For avid travellers, the post travel blues are like falling flat onto that tarmac after arriving home. Returning to ‘normal’ life after a dream trip can be tough. And heck, who really wants to do all that #adulting anyway, right?
Feelings of restlessness, depression, and disengagement with your daily life can make it hard to get back into a routine. Your senses are heightened from the travel experiences, and you may struggle to reengage after all the new and fun things you’ve experienced on vacation.
To help you get over your post travel blues, here are some tips from my travel-mad family to yours.
Book more travel
Ok, so this is a band-aid rather than a panacea. But booking more travel helps to alleviate, albeit momentarily, the feeling of dread caused by coming back to real life. My trick is to leave some aspects of future travel plans ready to be booked when I return from a vacation. Saving that buzz for when I need it most – when I have the post travel blues!
I like to plan future trips out, cost them and research activities. Even if I have no funds to do that trip yet, it makes me happy thinking about the prospect of them in the future.
I know that vacations can empty the bank account, so it’s not always possible or practical to book more travel straight away. However, planning your travel and imagining future trips is free.
Make a photo album of your trip
Making a photo album of your holiday photos is a great way to keep the memories alive. It has the added advantage of being a creative outlet to distract you post-vacation.
In what is the equivalent of a 70s slide-show party, you can now make digital photo albums, online printed books or scrapbooks to share with friends and family back home.
These extra days spent creating this photo album will keep that dopamine in your system a little longer.
Keep the vacation vibe going locally
Dare I mention the word ‘staycation’ in these controversial days? But seriously, exploring your own city or area and doing some tourist activities is both enriching and reminiscent of the holiday vibe.
You simultaneously learn to appreciate what your area has to offer, and become a better host to friends and family who may visit.
It’s important when you come back from vacation to not slip back into old habits, to carve out time for the good things in life; and to protect that relaxation time.
Revel in the ‘new’
Experiencing new things, new places and new cultures is what makes travel magical. The buzz of all that new information is intoxicating and very addictive.
And while coming home can feel like a quick withdrawal from this high, there are always ways to revel in the ‘new’ in your daily life. Find new hobbies to enjoy, take a new route to work, change up your routine, or try a new sport.
Seek out that feeling of experiencing something for the first time, and allay your need for travel fix for a while.
What life lessons have you learned on the road?
Remind yourself of your home comforts
There’s one thing that can banish the holiday blues pretty well every time – enjoying your home comforts. Your comfortable bed, fresh clothes, all your creature comforts at your fingertips. Seeing your pets, friends and family is also a bonus for many.
Personally, I really miss my bed when we travel. So that first night back, along with fresh sheets, it is pure heaven! I’m not terribly connected to place or possessions, and could easily live out of a suitcase, but my bed is another story.
What home comforts do you miss when you travel? And what are you thankful for when you return?
Beating the post travel blues
Beating the post vacation / holiday / travel blues is part and parcel of the joy of travel. And while the simple answer is ‘just travel more’, that isn’t practical for most people. As is often the way, finding pragmatic and rational ways to dig your way out of these funks, is the best answer.
Building itineraries for dream trips is one of my coping mechanisms, what’s yours?
Join the conversation!
Leave your tips for getting over the holiday blues below…
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhone.
I like this list! I feel like my life is a constant rotation of it 😀
Me too! Return from holiday > drink wine > book more travel. What a lovely cycle!
I live exploring my own neighborhoods. Incidentally, India has so many layers of history that one has fodder for lifetime to explore.
Working on next holiday includes reading on potential next holidays online or in books – I enjoy this part as much as traveling itself.
Great tip! Reading about your next trip location can be so much fun!
Oh the post-holiday blues can be the worst! Your tips are great though. I think the key is to incorporate what you love about travelling into your everyday life – plan outtings in your home town, explore it, and continually try new things and experiences.
That is so true – trying new things is key!
I must confess, i do not get the holiday blues but that is perhaps because I simply abide by rule number one – never return from a trip without at least one more already having been booked and planned. i do however try also to appreciate what is around me as beauty is in everything – we just need to open our eyes to it
That is a good tip – remembering to see the beauty in all that is around you is so important just as a life goal!
Hi Hannah
Holiday Blues is one of the worst feelings, i completely agree with you! When we returned from our three week trip to central america last year we felt really down. Some of the tips you give really work a lot, like being a tourist in your own city and do small activities. The best tip though is to always plan your next holidays. It is almost a bit like a drug, because you can never stop 😀 Safe travels.
Thomas
Thanks Thomas. Planning the next adventure is always a good idea! It’s a constant cycle, right?!
All these tips are very true. I try to always have the next trip in mind when I come back from holidays, so I am excited about it and busy planning it, rather than being sad it’s over. I also often have something fun booked for the next weekend so we have something to be excited about back home!!
Pick YOUR poison sounds cool, wine never fails me tho! it’s so true that when a holiday is over, we feel like we’re drying and our feet are itching to travel again! i like all these tips, but what i follow the most is once i’m done with my vacation, i’ll check on another flights again!
Good tips. Drink some wine always helps 😉 Booking the next trip should be the best cure (especially after some wine to put off budget worries for later) Cheers!
Yep, There is always a bit of post vacation depression that has to be dealt with, and I am generally a fan of tackling it with more travel and booze (as you SUGGESTED)! Still enjoying the comforts of home is a nice remedy and sometime you arrive back home just needing a vacation from your vacation. I have definitely had a few trips where I arrived home so hungover that more wine would not have been the answer! We’re currently in the midst of a long trip so I have a feeling when we finally go back home I am going to need these tips to survive the first few weeks!
Haha yes, you are so right – we get so busy on our trips, that we end up needing a vacation from our vacation! Enjoy your big trip!
Planning my next trip is definitely the thing that helps me not feel so bummed that my vacation is over. Even if the next trip is a ways off, getting engrossed in researching and planning gives me something to look forward to.
It is hard when you come home from being on a long (or even a short) adventure, but YOU’VE hit the nail on the head with these ideas. I think being a traveler in your hometown is a huge one. It’s amazing the little things you can find there – or within an hour drive.