Adventurous indoor dates on a low budget

Find a studio with a free first class, most cities have one. Comfortable shoes you can pivot in.

1. Get there 10 minutes early. Most awkwardness happens in those minutes.
2. Stay for the full class, do not leave at the break.
3. Stay for the social practice if there is one.
4. Walk home together. Talk about the moves you got wrong.

• Wear shoes with smooth soles, not rubber.

A country neither of you has been to. Music from there, food from there, a film from there.

1. Dress in something that fits the place, vague, fun, not a costume.
2. Cook (or order) one classic dish from the country.
3. Watch a travel show or short film set there.
4. Make a one-page "itinerary" you would do if you went next year.

A car or scooter. A free afternoon. Snacks for the drive back.

1. Get in. Drive without a destination.
2. After 30 minutes, stop wherever you are.
3. Walk for 20 minutes around that place.
4. Eat at the first promising spot. Drive home the long way.

Bandsintown, Songkick, or a local listings site. Pick the cheapest gig in the smallest venue.

1. Listen to two of the band's songs in the car on the way there.
2. Stand close to the stage but not in the front row.
3. Stay for the whole set even if it is not your thing.
4. Buy something from the merch table, the artist sees the money.

Booth karaoke (more common in East Asia and metro India), or YouTube karaoke + bluetooth speaker.

1. First song each: easy and familiar.
2. Second: a duet.
3. Third: the song you love but cannot really sing.
4. Order food halfway in. Stay until the songs run out.

A pub or club with an open-mic night. Free or under $10.

1. Get there early, open mics fill quickly.
2. Two-drink minimum is real; budget for it.
3. Clap for everyone, even the ones who tank.
4. Vote afterwards on the best joke. Tell each other your pick.

Google Maps. Filter for "$" and 4.6+ stars. Pick the closest you have not been to.

1. Walk or transit there, no taxis, the date is the journey too.
2. Order the most-mentioned dish in the reviews.
3. Order one second dish blind, no recommendations.
4. Save the place to a "tested and approved" list.

A spice or specialty market, Khari Baoli, KR Market, an Asian/Latin/Middle-Eastern grocer near you.

1. Each picks one new spice or ingredient blindly.
2. Pick a third one together that the seller recommends.
3. Find a recipe that uses all three when you get home.
4. Cook and eat. Save half to use in next week's cooking.

A metro/subway/bus pass. A free afternoon. Comfortable shoes.

1. Take a line you rarely take. Get off at a random stop you have never visited.
2. Walk in a direction picked by a coin flip.
3. Eat at the first place that pulls you in.
4. Take a different line back home.

Three landmarks you have never visited in your own city. Cash and a budget agreed with the driver upfront.

1. Negotiate the rate before getting in. Be fair.
2. Spend 30–45 minutes at each spot.
3. Tip the driver well at the end.
4. Save the driver's number for the next round.

A community dance class, Garba, bhangra, kathak, kalbelia, lavani. First class is often free.

1. Wear loose clothes you can move in.
2. Stand in the second row, easier to copy.
3. Stay through the social practice at the end.
4. Walk home together. Try the step on the pavement.

A famous hawker centre or street-food court. Tissues for chope-ing seats. Cash.

1. One person scouts seats, the other queues for plate one.
2. Three stalls minimum. Share every plate.
3. Drink, one each, plus one shared sugarcane juice or tea.
4. End with a sweet stall.

A traditional souk or covered market. Cash for small purchases. Sunscreen.

1. Walk the perimeter once.
2. Drink a strong tea or coffee mid-way.
3. Pick one small thing each, a spice, a tea, a small ceramic.
4. Bargain politely. End at a quiet café.

A traditional market with food stalls. Cash, an empty stomach, comfortable shoes.

1. Walk the whole market once before eating.
2. Three stalls, three plates between you.
3. A fresh juice from a different stall.
4. A sweet at a fourth stall.

A salsa, bachata, or kizomba social. Dress for dancing, shoes that pivot, layers for sweat.

1. Arrive after the lesson but before the social peaks.
2. Dance every other song. Rest between.
3. Drink water, most clubs sell it.
4. Walk for 20 minutes home before transport.

A fresh produce market. Reusable bag, cash for small bills.

1. Walk the whole market once.
2. Each picks two ingredients new to the other.
3. Cook a one-pot dish at home with what you bought.
4. Eat on the floor with your hands, on a clean cloth.

A bus route you have never ridden end-to-end. Off-peak so you can sit. Headphones (one each).

1. Sit at the back, on opposite sides of the aisle.
2. No talking for the first 20 minutes, just look.
3. Get off at the last stop. Walk for an hour.
4. Take the same bus back. Sit together this time.

A destination only one of you knows. A 30–90 minute drive.

1. The passenger does not look at the map.
2. Music chosen by the driver.
3. Reveal on arrival. Stay at least 90 minutes.

Two late-night noodle places. Walking distance apart.

1. One small bowl at the first place.
2. Walk to the second. Order a different style.
3. Tip well, both are working unsociable hours.

A wholesale-market outer area open early. Cash, comfortable shoes.

1. Be there by 7am.
2. Walk a full loop before eating.
3. Pick three stalls between you.

A lucha libre or wrestling night. Cheap tickets are fine, they are the loudest seats.

1. Buy a mask each at the door.
2. Cheer for whoever has the better entrance.
3. Eat tacos at the nearest stall after.

A medina with a riad rooftop café. Comfortable shoes, sunscreen.

1. Walk slowly, getting lost is the point.
2. Stop at a small workshop and watch.
3. End on a riad rooftop at sunset with mint tea.