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memories

Friendship

People recall their fleeting relationships from cruises and vacations and it's so wholesome

The friendships and romances we make on vacation often don't last, but we still remember them forever.

Canva Photos

A woman reminisced about a cute boy she met on a cruise in 1996 and sparked people's memories.

I always think about the line from Fight Club, when Edward Norton's character says that he thinks of the people he meets on airplanes as "single serving friends." Though Tyler Durden chastises him for being too clever, I think Norton was onto something.

On a recent Disney cruise with my family, we really hit it off with two other families that had young kids the same age as our youngest daughter. One of them lived in Texas, the other all the way in the UK—both a far cry from Georgia, where we lived. We follow each other passively on social media, but for that one week, we were the best of friends and spent big chunks of every day together. Another time, I met a girl on a Greyhound bus when I was about 19 and going from Tempe, Arizona to Los Angeles to visit a friend. We talked the entire way, into the morning hours as we passed stunning desert rock formations and cacti as far as the eye could see.

People We Meet on Vacation isn't just a great romance novel by Emily Henry. It's a strangely beautiful phenomenon of life. The flings, romances, friendships, or even strange alliances usually don't make it back to the real world. And if they do, it's rarely the same as it was in the bubble of isolation. But that doesn't mean those connections don't leave a mark on us, sometimes forever.

A woman named Kat recently took to Reddit to share an old photo she came across. It was a younger version of herself, standing next to a "really nice" guy she met on a cruise way back in 1996.

cruise, cruise ships, vacation, reddit, missed connections, memories, nostalgia, romance, friendship, love, kids, teens You never know who you'll meet on a weeklong cruise. Giphy

She writes that they hit it off big time when they met aboard the boat after Kat's high school graduation, and that she thought he was cute. Romantic sparks flew, and Kat writes that they "kissed on the last night," but adds that the then 19-year-old boy was a "total gentlemen" for anyone whose mind might be in the gutter.

They exchanged letters for a while but, as people do, eventually lost touch. But she still remembers the time with him fondly. Her post was just a little bit of nostalgia; a way to relive a nice memory.

(The photo and original post were later taken down because, well, you'll see.)

Commenters then began chiming in with their own stories of friends, flings, and loves that they met on vacation and never saw again:

"Back in 2001 I was visiting family in Greece and met the most beautiful girl. The summer was amazing and full of memories. She was truly my first love and I had accidentally lost her contact info and over the years of going back never ran into her again.

Fast forward to 2025 married with children, I took the family to Greece and as I’m walking down the street I see her in front of me with a family of her own. We stopped and chatted for a minute with introductions to our families. As we parted ways and exchanged a quick hug she told me she had thought about me often and what could have been and was happy to see me married with a beautiful family. Memories are to be cherished and sometimes things aren’t meant to be. I was glad to have run into her and see that she was well," one user wrote.

"In my teen years in 2005, went on a carnival cruise to Jamaica, Cayman Islands and perhaps other stops. I met a blonde-haired girl named Joy. I don’t know her last name and we didn’t exchange numbers/other info. We kissed every night on the boat…and what a Joy-ful memory that has always been," added another.

cruise, cruise ships, vacation, reddit, missed connections, memories, nostalgia, romance, friendship, love, kids, teens You can become better friends with a stranger in one week of vacation than people you've known for years. Photo by Alonso Reyes on Unsplash

Even people who were kids at the time remember forming instant, powerful, unforgettable friendships—even if they were short-lived:

"When I was like 8? Maybe 9? I met this girl at some boring adult event and we ran around all night getting into trouble. We instantly became like best friends. And then I never saw her again. I still think about her sometimes," someone wrote.

"When I was about 5 years old, I was in an airport with my family for a few days. I met a girl there about my age and we had a great time playing together in the airport. The girl and her family had to fly out before mine so we had to say our goodbyes. It was really hard on both of us. This was back in the 90s when it was really hard to stay in contact with people. It should've been possible but I guess our parents didn't think a long distance friendship between 5 year olds could work (and they were probably right). ... Her mom took us to a shop in the airport that had those machines where you insert a quarter and get a cheap toy. She got two rings for us. We put them on and she said that it would help us remember each other. We shared a long hug and said our goodbyes at the gate and that was the last time we saw each other," wrote another. "I wore that thin aluminum ring til it fell apart."

"When I was about six years old I flew across the country to visit my grandparents in Arizona," a user chimed in. "I ended up seated next to a teenage boy and talked his damn ears off the whole 5ish hours of the flight- I was a chatty kid- and as an adult I can’t get over how nice and friendly and patient with me he was. Wherever you are in the universe, dude: you were really very kind and I hope you’ve stayed that kind!"

cruise, cruise ships, vacation, reddit, missed connections, memories, nostalgia, romance, friendship, love, kids, teens A shocking number of people remember brief friendships from cruises and airplanes when they were kids. Photo by Hanson Lu on Unsplash

Some people were able to take their vacation romance out into the real world, even if it still didn't last:

"I met a boy on the pool deck of a Carnival Caribbean cruise in 2005. I was newly 21, from the small town cornfields of the midwest... and he was 20, straight out of Brooklyn. We spent 4 days and nights totally inseparable and damn near fell in love. We kept in touch daily and 6 months later we decided to move to South Florida together. We stayed together happily for 5 years, and even had a pet iguana. My first real love. No regrets," one user wrote.

Dozens more stories just like them poured in, and the sign offs were always heart-wrenching:

"if you're out there, I still think about you."

"I have never seen her since. I hope she is doing good!"

"Still wonder about that dude."

"I still think of him"

"I still think about that girl every now and again and it’s been 10 years"

"If you see this, Drew… miss ya bud"

cruise, cruise ships, vacation, reddit, missed connections, memories, nostalgia, romance, friendship, love, kids, teens "I still think about you." Giphy

Emily Goulet writes for Philly Magazine that being away from home has a way of bringing you together with people you might otherwise never connect with, for reasons beyond just that you don't live close to each other.

She recalls making friends at a resort pool once: "Perhaps unsurprisingly, we were also on completely different political sides from our [new] friends, but we all quickly glossed over that. Who wants to debate social issues on vacation? We’ll never see each other again, we figured, so let’s set our differences aside [and] have a few drinks ... We were in a hazy, sun-dappled bubble divorced from reality, an alternate universe where nobody works and men walk around shirtless and people ride Segways."

When we're away from our usual routine, we open ourselves up to new experiences. We try new things, interact with people in different ways, and aren't bogged down by the realities that make real-life friendships and romances so difficult. Vacations friends and flings are perfect in that way, preserved in time when everything was great and nobody had a care in the world. They don't get tainted by anything, and maybe that's why the memories are so wonderful to revisit.

The man from Kat's story, John, eventually showed up after another poster recognized him and clued him into the viral thread.

In fact, the photo had to be taken down because people began unwittingly sharing John's personal information in the thread. Turns out, Redditors are a little too good at tracking people down.

"Thank you for posting this! I don’t have that picture and it totally brought back memories of talking and joking with you. I don’t remember your name either, but I remember your face and smile. ... It’s so nice to know you have had kind thoughts of me and well wishes. I’ve felt the same about you and others I’ve been lucky enough to bull shit and connect with. Too many to name (get it) and it sounds like a lot of people on this thread have been as lucky as us," he wrote. "I had so much fun hanging out with you and it totally made my cruise! It is so cool that our time stirred up memories like ours on this thread, thanks for motivating that."

It wasn't the case of two star-crossed lovers reuniting. John is married with kids, and Kat writes in a reply that is she is widowed. But the two will always have happy memories of the week they spent together. And, clearly, they aren't the only ones with such a story.

Pets

Couple includes 19-year-old dog in emotional wedding ceremony days before crossing rainbow bridge

"As much as it's our celebration, it's a celebration of Jack as well so everyone we love can say goodbye."

jamierossweddings/Instagram (used with permission)

Senior dog Jack is part of his owners' wedding ceremony days before he will cross the rainbow bridge.

Dogs are more than pets—they are family members. They are there for big life events and the mundane days. For couple Ryan and Libbee, their wedding day would not have been complete without their 19-year-old dog, Jack. It was a bittersweet day of celebration—and one of Jack's last with them.

Wedding videographer Jamie Ross (@jamierossweddings) shared in an emotional video on Instagram the story of how Ryan and Libbee chose to honor their pup Jack on their big day, allowing family and friends to say their final goodbyes (and "good boys") at their ceremony.

"I don’t usually get emotional at weddings these days—I stay pretty focused on filming, but this story got me," he captioned the video. "When I arrived on the wedding day, it was immediately clear how much Jack meant to his Ryan & Lib, and I knew I had to capture whatever I could."

In the video, it begins with bride Libbee sharing about Jack. "So Jack, he's 19. He turned 19 three weeks ago. And he's going to go to Heaven on Monday. So this weekend, as much as it's our celebration, it's a celebration of Jack as well so everyone we love can say goodbye to him," she says. Scenes from the wedding day are played as the couple cuddle and kiss Jack together.

She explains that Jack traveled everywhere with them all over the world. "I feel like he's touched a part of everybody's lives in his 19 years, so celebrating him," she added.

In another clip, Ross captured the couple's vows, which included a special anecdote about Jack. Groom Ryan says, "And even though our trio is about to become a duo, I know it won't be long until we are filling the backseat again," he says through tears.

Groom Ryan (@ryandyer21) shared more about what it meant for Jack to be a part of their special day in the video's comment section. "@libbeedyer and I are so blown away by all the love and amazing comments from so many people! I’m sure Jack would be absolutely thrilled by all the attention. We hope he’s watching us from up above while working through an endless pile of bones 🦴 🤍," he wrote.

Following the wedding, Ryan shared a post following up on Jack's final journey. "Earlier today we had to say the hardest of goodbyes to our beautiful boy. Over 19 years of the most amazing memories that we’ll cherish forever. So incredibly grateful for the time we had but it will never be enough," he wrote.

In the carousel, he shared a photo of them holding Jack's paw in his final moments. "Navigating through this next phase of life won’t be the same without you. You’ll always have a piece of our hearts 💔 Rest easy our forever best friend ❤️," he added.

The couple's emotional wedding video got an overwhelming response from viewers in the comment section. "Crying 😭 this is such a beautiful tribute to Jack. Rest easy sweet boy 🤍," one wrote. Another shared, "This has ruined me 💔🥺🥺 what a special family ❤️." Another viewer commented, "Jack said: my life is complete, these two are going to do so well together and they will have lots more pups in their life, approved and sent by me 🥹🥹🥹🥹."

Culture

People born before 1990 are sharing their now-useless (but 100% nostalgic) skills

For instance, recording songs on tape from the radio while yelling at the DJ to shut up during the intro.

From holding the phone on your shoulder to folding a map to knowing what "cornflower" and "goldenrod" are, here are pre-Y2K skills at their finest.

Hey there, millennials! Welcome to the "Holy crapoly, I have real-life memories from 20 years ago!" club. It's a strangely disorienting milestone to reach when you find yourself starting sentences with, "When I was young…" or, "Back in my day…" isn't it? Your Gen X elders have been here for a while, but even we have moments of incredulously calculating how the heck we've arrived at this place. Time is a tricky little jokester, isn't it?

To highlight how much has changed for middle-aged folks since we were young, a user on Reddit asked people born before 1990 what useless skills they possess that nobody has a need for anymore. It's both a hilarious trip down memory lane and a time capsule of life pre-Y2K. (Do kids these days even know what Y2K was? Gracious.)

y2k, 90s, millennials, outdated skills, nostalgiaY2Kcore.Image via Canva.

If you're down for some good-old-days nostalgia, check out people's responses:

Making brown paper bag book covers

"I can cover a textbook with a brown paper bag." — sourwaterbug

Oh goodness yes. And there was always that one girl in class who had the art of the brown paper bag book cover perfected. (They're probably Pinterest influencers now.)


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Folding a map—and knowing where to find a map

"I can re-fold a map correctly."JungleZac

"Man remember actually using maps…I had an atlas with the road system in my car to navigate other states during road trips. Crazy." – jagua_haku

How did we ever figure out how to get anywhere before GPS and Google Maps? (Two-inch thick road atlases in our car and stopping at gas stations to buy local maps while traveling, that's how. Positively primitive.)

Memorizing phone numbers and answering the house phone

For real, though, kids these days don't even know.

"Remembering phone numbers." — greatmilliondog

"Not only that, having to speak to your friend's parents for a few minutes when you call their house." Logical_Area_5552

"How to take a message when the person they want to talk to isn't there." — Amoori_A_Splooge

How about dialing on a rotary phone, using a pay phone and making (or taking) a collect call?

nostalgia, 90s, millennials, rotary phone, phone callPhone Call Vintage GIF by US National ArchivesGiphy

The skillful phone shoulder hold

"Using your shoulder to hold a telephone up to your ear while doing multiple other things at once. Now, the phones are so damned small I drop them." – Regular_Sample_5197

"100 ft phone cords 🤣" – mrch1ck3nn

"I got in sooooo much trouble for stretching the phone cord into the bathroom for some privacy. Accidentally clotheslined Grandma 😬 She laughed about it but Mom was pissed!" – AffectionateBite3827

Knowing the exact name of every Crayola color because we only had so many

"I know what the color “goldenrod” is." — ImAmazedBaybee

"That and burnt sienna were the crayolas of choice." — Signiference

"Cornflower would like a word." — cps12345

The art of the mixed tape—especially from the radio

I don't think kids these days fully grasp how revolutionary Spotify and the like are for those of us who spent hours in front of the radio with our cassette tape recorder queued up at just the right spot waiting for the song we wanted to record to come on. And they will never, ever know the frustration of the DJ yapping right up until the lyrics start.

mixtape, 90s, tape, cassette, nostalgiaMade you a mixtape. Image via Canva.

"Record to tape from the radio. Trying to make sure to not get the DJ/presenter talking sh-t or an ad" – Gankstajam

"'Shut up, shut up, shut up!!! I'm trying to record my song!!!'" – tearsonurcheek

"Haha yeah and trying to tell others so they don't make random noise or knock on the door.

How about making cassette-based mix tapes, trying to figure out to the second, how many and which types of songs in which order, that would still fit perfectly on the length of tape per side.

People who make digital recordings do not have to worry about 'running out of tape.'

Having the first side be tempting enough that they'd flip the other side to continue listening. That's before continual playback machines existed. Had to flip the cassette." – CrunchyTeaTime

And there were many more, from rewinding a cassette tape with a pencil to writing in cursive to tearing the sides off of printer paper without tearing the paper itself. (Oh and, of course, the ability to count out change and understand what you're supposed to do if something costs $9.91 and someone hands you $10.01.)

Gotta love it when the things that used to be totally normal now sound like historic artifacts found in a museum. Kind of makes you wonder what normal things from today we'll be laughing about in another 20 or 30 years.

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

kristidjohnsonfam/Instagram

Woman surprised by friends for 50th birthday with stay in her late mom's house.

Childhood friendships can never be replicated. Years of memories and going through the highs and lows of life together create an irreplaceable bond.

And Instagrammer Kristi Johnson (@kristijohnsonfam) is lucky to have the same group of friends since she was in 7th grade. To celebrate her 50th birthday, they rallied around her and gave her the surprise of a lifetime–a weekend stay in her mom's old house, who passed away from cancer in 2021.

"That time I turned 50 and my mom had died of cancer...so my childhood friends did the most thoughtful thing...they reserved my mom's ACTUAL house for us to stay in for my bday weekend," she wrote in the video's caption.

In the video, Kristi shares an image of her mom at the house from 2021 before she passed away from cancer. Fast forward to 2025, the home has been re-painted and re-done as an Airbnb property.

"My sister has turned our Mom's house into an Airbnb and WE would be the very first guests," she wrote, showing off the home's interior. A highlight is a stunning portrait photograph of her mom during her younger years that hangs on a wall in the living room in her memory.

She continues, "All my friends arrived to to spend the weekend at my mom's house...just like we used to." As she films, her friends come streaming into the home for her special birthday weekend. Kristi shares some throwback photos of herself with her girlfriends, one from a school dance from 1992 and another group cheerleading picture from 1986.

"I've had the same friends since 7th grade and they thought of everything for my 50th birthday," she writes as a photo of herself posing in front of the home is shown. "They had all our favorite childhood snacks at my party weekend. They had bday crowns and tiaras for me. We haven't changed a bit."

And viewers loved the wholesome video. "You are the richest woman in the world surrounded by all that love♥️❤️♥️," one wrote. Another commented, "OMG! I would have fell out crying every time a friend came through the door they would have had to pick my up from the floor. This is beautiful ♥️." And another added, "I’d watch this feel good movie 🥹♥️." And another viewer wrote, "You are blessed to experience such lifelong supportive friendships spanning over 4 decades."

Kristi has shared more about her mom in a number of other videos. She was a selfless woman who was determined to make it to her 70th birthday--which she did, celebrating the milestone on January 1, 2021. Her mom was also incredibly kind and caring. In another video, she shared that during her cancer battle, she encouraged Kristi to get a knee surgery she had been putting off just so she could help take care of her afterwards.

"She slept in a chair beside me at night. She cleaned and cooked for two whole days despite her own pain," she shared. "I snapped pictures of her, fearing it would be the last time she stayed at my house."

Unfortunately, it was. "She was gone a few months later," she added. In her honor, her family threw her a party rather than a traditional funeral. "We covered an event hall with all her beautiful pictures and all her art she created. I used all my mom's recipes and made all her favorite foods she was known for. She taught us to care for others...hope we are making her proud."