Post-Travel Depression

Post-Travel Depression — it always hits me after my return from a great trip or vacation. The overwhelming negativity and the feeling of depression overcome me right or sometimes even on the last days of a trip.

I’m pretty sure that Post Travel Depression doesn’t affect everyone. Many people look forward to their family or their home when returning from a trip. But people do report PTD or at least depressive symptoms. Particularly following extended periods of international travel or gap years. (Been there too, after my Au-Pair year in the US), but I even get it after a weekend away.

After my year as an Au-Pair in the USA, coming home felt like a part of me died. Seems dramatic, I know. But I went from exploring new cultures and places on the regular back to my boring hometown.

The people I met and the adventures that pushed me to grow were suddenly stripped away. As soon as I got on the plane home, I felt an overwhelming sense of being alone. The following weeks and months were spent in what felt like a depressing time, where I watched the world go in front of me and I felt like I do not fit in anywhere anymore.

Of course, I missed my family and friends, but nothing changed while I was away, but I changed a lot. Nobody could understand what I was going through. Home felt like a foreign place to me.

But the good news is that there are some ways to make returning home easier.

Have something to look forward to When you feel sad about being home, plan your next trip. It’ll put you in a better mood, it will give your work every day a purpose. Next time, before you take off on another trip, plan something in advance that you’ll be excited to return home to.

(If Possible), don’t Return to Working or Studying Immediately

So this won’t be possible for everyone or every time, but if you’re one of the lucky ones, aim to give yourself a few days to come back into everyday life when you return. If you can’t take extra time off, it might be worth arranging to end your trip on a Friday so that you can have the weekend for yourself.

Start Taking Care of Yourself

Sometimes traveling can be exhausting too. Maybe you had a lot of unhealthy fast food, you ate out every single meal, did not cook for yourself a healthy option or you had too much alcohol. Maybe you let your exercise routine fade away. Travel isn’t always good and great healthy for our bodies, so take your return home as an opportunity to start taking care of yourself. Start to cook healthy meals again, work out or join a dance class, go for a walk/hike in nature or simply read a good book.

Returning back home can be depressing, but I learned to use this longing for the next trip or vacation as a positive thing to look forward to. Working/looking forward to my next trip keeps me feeling positive.