Does the memory of travel make you want to spend all of your rent money on a plane ticket? Are your friends on the verge of disowning you because you can’t stop talking about how much cuter the guys were in London? Have you been comparing everything at home to how much better it was abroad? Well, congrats my friend…you’ve got a case of the post-travel blues. Don’t worry we have all been there and it’s one thing people rarely warn you about when preparing for travel. I remember when I returned home, thinking that nothing would ever compare to life in Spain, or with the Yacht Week, or Australia…okay pretty much everywhere I’ve been. I promise it gets easier and to prove it, I made a list of ways you can work through your post-travel blues!
Make a video or photobook of your trip. I have a new habit of videotaping every trip I take and making short movies. I love doing this because it not only allows you to relive your experience, but it takes a lot of time (so instead of focusing on being sad, you can use this energy as a positive and creative outlet). Another great idea is to make a photobook as either a memory for you or as a present for someone you traveled with.
Explore your hometown. A major cause of the post-travel blues is boredom. Going from running around foreign cities, visiting amazing museums, and trying world-renowned restaurants to sitting on the couch watching reality T.V. is just not acceptable. Keep that adventurous mentality and use it to explore places near home that you have never been to before.
Incorporate their culture into your life. Missing your daily siesta, eating a trdelnik on your way home from class, or having dinner at 10:00 pm? Who says you have to stop! Introduce these fun customs to your friends and family at home.
Start planning your next adventure. (No surprise there) Nothing makes me happier than the anticipation of another trip. Keep that good energy flowing and never lose your travel bug!
Currently going through it right now! But we just have to focus on all the adventures we still have ahead of us(: Thanks for reading!
INSTAGRAM tends to give me major FOMO, especially after a vacation drought. But it also gives inspiration and insight as to where I might like to go next! Same with blogs! So thanks for the inspiration!
Couldn’t agree more! We just have to try to use it as inspiration to save up and plan our next trips(: Happy to inspire!
I record what I did and what happened to me each day on my trip and I start transcribing it as soon as I get home. That helps with the post-travel blues.
Such a good way of remembering!
Yes, girl! Great advice. I have been traveling around my little Midwestern area trying to earn extra money for the travels coming up this year for us. I am making a post about it soon, but we will be heading to Sitka, Alaska, and back to Los Angeles for a bit before moving to Tonga! So a lot of planning but also a lot of anticipation and feeling of waiting around. I have actually printed a lot of photos from my year in LA, an instead of making a photo book, I hung them all around my room. I have also started ‘travel wall’ area where I tack up momentos of different trips within the last year, such as the roadtrips to and from Cali, and local places around me!
Great post! Beyond being jet-lagged, I also find it a bit emotional to settle back into a ‘normal’ schedule when I get home — and it keeps me looking forward to the next trip!
Great read! I’ve kept in contact with some of the people I met while backpacking. I love to have quick Skype calls or viber every once in awhile to reminisce!
I also kept a daily journal while I was abroad. I get those post travel blues every time I read about the adventures I had, but it makes me happy to remember the amazing places I visited and all the great times I had!
Great post! I have been thinking about one of my New Year resolutions being to print photos from past trips ( as they’re all just on the computer) to make an album (that I’ve had for years and remains empty!). After mooping for days or weeks, I’ve found riding that momentum of being adventurous and trying activities or foods that you’ve always wanted to but never got around to, a good way to keep excited about life back home.
I also keep travel journals on each trip so I’ll have something to look at! Whilst travelling, I also keep an eye out for things that I love (decorative or useful) and have a few scattered around my room. Although, I wished I had bought postcards from each city that I’ve been to. I think they would be cool to have in an album or something!
I’ll keep my eye open for it!
I get a little grumpy the last day or so of a trip when I know it’s about time to go home, and I always sulk around for a few days as I come to terms with being back in reality. Like you, we generally start planning our next trip within a week or two, so that really does help. Hope you have some exciting adventures planned for 2016!
And sometimes we just have to accept that we will be sad for a few days after our travels and give ourselves some time to bounce back! It’s usually the sign of an amazing trip 🙂 I have some awesome adventures planned for 2016, hope you do too!!
I agree with your thoughts. I get back from a trip or an event and I load all of my photos in a gallery with all of my other photos and I also make videos from my adventures. This allows me to share with others and also to relive my travels whenever I look through my photos or watch my videos.
I get excited when I get home because of the sharing of photos and videos that I do. It keeps me motivated to go to the next place or event that I cover.
I have a website dedicated to my travels and adventures and suggest that others do the same. It’s a way of protecting your investment in whatever trip you’ve taken. It takes lots of money and time to be a traveler and it would be a shame not to have a record of your trips and events.
I had so much fun exploring Laguna with you!