Tips for Celebrating Father’s Day While Social Distancing

If you’re wondering how to plan a Father’s Day celebration while taking into account safe social distancing, you need only look to families who are used to long-distance holidays. Dads who travel for construction and health-care jobs often find themselves on the road for Father’s Day, as do many servicemen. To make sure Dad gets the celebration he deserves, families of Dads who travel for work have developed all kinds of tricks for long-distance holidays, from special gifts for dads who work away from home to throwing virtual Dad’s Day parties. 

Gifts for Dads Who Work Away from Home

Just because Dad’s working away from home doesn’t mean you can’t arrange for a gift to show up for Father’s Day. If Dad’s staying at an extended-stay hotel, find out the address and his room number and mail him a care package to the hotel. Handmade cards and gifts from kids and grandkids are always appreciated and can make his room feel more like home. 

Popular gifts for Dads who work away from home tend to make living out of hotel rooms a little easier, either by providing practical solutions or just making life a little more enjoyable. Possible gifts for a long-distance Father’s Day celebration include:

• Travel USB power bars

• Bluetooth headphones or speakers

• Travel mugs

• Gift cards to favorite coffee shops and restaurants

• Tablets and e-readers

• Hanging toiletry bags

• Power banks for mobile devices

• Audiobook credits 

Gifts for dads who work away from home also make excellent gifts for dads who are deployed with the armed services. Servicemen especially appreciate gift boxes with practical items like toothpaste, deodorant, razors, favorite snacks, and photos of the kids. 

Virtual Father’s Day Celebrations

Thanks to videoconferencing, there’s no reason you can’t have some face-to-face time with Dad on Father’s Day. Facetime, Facebook Messenger video calls, Zoom, and other communication tools make it possible to see each other on long-distance holidays. Challenge Dad to an online board game, download Netflix Party to watch a favorite movie together or take a virtual tour of a national park or museum.

Treat Dad to Delivery

If you’re hosting a virtual Father’s Day celebration, don’t forget the food. Thanks to a wide range of delivery apps you can have Dad’s favorite food delivered to his hotel room and your home at approximately the same time, so you can enjoy a pizza together while he trounces you in a game of online UNO. Just remember to take different time zones into account when you schedule food delivery.

Apply Long-Distance Father’s Day Tips to your Family

These same tips work for all long-distance holidays. If Dad’s in a nursing home or traveling for medical care, brighten his day with a live-video of the kids or grandkids singing him a song. Use a messaging app to chat with dads who are deployed overseas, or arrange a time to rewatch a historic sporting event remotely through a streaming service. 

If you’re traveling for Father’s Day, social distancing may prevent you from staying at Dad’s house. Instead, why not book an extended stay at a local WoodSpring Suites? You’ll have a place to call home while meeting Dad in venues that allow proper social distancing. 

Whether you’re spending your Father’s Day celebration together or at different ends of the country, there’s no reason you can’t make Dad’s Day a special event. Just don’t try to match him in a battle of Dad jokes: He’s got a definite advantage there!