My OH was a Tour Coach Driver for years and has a good memory for faces, whereas I never recognise anyone. I got used to him greeting people with " I know you. You were on the Tour to XXXX last year". He had always been right whether at home or abroad. One occasion at Alicante Airport when we were waiting for our luggage, someone even called to him from a neighbouring carouseland it was people who had been on his tour about a year previously. But one day we went to a shopping outlet about 12 miles from home and met this couple. OH went into his usual " I know you from XXXX tour" and the guy said that he did know him but not from a tour. They lived in the next block to us at home !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On an another occasion we were going to Benidorm and met OH's brother and wife. THey had been estranged for years. Had a drink together in Airport and made up but both were going Allocated on Arrival and were on separate buses.It was before the days of Mobile phones and neither of us had been before so could not suggest a meeting point. Anyway we met by accident in an Ironmongers of all places. For those who know Benidorm it was near the junction of Europa and Gerona. They were staying in the Pueblo and there was only a shack serving drinks between the Ironmongers and the Pueblo. It's totally built up now.

Wooooh, so did you tell hubby? did you exchange words later, there has gotta be more to the story beermat.... you just know you want to say...

I've met family friends, ex work colleagues, and some relations while away on holiday - each time a surprise!
(One time we met a family friend on the plane! :haha)

But the weirdest time we met anyone was walking down the Strip one afternoon in Albufeira some years back.
We'd just arrived, thrown the cases in and were off to get the basics from the local supermarket.

A group of five blokes went to walk by us when one of them stopped my husband, called him by his name,
shook his hand and started chatting away, saying that they too, had just arrived in the resort.

He obviously only knew my husband as he just said a polite "hello" to my sons and I.
So I thought he must have been someone connected to work, and I couldn't wait for him to go so I could
ask my husband who he was.

My husband made some small talk with him, and when he left I asked who he was.
MY husband didn't have a clue!

We spent the rest of the holiday looking for him so that my husband could "own up" and ask where he knew
him from - but we never saw him or his friends again. :

And to this day, we still don't know who the guy was!

had my wee drink,now for the ending!! no, i didn't tell my hubby or point him out,as if i would do that no i just thought of him in a nice way and said "ce la vie" to myself and we never spoke and he went away before us, to go home. so...... we'll never know, just memories.......end of. anyway, it's good to see other people have had experiences of similar nature. it is good to see folk on holiday and think"small world". made my heart jump a few times and no cidermonster11 you won't be reading it anywhere, except on here .p.s. going back to salou in four weeks time, wonder if i'll see anyone next time round????watch this space

I walked pass a woman in reception at our hotel in Lake Garda who suddenly said "Hello, what are you doing here?" it was only the lovely assistant in our local Index shop who I'd chatted too many times in the previous weeks while doing my early Christmas shopping.

We also bumped into the same couple at the airport three years on the trot, they were going to the same place as us but staying in different hotels.

Another time, sitting enjoying a drink in the hotel bar, a couple approached us and said "Do you remember us?" They did look familiar but I had to admit I couldn't remember where from, it seems we stayed at the same hotel as them about 5 years before in a totally different country. They either had very good memories or Mum and I are more conspicuous than I realised.

I once met a couple on a coach trip to Germany - it must have been around 1993, when I was with an ex. I then saw the same couple again in 2001 when I was with the boyf of the time at a hospital in Liverpool where he was having laser eye treatment. I didn't speak to them as I couldn't remember their names and didn't think they would recognise me after all those years. I don't really know why I recognise random people after so long either.

Over the last three years, I have met all kinds of holiday makers, some I knew, some from where I come from, and some who I never knew were in the same hotel as me, and went to the same resort and hotel the next year, long may we meet people on holiday

Flying out of Manchester, this couple come up to me, and ask me do you work for asda, turns out they were from Glasgow, and recognized me from work

Just seen U2 in MIlan 8 July, a few scots form glasgow, but talking to some italians, found out they have family in glasgow running resturants, and they are coming to glasgow to see U2 aug 18

Just came back from cattolica, met this family, two familys plus parents, now the parent were in Lid de Jeselo last year at the same time as my self, and the same hotel

On a flight to rimini, get talking to the couple, next to me in the seats, husband recognizes glasgow accent, we have such a laugh, so I ask them where about in glasgow were they from, Faifley, and for those who dont know it is part of Clydebank, and this is where I come from, waht a shock

Met this tour rep, who took us round venice, after talking to him, he told me he has cousins with the same surname, so I ask where they come form, East Kilbride, and he regulary visits glasgow

But the best one, talking to my mum about my next year hols, let her know where I am going, and as it turns out my brother going aswell, I find out later were both flying out on the same date, and same resort, but different hotels

can i just say"hello boss"?

Met a lady once in the Power House Museum in Sydney. We got talking and through the usual 'where are you from?' discovered we had lived in the same house in Essex when we were children but her family had moved there two years after us. It was over 40 years before but we both remembered the same neighbours.

I'll never forget my 'Small World' experience a few years ago, while laying topless(as you do) in Calla Bona Majorca.

Eyes closed taking in the sun I was suddenly aware someone was standing in front of my lounger, so opened my eyes and tried to focus, on a guy standing directly in front of me. Being abroad I didn't automatically recognise him, but then...........OMG it was a neighbour from back home I'd grown up with, he knew both myself and my husband, and decided to have a chat with us, just like back home He'd never so much as seen my bare arms before, and here I was half naked. I don't know whose face was the reddest, his from the sun, or mine from embarrassment

Still see him to this day, I've never forgotten that day, do you think he has?????!!!!!!!

gussiebaby

My husband met a friend 3 years ago in Marmaris that he hadnt seen for many many years since his army days in Germany.
We keep in touch at Christmas time and last year they informed us they had been to Icmeler the same time as us in a hotel just around the corner from where we were staying! What was more amazing was they had spent every lunch time in the same place as us,Cafe Anne.
We were disappointed that we missed each other.We must have been walking around with our eyes closed.

A few years ago we were queueing at check-in at gatwick and noticed a couple who we both knew from work , they were both senior managers at the same company we both worked for , well used to work for as one of them got me sacked! i did something a little wrong and deserved a warning but this person was quite malicious and got me sacked instead, the person who sacked me then got in serious trouble as my wife reported them for discussing private information about my sacking that she heard from another source, obviously this person had great pride in getting me sacked. I had happily moved on and got a better job and a work life that didn't revolve around stitching-up and sh*tt*ng on people for fun, so ....... we then actually met in the departure gate area , obviously going on the same flight, we were off to the maldives, so you're thinking mmmmm i wonder how funny it would be if we're all on the same small island , you could actually see the fear in their eyes thinking the same, they were really embarrassed and awkward and probably expecting me to give them a bit of a slap, they really did look scared. i would never do this , i just wanted to see them squirm , i made a comment about how good my new job was and that because i was earning soooo much i could afford a 2 week holiday in the maldives ( i lost bonus payments due to my sacking ) . we got on the flight then and didn't see them till arriving in the maldives, while waiting for the boats to take us to the islands they finally spoke up and asked which island we were on , we made out we couldn't remember and asked where they were going , they told us and i was making out that the name was familiar, and was searching through my bag for the holiday details , they were getting really edgy and worried, when i finally said, oh don't worry you won't have to put up with us were off to another island, the relief in their faces was incredible , i just stood laughing at them they looked so pathetic and spineless. i really wasn't bothered by them at all , what had happened before was done and dusted they obviously had a guilt problem and didn't know how to handle it face to face.

Mine's nothing to do with me - it's my mam. She's an ex midwife and whilst on holiday in Salou years ago this woman came across and said the usual, 'Are you a midwife' mam replied 'yes'. 'Ooo you delivered these 2 (pointing to her 2 little girls). I then had the daftest of thoughts of mam 'seeing her bits'..............lol

This scenario happens quite a lot whilst out shopping etc and recently it transpired that mam had delivered one of my son's friends. Mam was with me for an appointment I had at the local hospital and along the corridor came Danielle (my son's friend) who was also with her mam. D's mam said (the usual) 'Weren't you a midwife?' 'Yes' replies mam. 'Oooo you delivered this one here (now 25) and she was sick all down your uniform. 'Ha Haaaaa say's Danielle I've pucked up on Michael's gran'............... I still had the thought 'Ooer our mam has seen Christine's (D's mam) bits....why do I have this thought all the time

I always recognise people if we fly local at airport, and you give that smile where you know they know you and vice versa!
We met our paperboy on flight to dubai last year and they ended up staying in same hotel.

just back and guess what? didn't see anyone this time.

We met a lovely family from Ireland on holiday in Benelmadena in 1999 and had some great nights out and later lost touch. Three years later we were in Alvor in Portugal when I heard someone calling my husbands name. - it was them! We had a lovely meal together.

Two years ago we were just getting off our transfer bus in Alcudia when again my husbands name got called.............it was two guys and their wives who were in his rugby team (didnt know they were going to be there).

This has happened to me one to many times.

In 1996 we were sitting on the plan going to Florida, when a girl from the same dance school as me sat in the next aisle, her grandparents had booked a surprise holiday for her.

2 years in a row in to separate resorts I met the same teacher.

I was on a flight back from London last year (after travelling from Vegas and a girl from my work sat next to my dad, and my husbands friends grandmother sat next to my mum)

In Lloret in 2007 I also met another girl I worked with.

I was in Lloret around 2003 and a female voice shouted 'Oh look there's the girl who works in Haddows' they were in the same hotel as us.

Helen

we went to Benidorm years back and met a fella we know very well he was with a girl and not his wife I will have you know from that day to this day he can not look me in the face ...colleen

Not friends but many years ago I bumped into one of my teachers while on holiday. A few years back I bunmped into one of my pupils in France.

last year on a itan holiday there was another couple on the trip from Hull (we are from Brum). I said that I only knew one person from Hull, turned out he was their best friend!