Socialising On Holiday Can Lead To Lasting Friendships

The idea of making friends on holiday tends to be something that divides people; some love socialising with new people and others prefer to keep themselves to themselves. However, according to our latest research, it might be worth saying hello to the family you keep bumping into at the breakfast buffet, because lasting friendships could be formed.

We polled 2,152 people aged 18 and over from around the UK and asked them all about their friendships and how they were formed. Want to know what we found out? Of course, we're going to share all...

14% of People Met Their Closest Friend On Holiday

When we asked, 'In what circumstances (i.e. how/where) did you meet the person that you consider to be your closest or best friend?' the top five answers given by respondents were as follows:

1. At school - 23%

2. At college/university - 21%

3. Night out/social gathering through mutual friend - 18%

4. At work - 17%

5. On holiday - 14%

Close Friends Most Likely To Meet On Overseas Holidays Than UK Breaks

Anyone who'd met their closest friend on a holiday was asked if this particular trip had been abroad or in the UK, to which 61% of the relevant respondents said 'abroad'. When we asked if they lived near the close friend they'd met on holiday (within 50 miles back in the UK), 55% said that it just so happened that they did.

Asked what had got them talking to their now-close friend in the first place when they'd been on holiday, 32% said it was because their children had got along/formed friendships; but 41% said that it was because they had been 'drunk and talkative' at the time.

Good Sense of Humour More Important Than Common Interests When Friendship Forming

In terms of what people considered to be the most attractive traits in a potential friend, 'a good sense of humour' was voted as the number one attribute, according to 54% of people that we spoke to; deemed more important than 'common interests', which 32% of the respondents selected.

We also asked respondents to consider friendships they'd had over the years that weren't with their closest/best friend. When asked how long the average friendship that they formed lasted, before it either ended or they became distant, the average length of time once all answers were taken into account was approximately '6 years'.

So, what's your view of making friends on holiday? Did you meet your closest friend whilst away? If you're staying in the same hotel or resort, it's easy to keep running into people you've met and if they latch on to your group it can have an impact on your holiday if you don't want to spend all your time with them. That said, there are benefits to making friends on holiday - it may mean that you have an even better time and the holiday is much more memorable than it would have been had it just been you and your family!