Many of us have experienced a holiday romance. The combination of sun, relaxed vibes and a couple of drinks... it’s no wonder we fall head over heels so easily while abroad.
But it’s common for the spark to go out once home in the UK, with that first glance across the pool becoming a distant memory.
There are are couples out there who have managed to turn their holiday flings into real-life relationships – proving everyone who doubted their love wrong.
READ MORE: 'I bought a narrowboat to live in - and it saves me £3k a month in bills'
That’s exactly what happened to Nikki and Tom Lancaster, who met while travelling India 14 years ago.
Nikki was 22 when she met Tom, from Didsbury, by their hotel pool in Goa in 2009. Tom, who was 24 at the time, had injured his leg after crashing while riding a moped.
The now 37-year-old was ordered to rest up at his hotel. That's when he met his future wife, Nikki, now 35.
Fast-forward to 2023, the pair are now married and are expecting their first child.
“We were both travelling with close friends on a round-the-world trip,” Nikki, from Norfolk, told the Manchester Evening News.
“After we met, our friends grouped together and we travelled most of Goa's coast together. We knew we'd grown close but we didn’t want to get too attached to each other as we'd only just started our trips and didn't want to ruin a good friendship.”
When it came to parting ways, the pair realised their travels would overlap again and agreed to meet up in Thailand for Christmas and a few months later in Australia.
“When it came to meeting up in Australia, we knew there were no future points we'd be able to meet up and our schedules became very different as I was leaving to go back to the UK,” Nikki, who now lives in Leeds with Tom, said. “We thought 'this is it then'.
“We really liked each other and wanted to stay with each other. In a leap of faith, Tom asked me if I wanted to stay in Australia with him as his girlfriend, after knowing him for almost six months and spending a total of around two months of broken time together in different countries, I decided to give it go.”
The couple spent the next year travelling the western and southern coasts of Australia together while working hospitality jobs to fund their travels.
They eventually returned to the UK and settled down in 2011, got married in June 2015 and will soon have a baby on the way.
More than half of Brits have had a holiday romance, with six in ten of those so lovestruck they’ve extended their getaway just to be with them a little longer, according to research.
A study of 2,000 adults found almost three-quarters of those who’ve had a fling stayed in touch with that special someone after returning home.
And two in five have booked a trip with the hope of finding love – with 30 per cent taking along a wingman and 10 per cent pursuing romance alone.
Living in the moment, being excited and being spontaneous were the top reasons the nation loves a holiday romance.
It also emerged a beach break is the perfect type of holiday for finding love – as people feel more attractive and confident with a glowing tan.
Tom and Nikki's story came third in a holiday romance competition held by travel company eShores.
READ NEXT:
- 'We were living the dream in Turkey when the unthinkable happened - now we're stuck in a nightmare'
- Man, 27, who had 'never been sick' given three weeks to live after noticing 'purple spots' on his chest
- 'I was worried my boys would grow up without a father - I had to make a change'
- 28-stone Marmite-on-toast 'addict' now couldn't look any more different after terminal diagnosis
- 'It's not a bad area, but it's very rough and very dangerous': The Manchester suburb where people are struggling to live
