with less planning. For the rest of us, a little bit of advance planning can go a long way.

Idea #7: Go on a pizza tour date

When you go on a pizza tour, you’re actually taking a bite out of the history of the city you’re in. I’m talking literally taking a bite. Because if you go to New York and avoid eating pizza, you’re missing out.

Pizza is such a big part of the New York experience. The same applies to any kind of trip to Naples, Italy or even Rome. You are leaving a lot, or even cheating yourself, if you don’t go on a pizza tour.

Well, taking along a date on a pizza tour really adds a new dimension to it. It’s a great way of learning more about the culinary history of a city. It also makes for a great shared memory.

I don’t know about you, but I have yet to meet somebody who doesn’t like pizza. You don’t necessarily have to love pizza, but I think I stand on safe ground when I say that there are very few people who flat out hate pizza. There’s just something about that stretchy, chewy, flavorful taste explosion in your mouth when you bite into a nice, well-made pizza.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a couple, but when you go on a pizza tour date in any major city, it can definitely be a great source of amazing memories.

Idea #8: Take her on a coffee shop tour date

This date idea actually makes more sense if you are going to a place that is known for being cold and gloomy. I’m looking at you, Seattle.

Seattle is known for raining pretty much throughout the year. Another great city that would make for an ideal coffee shop tour destination is London, England.

Regardless of the city, you can figure out a lot about local city history, culture and the local color by simply touring its coffee shops. You’d be surprised as to how much history there is in these street corner cafes.

Idea #9: Take him on a library puzzle tour date

If you want to throw in a little brain candy in your date itinerary, take your male date on a library puzzle tour.

Basically, this takes quite a bit of advance planning because all the libraries in your local area have something that is peculiar to that location.

You can create some sort of puzzle where you start off with a board that has many missing pieces and you just go from library to library and ask the local librarian to give you a quick tour. Each tour will then reveal pieces of the puzzle.

This is great for people who are bibliophiles. In other words, book lovers. If you love to read and you love talking about books, or your significant other is a bibliophile, this would make for a great tour date. It definitely is something off the beaten path.

If you’re sick and tired of just meeting for lunch and dinner at the typical “romantic restaurant” that you’ve been to a million times before, a library puzzle tour date might just be right up your alley.

Idea #10: Watch a spoken word competition or get together

A spoken word competition is not everybody’s cup of tea. If your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife or significant other is very big on poetry or spoken word, this might be a good idea. However, you have to be up for that kind of activity as well.

If you like exploring ideas that intermesh or intertwine with emotions as well as artistic expression, this might be a good call.

The great thing about going to a spoken word competition is that after the event, there are just so many other things you can do. You can explore the local restaurant row in your city. You can watch a movie. You can also catch a nice train ride.

There are just so many things you can do in terms of scheduling. So, do yourself a big favor, if your significant other is in any way literary-minded, this might be a good idea.

If you are ever at a loss for date ideas, keep the 10 suggestions above in mind. You might want to tweak them to fit your personal preferences, but they definitely give you a great place to start.

Make no mistake, if you are looking to inject life back into your dates, you have to be a little bit more proactive. These ideas are good places to start.