7 Practical Ways to Beat the Post-Travel Blues

Come back from an incredible adventure and feeling down? Kick the post-travel blues to the curb with these seven tips that tackle travel depression from a practical viewpoint.

1. Book another trip

The anticipation of an upcoming trip is a unique feeling of excitement. However, the inevitable is that when we return from recent travels, that anticipation we’ve been feeling for weeks or months disappears, creating an empty hole that longs to be filled.

The best remedy is to book something else to look forward to. If you don’t have the money for something big, make it a small trip close to home or look for budget flights. Even if you start planning something new, it will lift your spirits and help you to look ahead to new travel experiences.

2. Find some new travel reads

If you’re an avid reader, you’ll understand the power a book can have to transport you across the globe – even if it’s only in your imagination. Reading is one of the best ways we can learn more about the world from home. It inspires us for future trips as opposed to making us dwell on distant travel memories.

Our travel journal, A Year in the UK & Ireland, is a good place to start for new travel reading. Published in early 2016, this high-end magazine takes you across a beautiful corner of the world and feeds your wanderlust through words and photography.

3. Do something this weekend

Take action now. Plan something fun to do somewhere new close to home this coming weekend. That could be driving to a national park that you’ve never set foot in before, or finally going to that little town you’ve been meaning to visit for ages.

The post-travel blues are a lingering feeling, so the quicker you can crush them the better. By organising a venture in just a few days’ time, you’re more likely to overcome that glum feeling right away and continue to ride the thrilling wave of adventure.

4. Start your next adventure travel fund

Money is hugely linked to the post-travel blues, especially if you’ve just returned from a long-term trip that rinsed your bank account. We come home feeling like the money for our next trip is so far out of reach it’s not worth thinking about, so we give up on it.

Instead of focusing on a lack of money, get the ball rolling by starting a fund for your next trip. Begin saving now so that you feel like you’re on-track for another adventure, and set yourself a target for how much money you want to raise. If possible, pick a destination so that your focus can remain razor-sharp and you know exactly how much money you need.

5. Embrace the joys of home

There’s no doubt that travelling is one of life’s most exciting experiences, but there are certain perks to being at home. Having seen so many incredible things on your travels, it’s sometimes hard to stay enamoured with where you live, but to beat the post-travel blues it’s important to find the small joys of home.

It could be coming back to your own bed or pets, having a coffee in your favourite café across the street, or finally having time to catch up with your best friend face-to-face. Make the effort to find the comforting and wonderfully familiar things about home, and revel in them.

6. Organise your photographs

Ever heard the phrase “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”? It applies perfectly for the post-travel blues. Even though nothing will quite measure up to the feeling of being back on the road, it’s good to at least be glad you were lucky enough to have that experience.

Remind yourself of the good times by looking back on all your photos and organising them. Pick out some of your favourites to blow up and hang on your walls so that you see them every day. These physical memories of a trip not only help us to look back to travels past, but also help us to remember that more adventures like these will be had in the future.

7. Get cooking

Food is one of travel’s greatest pleasures, and our taste buds are a powerful tool for igniting old memories. Look back on your recent journey and think of the delicious things you ate along the way – then recreate them at home. This is a great way to extend your trip and bring it to your kitchen, and it will teach you some new culinary skills along the way.

Failing that, find restaurants near home that specialise in the cuisine you’re missing. Go on a foodie tour to hunt down all the things you’re desperate to try again, and enjoy the experience of seeking them out.