Travel from Home: 8 Cures for the Post Trip Blues

You return from a fabulous trip abroad, and soon after are drowning in the dreaded post trip blues. We’ve all been there. Life on the road may be chaotic, and stressful at times, but it’s always exhilarating and rewarding. And once you return home you try and coast by on the high from your adventure. But soon enough the post trip blues creep on.
We all can’t be jet-setting across the globe, riding on the coat tails of one trip to another. Many of us have full-time jobs and lives at home. So, how can you travel from home?

So, how do you manage to beat the post trip blues from creeping into your life? After many a trips that left me wanting to seek comfort in my bed, under the covers, I’ve amassed a handful of tips to beating the blues. Here are my top 8 ways to stay happy and cure your wanderlust in between trips.

What to do When You’re Not Travelling

1. Start Planning

Start daydreaming about your next adventure. Beginning to plan for your next adventure always helps ease the blues of being home. If you busy yourself with where to go, where to stay, and other details of your next adventure your excitement will help boost your happiness knowing a new trip is in your future.

For me researching and planning is almost half the fun of travelling! I love digging deep into a country or city’s history and culture to truly learn and appreciate a place before I visit. And in between trips is a perfect time to learn.

Related Post: Conflicting Thoughts on Returning Home

2. Read

Pick up a travelogue or book set in one of your favourite cities, or better yet one set in a place you’ve never been. Reading of travels, or exotic locales, will help stir your wanderlust, and perhaps inspire a new trip idea.

Don’t forget to read travel blogs in between your travels. Not only will you be reading about new destinations and adventures, but you’ll also be learning about some insider tips and tricks from the pros.

Related Post: Inspiring Travel Books

Are you looking for more incredible books to help you travel from home? Here are 20 books based in Canada to sweep you away to a different province or territory. Or, do you want somewhere more exotic, more exciting, more French? Here are 15 of the best books set in Paris to help you with your wanderlust!

3. Learn a Language

Engaging your mind in learning a new language will improve your mental state in various ways. Not only will it get your mind off the blues, but it will stimulate parts of your brain that you don’t always use. Plus, it’s a great way to meet new people when you do travel and have a more authentic experience if you know the language of the people around you.

In between travels is the perfect time to start learning a new language or try and see if you can learn the basics (hello, thank you, please) in a range of different languages.

A great app to try is Duolingo. It’s free and offers in-depth ways to learn languages, from writing to speech. It offers at least 20 different languages for English speakers.

4. Enjoy Your Travel Photos

Beat the post trip blues by relishing in your past trip photos. Whether it’s printing off a bunch to create a scrapbook, of photos, ticket stubs and other travel mementos, or maybe choosing your favourites to produce a beautiful hardcover photobook of your trip.

Another idea is to print off some of your favourite photos and construct a photo collage on your wall. That way every time you see it you can smile and remember all the amazing places you’ve been.

Or consider getting creative with you’re travel photos or other souvenirs from your trips. A few ideas I like are; make a postcard book, make a shadow box of full of mementos from a particular trip, or use maps to cover frames, trays and even your coffee table!

5. Cook an International Meal

Do you have a favourite meal from a country you’ve travelled to? Consider putting together an international meal, or throw a country themed dinner party for friends and family. Or look up an international recipe that you’ve never tried, perhaps from a country you’ve yet to visit, and try it out.

6. Take a Hike

Getting outdoors, spending time surrounded by nature, does wonders for you mood. There’s even been tons of articles lately about how hiking makes you happier. Not only will your mood improve but so will your creativity, concentration and so much more. And being active, especially outside, whether that involves hiking, swimming, snowshoeing, or something else, will definitely bust those post trip blues away.

Need some hiking inspiration? Check out all of my hiking posts!

Check out this piece from Bianca over at My Wild Earth about the benefits of hiking!

7. Visit Museums

Consider making a visit to a museum or art gallery to cure the blues. Visit museums with exhibits showcasing artifacts from exciting destinations that you haven’t visit yet. Or head to an art gallery that’s home to a collection of paintings of beautiful places that you love or have yet to travel to.

Did you know you have visit museums and galleries around the world from the comfort of your own home? Check out this incredible list Toronto Virtual Tours! And if you’re looking for something a little European, here are some amazing virtual tours of Paris.

8. Explore Locally

So few of us actually play tourist in our own city or town. Dig deeper into what other travellers come to your city to see, or find new and exciting things like street art, new cafes or try a new restaurant. Explore your city with new eyes, go beyond the familiar.

Another idea is to take a road trip to a nearby town you’ve never been to. It’s like your still travelling to new destinations while you’re at home!

How do you cure your post trip blues?

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