Have you ever bumped into someone you know while on holiday?

[BeckyRac]

Not me but while we were in Devon my mum bumped into someone she knew from the north west.

No but years ago my dad bumped into his BIL in a public loo!

Late 1980s. 2 weeks after A levels. Bumped into a teacher I loathed (& they were aware of this) in rural France, whilst Inter-railing. We both said: 'oh, FFS!'

When we were travelling around Australia we bumped into an old school friend of DH’s that he hadn’t seen for about 10 years. Was a very weird scene someone coming up to you in some outback campsite and saying “excuse me are you MrSnarkyBag?”

It's happened a few times to me, but I recently got evidence of a near miss. A woman I know quite well from a shared hobby, but who lives about 80 miles away, posted pictures on Facebook of her visit to a beautiful spot on the coast. Which I'd left about 15 minutes before she arrived.

I joined mumsnet when I got pregnant with my youngest and was in a Facebook mumsnet group with a bunch of fabulous women I met on here. Anyway I was on holiday in Portugal when I randomly bumped into one of them which was amazing as neither of us knew the other was going. So my by then 4 year old could meet hers.

Yes bumped into another family from my kids school in Florida.

My boss. I was 18, on holiday in Spain with my parents. I was mortified!

@sleepyhead

All. The. Time.

Dh appears to know everyone in the world. It's easier to count the times we've been somewhere and not met someone he knows.

In airports, cities, villages, on islands, up mountains. Really weird.

Yes, this!

The other way round, we got chatting with a couple on holiday in Spain, then bumped into them again on a campsite in the UK a few months later.

Bumped into the Dad of one of my childhood friends by the hotel pool in Thailand. Also we have a very local accent and we’re overheard on an excursion in Malaysia once by a couple who were from the same small town but moved to Australia 40 years earlier. Turns out the lady had worked with my Grandma. On a different holiday to Thailand I was in a bar when the owner came in who was one of my teachers at high school.

Haha my sons friend from school wad staying at same hotel, same dates 🙈 disaster for us parents wanting a relaxing holiday

Not me but my daughter bumped into kid from her year or class in Turkey and Falkirk.
We're from Bedfordshire. The turkey one was in the same hotel.

Yes, in Cornwall (we were both living in the South East). I also bumped into someone I'd been to primary school with in the check in queue at a London airport. He then got on the same plane and bus as us once we'd landed - different hotel and didn't see him again. Also, many, many years ago I went on a package holiday after my finals with some friends. There was a memorable girl on our flight (kept moaning to the cabin crew and walking to the back of the plane to seek them out and moan some more), who was with her friend - it turned out they were was staying in the same complex as us. She had a face like a slapped arse all week. About a year later, I changed job and there she was on the same floor as, me but a different department!

Sure. This is very common.
Good friends in Santa Eulalia, Ibiza.

Yes - years ago the local authority changed to a fixed Easter Holiday instead of a week either side of Easter. Fortunately for us no one thought to tell the holiday companies so it felt like the whole of the county took advantage of term time pricing. We went to Florida & met 5 other families we knew. I should add the holiday companies soon got wise and it only lasted for the year.

Have also run in to neighbours in Norfolk, work colleagues in Dorset & DD's friends in Majorca.

Happens a lot when I’m in India as a lot of ppl from my background go to the same cities at the same time of year. It’s more awkward when you’re not on a proper holiday and feel compelled to invite them to relatives houses

Yes, one of my 6th form students, on a live aboard boat, in the middle of the Red Sea

We went camping in South of France and got talking to a family whilst on hols, we didn’t keep in touch, the next year we went to Florida and they were staying at the same hotel.

Yes, neighbours at Alicante airport, former colleague in New York, and a friend on trains that drew alongside each other at Austerlitz station in Paris.

We weren’t really on holiday, more a day trip from home with our dc. But Dh and I used to live in Asia as we both worked there. We were on a day trip to a touristy part of the UK and ran in to good friends from the country we used to live in who were here on holiday. Totally bizarre and surreal but was lovely to see them after so many years. They just happened to be sitting on the decking of their beach house as we strolled by!

Many years ago when my daughter was about 7 we bumped into one of her school friends whilst on holiday in Spain .

Also, years ago me and DH were meant to go to Paris but couldn't get flights, and changed plans last minute to go to Amsterdam. We turned up and booked a hotel from the airport. Got home and discovered that one of my best friends from uni had not only been in Amsterdam at the same time, but at the same hotel. We'd missed each other by minutes at breakfast each day. Scoured the photos to see if we could spot one another, as comparing itineraries we'd been in some of the same places at the same time, but missed each other!

Yes! South of France, I bumped into a friend from primary school. We were mid twenties then and hadn't seen each other since primary school. We have never seen each other since then either, even though we still lived in the same town for another few years.
The weirdest one was not on holiday but when I lived abroad though. I lived in a small town and one of my high school friends stayed just a few doors down, in the same street. It was lovely to see a familiar face but very unexpected.

Placemarking for later as it could be a long tale from me...

Yes! Every time we've been on holiday we've either seen someone we know from back home, or seen a famous person!

We've made some really good friends on holidays, bumping into people we recognise from our home town, and we've all got to know each other on the holiday and stayed really good friends when we've got home.