4 Proven Ways of Dealing with Post Travel Depression

It is often said that “no one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow”. 

People who travel on vacation or for a long period of time may find themselves experiencing post travel depression, which is a feeling of decrease in well-being and work productivity following a rewarding travel experience. The thought of adjusting back to regular routines can be depressing to some people.

I have experienced some of these unpleasant moments and these are 4 proven ways of dealing with such feelings:

Gratitude

Yes, you heard me. You should try gratitude. Staying thankful and counting your blessings can be liberating. You had the opportunity to travel and see the world; very few people are able to do so, therefore you should focus on the amazing lessons learned, people you met and memories you created.

Give yourself some days to adjust before you return to work

I often exhaust my vacation completely before returning home. Typically, I would arrive the night before and resume work the next morning or even arrive in the morning and still make it to work.

I once argued my way on a Qantas flight (after the original flight was cancelled) from London Heathrow to Dubai, just to make my connecting flight to Lagos and be present at work by 9am the day after.

I usually get overwhelmed and exhausted whenever I resume work immediately. You should give yourself a few days to settle in before resuming work, especially when you travel between different time zones and experience jet lag.

Read More: How to overcome jet lag

Spend time with people who make you happy

Spend time with your loved ones and share beautiful memories from your travels. I always encourage people to take lots of happy photos, videos and buy souvenirs that remind them of their travel experiences. Reminiscing on some of these moments can be therapeutic.

Start planning your next trip

This is my ultimate antidote. Remember that planning for a trip is just as exciting as the trip itself.

Go online and research on your desired destination while focusing and developing a mental picture of the amazing things you plan to explore on your next trip. This could bring the healing you desire.

Have you suffered post travel depression before? How did you deal with it? Share your experience here.