There are lots of ways you can fall in love on holiday, and not all of them involve another person. Still, let’s start with the most obvious — the classic, cinematic, holiday romance. Whether it’s visiting little villages, swimming on white sand beaches, or enjoying a cosy hot chocolate while warming up from the snow, holidays promote a steamy atmosphere. Honestly, it practically begs for a montage and a soundtrack featuring an early-2000s boy band. Hugh Grant could appear at any minute!
Once, while staying in a slightly run-down hostel, I went snorkelling with a guy I’d only met the day before. It turned out to be such a brilliant day — swimming around coral, then eating from a tiny roadside hut. I’d known him for less than a week, but I was convinced we were in the first part of my rom-com. Nothing came of it, obviously. He didn’t confess his love before my flight, if that’s what you were hoping! But that’s the beauty of holiday flings, you get all the excitement and none of the admin.
Falling for someone when you know time is limited is not only easier (why worry about the fact he plays guitar like the Ken’s from Barbie if its only for a week) but feels more dramatic too. Every glance, cheeky flirtation and bus ride seems even more important and electric when you know there’s an expiration date. The novelty of someone not knowing anything about you can lead to accidental reinvention, the freedom to portray a bolder version of yourself. I’ve found myself wearing things I’d never wear normally; speaking to strangers with confidence no one back home has seen; and flirting like I suddenly had the charm of a Love Island contestant.
But romance isn’t always about the people. Sometimes the biggest love affair abroad is with the food — and honestly, it’s the most loyal relationship you’ll have on the trip. One bite of something unpronounceable and suddenly you’re convinced you could live here forever. You start planning your next visit, and possibly your future, over a flaky and buttery pastel de nata.
At first, it’s just curiosity. Then it’s an obsession. The thought of: ‘I wonder what that is? Oh My God, that is the best thing I’ve ever eaten’ and the hopeful yet probably fruitless thought: ‘Maybe they sell this somewhere in Cardiff?!’When the food isn’t stealing your heart, the scenery may be, geographical crushes are something I wholeheartedly believe in, the feeling of absolute love and adoration for a place. For me recently, it was the Scottish Highlands. Who knew a place still technically in the UK could feel so unworldly? The only word I can think of to describe it is magic: the people, the scenery, the spirit. It was the quiet life which I adored but for others the fast-paced energy of a faraway city might be more to their liking. Places can change us in unexpected ways, revealing versions of ourselves that exist only there.
And this is the thread that ties all these holiday loves together — the fling, the pastry, the breathtaking view. It’s the way travel makes you feel more like yourself, or sometimes like the elevated version you wish you could be every day. Travel allows you to try on new versions of yourself, even if these new versions wear off before the tan does. If nothing else, learning to love new experiences and places gives you some great stories, and occasionally a crush who follows you on Instagram even if you can’t remember his name.
Words by Niamh Shaw
Featured image courtesy of [[https://unsplash.com/@L.A Co.]]via [[hhtps:/unsplash.com]] No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found here.[[https://unsplash.com/license]]
