Keeping in touch with friends made on holiday

Being in the services, you meet and make lasting friendships with a lot of people. They represent such a significant period in your life. You may not have seen them often, but we did see them and kept in touch even if it meant travelling. We have watched that friendship group dwindle as old age and illness took its toll, and now, out of all the people we knew from our service days, only three remain. Two of us are now widowed, and one is seriously ill. We all live significant distances from each other and I am now the only one still fit to drive. But we still cling onto that connection and will until there is one, or none, of us left.

We met one of our dearest friends on a skiing holiday 39 years ago, they are a godparent to one of our children. We met their parents and siblings, they met my parents and our siblings. Friendship still going from strength to strength.

We met another friend on holiday 28 years ago, still friends.

DD and I met a couple on holiday two years ago. We have been meeting up with them In London occasionally and we are all going back to the same hotel in September. 30 years ago on a study tour in USA I met a couple and they are among my closest friends. We frequently visit each other. There are a few other people round the world who I met on trips and we keep in touch.

We don't like to 'make friends' on holiday. We prefer to do our own thing.

Recently had a wonderful holiday and met and shared many an evening with another couple, full of laughter and cocktails! We shared WhatsApp purely for photos of said time. Neither of us pursuing anything more.
I agree it was that bubble away from normality with availability to contact if required but very unlikely to occur.

I know a family who have gone to the same place every year...not their only holiday. Years ago they became friends with people who live in the area. The four adults have much in common and the friendship has lasted for about ten years so far. The 'children' never particularly got on, but they're young adults now and at university etc. The holiday friendship has been very successful and supportive as they have shared life's 'ups and downs'.

Kept in touch with Christmas cards etc with a few people over the years but the friendships usually eventually petered out. But we did make friends with a couple on a coach trip we were on a few years ago. We continued to meet up several times a year until one of them died a year or so ago. Even though we’d only been friends for @10 years ( and some of that was taken up with the pandemic years when we couldn’t meet up anyway) the pain of the loss is as great as it has been losing lifelong friends.

I'm always open to making new friends but sadly I haven't met anyone on holiday who wants to keep in touch seriously.

DS goes on holiday to the same place each year, with families who they know from the DC's primary school. I think now the DC are almost grown up, the beach in Northern Scotland isn't quite as popular. DGS has just been to Italy with his friends to celebrate leaving school but no parents.

No never made more than a passing friendship with people on holiday

We have a time share same 2 weeks every year and do see the same faces around. We happily chat pass the time of day and maybe have a drink prior to dinner but no more than that and never keep in contact throughout the rest of the year. Other holidays we go with friends and/or family so don’t mix with others. I am a very sociable person but holiday time is time for DH and I to relax and chat together.

Not really, my friends are either from childhood or work, sadly I have lost three in recent years.

I dont like it when people I meet on holiday ask for my number, I would like to say no but it would be rude so give it and the hope they do not get in touch.

Having a few pleasant conversations or spending an evening with them does not mean I want them to be future friends.

Not really.
Although I would if, (like my parents) holidaying was always to the exact same place.
I do stoll keep in touch with my parents old holiday friends!

I know what you mean... it's the polite and friendly thing to do I think..swap contacts. But it rarely leads to ongoing communication....many reasons. A holiday is a bubble of time disconnected with ordinary life. Somehow the friendship was part of the bubble- bringing it into reality just bursts it.