Letters in the Sunshine: Writing Whilst on Holiday
Our Trustees Lucy and Lesley recently returned from a trip to Lanzarote, where - between the sunshine, sea views and long conversations - they found time to sit down and write letters together. In this guest blog, Lucy reflects on how holidays create the perfect space to slow down, reconnect with friends, and rediscover the simple joy of putting pen to paper.
“There is something beautifully nostalgic about going on holiday with the girls. The laughter that starts at breakfast and somehow carries on past midnight. The shared suncream. The “remember when…” stories that resurface over dinner (there was a lot of those!). The slow mornings. The salty hair. The freedom. And somewhere in between the cocktails and the conversations, there is the quiet magic of writing a letter and of course a few postcards!. Not because we have to. ,But because we finally have the time. The Gift of Slowing Down.
Holidays have a way of softening us. We step away from work emails, life admin and the relentless pace of the everyday. Our shoulders drop. Our minds wander. We notice things again - the colour of the sky at 8pm, the sound of the sea, the way our friends still laughs exactly the same way they did a number of years ago. It is in that softened space that letter writing feels different. More honest. More thoughtful. More alive. Sitting on a balcony with a notebook, or at a café table while everyone else orders another round, writing becomes a small ritual. A pause within the pause. Ours was whilst we had a glass of wine in hand and some reflection time on the day!
When we write letters on holiday, we capture the moment in real time. Not a filtered photo posted weeks later. Not a “we must do this again soon” message in the group chat. But ink on paper that says:
Today we swam before breakfast.
You told that story again and we laughed until we cried.
I realised how lucky I am to have you.
Letters written on holiday are full of detail. The smell of sunscreen. The music playing in the background. The waiter who winked at your friend. The deep conversation at 1am about life, love and what’s next.
Those details become treasures.
Postcards are lovely, but a proper letter is different. It says, I paused my holiday to think of you. It bridges the distance in a way that a quick message never quite can. I imagine being the one who receives it - an envelope arriving while you are at work or at home, carrying sunshine from somewhere else. At From Me To You, we often talk about making time to write. Holidays offer that time naturally. What if we made it intentional? Next time you go away with the girls:
Pack beautiful stationery.
Set aside an hour one afternoon.
Write in silence together.
Swap letters before dinner.
Read them privately.
Keep them forever and don’t forget to also pop a couple together for donate a letter.
It doesn’t have to be serious or sentimental (although it can be). It can be funny, cheeky, reflective or full of gratitude.
The point is not perfection. The point is presence. Because These Moments Matter
Girls’ holidays evolve over the years. The destinations might change. The bedtime might get earlier. The conversations might get deeper. But the thread remains, friendship. Writing letters whilst on holiday allows us to honour that thread. To pause long enough to say what often goes unsaid in the rush of life. And long after the tan fades and the photos are archived, the letters remain. A paper reminder that once upon a time, under a wide blue sky, you sat together and chose to put your love into words.”
