I avoid talking to other people on holiday if possible after a bad experience in Italy years ago when the Soham murders were in the news. I think Ian Huntley was under suspicion or had been arrested or something. It was the type of hotel that had 2 sittings for dinner and you had to sit at big round tables with 2 other couples.
One couple was ok but the other....her husband was really nice but she was a horror. She worked at a further education college like me so you'd think we'd have something in common to talk about. And you think she'd like children and understand the concept of safeguarding etc.
But she started trying to insinuate that the girls weren't all innocent, that they must have been obsessed with Ian Huntley. I could barely contain my anger, was about to ask "What are you implying?" but it was so awkward cos they then brought the food over and the subject got changed when the waiters started talking to us.
There were still a few days of the holiday left but we did our best to avoid them including going out to eat instead.
Never again. I won't go on a cruise or anything now where the only option is to sit with other people. It's not worth the increase in blood pressure. And I don't want to make small talk with some random, I'm there to spend quality time chatting to DH.
I absolutely don't mind chatting to other holidaymakers while I'm at the bar, or on an excursion or something. And on our honeymoon we did once spend a nice hour chatting in our hotel bar to a nice older couple who wanted to buy us a drink (we'd got married there the day before). They were lovely and that was nice. But that seems to be few and far between.