In a nutshell
- Vacation accommodations are full of people your age — the real problem is knowing they exist.
- 5 strategies: common spaces, HollyFriends, simple activities, room neighbors, saying yes to invitations.
- Vacation creates a unique social context where meeting people is far easier than in everyday life.
Going on vacation with your parents or family can be great. But after a few days, you start wanting to see new faces — people your age to talk with, explore with, or just hang out with. The problem isn't a lack of people around you: in summer, campsites, hotels, and beach resorts are full of 15 to 25 year olds. The real obstacle is knowing they exist and figuring out how to approach them. These 5 strategies tackle exactly that.
1. Claim the shared spaces at your accommodation
The pool, lounge, games room, terrace, bar — these are the natural convergence points. The basic rule: set yourself up where people pass through, not in your room. A deck of cards or a board game placed on a table works wonders for breaking the ice. If you're at a campsite, the sports area or common room are the best spots. At a hotel, the pool in the morning or the bar early evening work particularly well. The classic mistake is waiting for someone to come to you — be the one who creates the opportunity.
2. Use HollyFriends as soon as you arrive
HollyFriends solves a very concrete problem: knowing who is staying at your accommodation at the same time as you, filtered by age group. In 30 seconds you know if there are 16-20 year olds in your hotel or campsite. It's the simplest way not to miss out on connections just because you didn't know they were there. The app is built exactly for that moment when you arrive somewhere new and want to know who you could have a good time with. Create your profile before you leave, and check in as soon as you arrive — you might be surprised how many young people are around you.
3. Launch simple, concrete activities
You don't need a big speech or a long introduction. "Do you know a good spot for tonight?" or "Anyone up for football tomorrow morning?" is more than enough. People are on vacation, they're available, and generally very open to socializing. A simple question about the best local restaurant, an invitation to a game of pétanque, or even just "Did you just arrive too?" can start everything. The advantage of vacations: nobody has a packed schedule. Time is elastic and everyone is looking to enjoy themselves. This context makes social initiatives much easier than in everyday life.
4. Talk to your neighbors in the next room or bungalow
Accommodations often have shared rooms, adjoining bungalows, or tents close together. Your immediate neighbors are generally in the same mindset as you: on vacation, curious, and happy to chat. A simple "Hey, have you been here long?" when crossing someone at the shared showers or the drinks machine can open a conversation that lasts the whole week. In youth hostels, dormitories are particularly conducive to this — people there are used to talking to strangers.
5. Accept invitations even when they're outside your comfort zone
The best vacation stories almost all start with "well, okay, why not." If someone invites you to join them for a walk, a meal, or an outing — go. You can always leave if it's not for you. But in the vast majority of cases, that's where the memories that last are made. Vacations are a unique context where saying "no thanks" costs nothing, but "yes" can change everything. Even an activity you'd never have done alone — a surf lesson, a sunset hike, an impromptu evening out — takes on another dimension when you do it with people you met that same day.
Bonus: keep in touch after vacation
Meeting people is great. Staying in touch is even better. Exchange social media handles or phone numbers quickly — not at the end of vacation, but as soon as the connection is made. Vacations create a particular time bubble: everything feels intense and close. But that intensity can evaporate very quickly once you're back home. Vacation friends who become real lifelong friends are the ones you made the effort to maintain a concrete link with from the first days. A shared story, a message after a great evening, a photo sent the next day — that's all it takes to turn an ephemeral encounter into a lasting friendship.