Do you chat to people on holiday?

[natarlie]

When you’re on holiday, do you chat to strangers/other holiday makers?

I’ve been on holiday to places where couples seem to very much keep to themselves. I’ve been to other destinations where people just start chatting at a bar/in the sea/ at a restaurant

@Stringagal 😂 awful yet funny

We do sometimes, but my tip would be to only do it on the second-to-last night.

If you hit it off, you can arrange dinner, drinks or something for the last night. If not, well you’re going home soon anyway.

I have several really good friends I’ve met on holiday so yes, I will happily chat to people. It’s one of the things I like most about being on holiday - talking to people from different countries with very different lives. I can talk to my partner anytime at home, so I enjoy new input from people.

Yes, I speak to all sorts of people on holiday. I get my energy from meeting new people. I'd never overstep a boundary and start talking to people who aren't chatty. I've met some absolutely fascinating people from all over the world and my world is so much richer for it. The one year we stayed in a private villa (Covid year) I really missed meeting others. I love my DH and DS dearly, but we do see each other a lot of home.

Our holiday last year I got chatting to someone who owned a business very local to us, it's a small world! Previously we bumped into the same family three years back to back. We were staying at the same place, but different dates each year and there was no way either of us knew the other would be there. We still stay in touch and it was seven years ago.

My biggest fear is going on holiday and making holiday friends who come for dinner every night and basically hijack our holiday 😂 I avoid chat at all costs in fear of it happening. My husband is the opposite 🙄

God no. I go on holidays to get away from people and chat! The thoughts of people you have just met trying to arrange to meet you for dinner or drinks in the evening gives me hives.

No, we stick to villas with own swimming pool so not only do I not have to make small talk with strangers, I also don't have to worry getting up at the crack of dawn to reserve a sun lounger

Hell naw.

Both DH and I have the horrors of what he calls "Holiday Bantz"

It can start early enough as the queue for check in. You pass a couple of polite sentences with the couple in front of you about the amount of time you've been waiting and then BAM! Steve and Cheryl manage to apparate themselves next to you at the bar, in the pool, pull up a chair at your table and start suggesting you share a taxi to see the palace of Knossos.

I spend my working life talking to people and am of the opinion that most people are idiots. Not a huge amount I have seen on holiday has disabused me of this notion.

I often holiday alone and I always seem to attract those who simply cannot comprehend that I am perfectly happy basking by the pool with my books. I’m completely comfortable having my meals alone too.

I'm happy to briefly chat in a ‘beautiful morning!’ and ‘how’s your day been?’ way but do not rescue me! I once made the mistake of staying at a hotel that was also hosting a tour operators solo holiday at the same time. Their tour rep could not stop asking me to join them and was baffled that I didn’t want to. Leave. Me. Alone!

I now chose my hotels very very carefully for this type of holiday! Usually small, with more wooden sunloungers than guests, no ‘waterpark’ and definitely no evening ‘animation’ <shudder>.

Hello good morning good evening lovely day etc comments fine.
Long drawn out conversations no thanks.
Nothing more awkward as when people come over and try and make conversation.

When proper travelling I loved to talk to people, both locals and travelers. I felt these were my tribe, of sorts, as everyone else at home thought I was mad for not having kids at 21 & these travellers understood wanderlust. DH & I often had meals with, or spent hours standing at a gorgeous, or sometimes odd, spot, talking to people we'd never see again, or some we did. No pressure. No expectations. Just chat with like-minded people. The stories travellers have can be incredible! My favourite memories.

Now, with DC, on a basic beach family holiday, I don't mind a polite convo but don't want to be stuck yakking about jobs/kids/same stuff people at home talk about. I also avoid people who are staying at our accommodation because I don't want the awkwardness of running into them at the pool & feeling like we have to.join them. I'd rather read a book.

Nope, I specially book a villa or apartment, depending on location to avoid crowds, being surrounded by strangers when I am trying to relax! I spend 75% of my working day in meetings, making small talk, networking etc

I just want to read a book and nap in my down time

That’s a no from me. I don’t actually mind a bit of small talk but in depth making friends is not why I go on holiday. DH has an interesting job so as soon as anyone asks what he does he ends up being interrogated with questions while his meal goes cold and I die of boredom hearing the same answers I’ve heard a million times. And he doesn’t want to talk about work on holiday!

PIL love meeting people and worse than that love telling us all about every detail of their new random friends’ lives and families when they get home.

DH and I don't mind occasional 'holiday friends' in the bar of an evening, but not then all day every day. We met another couple when we were on Honeymoon that we spent a couple of evenings and an excursion with. Not in a pushy way from either side though. It was very much a 'if you're in X bar after dinner we might see you there'. The hotel had 3 bars so room to escape if desired.

FWIW we're also happy to chat on a night out at home if the situation presents itself.

I like to talk to other people on holiday. We lead a quiet life and don't have a large circle of friends. DH is an introvert and I WFH most of the time, so I love being able to talk to people. I don't usually initiate a conversation or look to spend time with other people but if they talk to me I am happy to have a conversation with them. We don't make friends on holiday or look to make them.

I don't lead a frantically busy life so it makes a change to be among people.

Dh does, he’s super chatty. Always put him in the middle seat on planes and he’s made a new friend by the end.

I’m more antisocial. Though have been on a few group holidays with people that have really gelled and that’s been fun.

Generally yes
but mainly because my other half speaks fluent Spanish and we tend to have a lot of Spanish based holidays.

its mainly other British family’s who start up the conversation after hearing my DH chatting away to me in English in a broad cockney accent 😂and then switching to speak fluently to the bar and waiting staff

On our last holiday there was a family with a teenager who was doing A level Spanish but he wasn’t that confident in speaking outloud so my DH would spend 20 mins a day or so chatting to him in Spanish and he really appreciated it
he said he learnt more chatting to my DH than he did doing his classes

We are quite sociable but we don’t tend to hang out with people on holiday it’s more of a chatting at the bar or pool

Yeah, sometimes, quite often we are a family unit and chatting amongst ourselves and not talking to others except on the periphery, but when we were younger DH and I would make friends in a bar and get drunk with them!

Not if I can help it, but am quite good at it if cornered!

We are quite sociable but we don’t tend to hang out with people on holiday it’s more of a chatting at the bar or pool

That pretty much describes me.

I'm really sociable but i don't chat on holiday as my DH and I learned our lesson on our very first holiday together, when another young couple, who really weren't getting on, latched onto us like limpets for the whole holiday!

We're older and wiser now and my job is 100 times more stressful, so when on holiday I like to 'get off the world' and chill so don't chat to anyone other than in passing.

I do but I've found otters unfriendly in recent years.

I think the Irish, Scots and Americans are the friendliest then the English.

The French are vvv unfriendly

@cordeliachaseatemyhandbag how very dare you!

No. In real life I have lots of friends and work with people all day, every day. I don't want to hear your symptoms on holiday.

What a strange assumption to make about conversation subjects with fellow holiday makers.