As a student in a relationship, I know how difficult it can be trying to think of fun, exciting dates on a budget. I know we would all love to take our significant other/latest date for a three-course meal in the newest, trendiest restaurant, but that really, buying a bowl of cereal from that overpriced cafe in Shoreditch would seriously hurt the bank account.
So here are some dates that you can go on with just an all-day travel card and a tenner in your pocket!
- Mini-Golf – Multiple locations across London. Prices start from £4 up to £10. Open Day and Night.
Mini-Golf, for the competitive couple. It’s all good fun messing around ‘letting your partner win’ until you look at the score card and realise you’re five shots behind with only three holes to play, then comes the concentration and steely determination in your eyes. Too late, you can’t catch up and you lose, but that’s okay, you have a happy date and a reason to go back. Revenge will be sweet.
2. Feed the Ducks in Hyde Park. Price: £1 (The price of a loaf of bread)
A daytime date to be had on your lunch break/in-between lectures/on a day off. What better way to prove to your partner that you care about living things than by going to feed some? Not exactly taxing, this is the perfect way to catch-up with your date, throwing bread into water doesn’t use many brains cells, so put them to good use by talking. How has your day been?
3. Walk the Southbank taking selfies. Price: zilch, except for phone battery.
YAWN. I know what you’re thinking ‘who hasn’t walked the Southbank? Next date please’. And yes, admittedly this is a cliche, but its a cliche for a reason, its good. Very good. The river Thames, the graffitied skatepark, the double decker bus that just sells ice-cream and fro-yo. Take a moment to appreciate the place you live in, there is some really beauty in the eye of the city.
4. Visit a museum. Price: Free.
Go to a museum, London is literally filled with them. You’ve got the V&A, the Tate Britain and the Saatchi Gallery for the art lovers, the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the Natural History Museum for those that wish to explore yesteryear, and my personal favourite, The Science Museum. With the interactive nature of the exhibitions, this lends itself to learning, so if your date isn’t the sharpest tool in the box take them here, they’ll never realise.
5. Walk around Chinatown. Price: Nothing or £4.50 for a box of noodles.
A little like the Southbank in terms of the stunning visuals on show, Chinatown is a treat for all your senses. More of a night-time destination, the red flags, smell of food cooking and music playing make it an immersive experience that everyone should enjoy. Throw in a few practical joke shops for reasons I do not know, and you have an experience you’ll never forget and the green light for a few more dates.
I hope there’s something for everyone on this list, I know how difficult date night can be on a budget, so next time you’re stuck for an idea don’t put The Notebook into the DVD player for the 1000th time, try one of these.
Photo by Sophie Griffin