Holiday romance—harmless fling or true love?
A holiday romance often develops faster than you think. Whether on a sunny beach, on a cool city break or hiking in the mountains, we are simply more relaxed and open on holiday and make new friends more quickly. But can a holiday acquaintance turn into the love of your life?
Why do we fall in love so quickly on vacation?
52% of men and 56% of women in Germany admit: “Yes, I've had a vacation fling that I would never have gotten involved in at home.” So it seems that we Germans are particularly prone to flirting on vacation. There are 10 main reasons for this:
We escape the daily grind and feel freer and more carefree.
The often dreamlike backdrop creates a particularly romantic atmosphere.
We have less stress and time pressure, and therefore more time to get involved in something new.
The good weather releases happiness hormones in us.
We are more open to new experiences and people.
There are no nosy friends or colleagues to bombard you with questions as soon as you start dating someone.
Other languages and cultures exude a sense of adventure and often seem particularly attractive.
Getting to know someone is often less complicated than at home.
The idea of not having any obligations is tempting.
Many people are fundamentally more spontaneous and relaxed on vacation.
6 tips for a successful vacation flirtation
1. Don't have any expectations
The first rule to follow when flirting on vacation is: don't have any expectations. If you go into a flirtation without expectations, you won't be disappointed in the end, but only pleasantly surprised if something more develops.
2. Make sure the situation is clear
Just a flirtation or the chance for more? If you engage in a holiday flirtation, you should clarify your mutual positions in advance. This way, there will be no misunderstandings or hurt feelings afterwards.
3. Be honest
Of course, this rule doesn't just apply to your vacation acquaintance, but should also be an absolute prerequisite when flirting at home. Be honest. If you have a partner at home, then a vacation flirtation is not a good idea. But it's even worse if you hide this from your new acquaintance. This way, you might hurt two people at once.
4. Live in the moment
To really enjoy your vacation flirtation, you should try to live in the here and now and not waste too many thoughts on your imminent departure. If you keep thinking that it could all be over soon, you'll not only spoil your flirtation, but possibly your entire vacation.
5. Different countries, different laws
Be careful: what is completely normal in Germany can get you into a lot of trouble in some countries. For example, kissing in public is not socially acceptable in all countries and, in the worst case, can even lead to heavy fines. It is best to find out about the local customs at your destination before you travel.
6. How to approach your holiday flirt
Have you spotted a cute woman or a handsome man and are now wondering how to strike up a conversation? The holiday atmosphere offers a variety of opportunities for this. Why not try one of the following, for example:
“I'm looking for a nice ice cream parlour, can you recommend one?”
“Do you happen to know if there's a supermarket nearby?”
“Can you show me the way to the beach?”
“I got completely lost looking for the XY museum, can you help me?”
“Your waffle looks delicious, where did you buy it?”
Who knows, maybe he or she will like you right away and offer to accompany you on your way...
5 signs that your holiday fling is serious
For you, it was love at first sight and clear from the start: this is more than just a harmless holiday fling. Now you're asking yourself: “Does he feel the same way?” These 5 signs indicate that he's serious too:
1. He asks for your number
If your vacation fling is only interested in a few nice evenings without any obligations, then he probably won't ask for your number. Because if you don't exchange numbers, you don't have to get in touch after the vacation. So if he asks for your phone number and adds you as a friend on Facebook, Instagram, etc., then it looks like he wants to stay in touch with you after the vacation.
2. Your vacation fling also talks about personal matters
Do you talk a lot and have something to say beyond the usual small talk about the beautiful weather, the delicious cocktails, and the overcrowded hotel pools? This is a good sign that your vacation acquaintance is really serious about you.
If he not only talks to you about the here and now, but also mentions his normal life, his job, his friends, and even his family, then there's a good chance he wants you to be part of his life.
3. He talks openly about his relationship status
Do you know the relationship status of your vacation fling? Or have you both somehow not gotten around to talking about it yet? An acquaintance who is serious about you will definitely tell you openly what his relationship status is at the moment. If, on the other hand, he avoids the subject and even evades specific questions about it, then you seem to be nothing more than a harmless vacation romance for him.
4. He is already planning your reunion
“I absolutely have to show you the great Italian restaurant in my town, they have the best pizza I've ever eaten!” If your new acquaintance is already making plans for after the vacation, this is a clear sign that you are more than just a short vacation fling to him.
5. Your vacation acquaintance is making plans for the future
Is he already looking for jobs or study opportunities in your area and even talking about moving in together? No doubt about it! Someone has really fallen head over heels in love with you.
Can a holiday romance turn into true love?
Everything seems so easy and carefree on holiday. With the sun shining and everyone in a good mood, it's easy to fall in love quickly. But before you know it, the holiday is over. Once you're back home, you ask yourself: “What now?” “Is it all over, or could this romantic holiday fling turn into something more?” Find out with the following 5 tips:
1. Stay in touch
Back in the stress of everyday life, staying in regular contact is not so easy. But to give your holiday acquaintance a chance at a future together, it's especially important that you don't lose touch after your wonderful time together. “He'll get in touch” or “I don't want to bother him, he's probably busy!” are definitely the wrong approaches here. If you care about your vacation acquaintance, then you have to actively pursue it.
2. Ask friends for advice
You were totally in love on vacation, but back in everyday life, you suddenly start to have doubts: “Was I just a harmless flirt for him?” “Is he even right for me and my life?” Don't worry! Such emotional turmoil is completely normal in your situation. It can be helpful to ask a good friend for help. Let them comb through his social media profiles or simply sit them next to you during your next phone call. Good friends usually have a very good sense of whether you are compatible with someone or not.
3. Arrange a reunion
To find out whether your vacation romance really has enough substance for a future together, you should arrange to meet again as soon as possible after your return. If your feelings reignite as soon as you see each other, your chances together are good. However, if the meeting is rather awkward and uncomfortable, and you suddenly have nothing to say to each other away from the beach and palm trees, then perhaps it was just a nice vacation romance after all.
4. Is a long-distance relationship an option?
In very rare cases, you will meet someone on vacation who lives just around the corner. So that means a long-distance relationship. In many cases, this works quite well, but there are also plenty of couples who simply need daily closeness and cannot get used to a long-distance relationship.
So before you take the next step, you should sit down together and ask yourselves honestly: “Are both of us willing to take on the constant long and often expensive trips to visit our partner?” And “Can we trust each other enough that the other will remain faithful?”
5. Do you have similar ideas about life?
Detached from the stresses of everyday life, we often feel particularly free and carefree on vacation. Once we return home, we often ask ourselves the legitimate question: “Are we even compatible?” It is particularly important that you and your partner have similar values and ideas in real life. Are your two lifestyles even compatible? Before you enter into a serious relationship and even plan to move in together, you should test this out, for example, by living together on a trial basis.
Chance of finding true happiness? - What the statistics say
The statistics show that it is rare for a romantic holiday fling to develop into a serious long-term relationship, but it is not impossible. After all, 4% of Germans say that their holiday acquaintance developed into a long-term relationship. Another 3% even married their holiday love. For 27% of those surveyed, it resulted in a good friendship – which is also quite valuable! Around 1% of Germans even married their holiday love.
Forget your holiday romance: Here's how it works
On holiday, you were both on cloud nine and even made plans for your future together. But now that you're back home, all the holiday romance seems to have vanished into thin air. Your acquaintance hardly ever gets in touch with you anymore, and when they do, they are usually curt, with no trace of compliments or sweet promises.
It may also be that when you first meet again at home, the spark just isn't there. What was so easy and carefree on vacation now suddenly seems somehow forced and tense.
In both cases, unfortunately, you have no choice but to put it behind you and forget your vacation fling.
Of course, that's easier said than done. Despite the short time you spent on vacation, you already fell a little bit in love. It will certainly take some time before you forget your vacation romance.
Look on the bright side: at least you've spared yourself a long-distance relationship that would have cost you a lot of time and money. Now you are free and unattached and can focus entirely on finding your dream partner who doesn't live hundreds of miles away.
