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Posted on January 13, 2009 by Matthew Kepnes | Posted under   Travel and Leisure


How to Cope with Returning Home from Traveling



You did it- you have traveled the world and now are recovering at home.  Pretty great huh? You'll have memories you will keep forever and friends for a lifetime. Now many people wonder what the next step is. After the glow of welcome back parties fades and you tire of telling the same stories, what do you do next?

Coming home from traveling around the world is the hardest part. There's a mixture of emotions:  excitement, anxiety, fear, joy, and nervousness.  After the honeymoon is over and reality sets in, people are left feeling a little sad. You spent a long time getting ready for traveling, a long time traveling, and then suddenly, it's over. Just like that. It's as though someone slammed on the brakes to your life and, for many people, that can be kind of gloomy. Coming home is more about dealing emotionally than doing anything in particular.

Here are a few procedures that can help you deal with those feelings and get yourself moving again:

Stay Busy- If you sit around thinking about the good times, you're only going to resent being home and get depressed. Go out, get a job, get a hobby, join a gym. Even if you are super psyched to be home, the first few weeks are always rough as you adjust back into "normal" society. The best thing to do is to stay busy. One great way to stay busy is to be a tourist in your own city. Since you have been gone so long, things have probably changed. Go explore your town like you would Paris or Sydney. You're bound to find something new and you'll be able to feel as though you are back on a holiday while adjusting to home.

Plan Another Trip- If the thought of staying home is killing you, get out! Plan your next trip. Even if you never go. Go start looking up destinations. Buy a guidebook. Plan some routes. Look at flights. You'll get in the mood and you'll get excited. Even if your trip never materializes, at least you will be taking your mind off from the reality that it's time to settle in one place for a bit.  It makes coming home seem like a pit stop and not the finish line.

Get a Job- Getting a job ties into staying busy. By getting a job, you can take your mind off things and begin to put all your energy and new found sense of adventure to good use. It also helps you replenish your bank account so you can get to traveling again.

Read Travel Blogs- Because if you aren't traveling, live through the people who are traveling and get the motivation to get going again or even get motivated.

Arriving home from the road is about getting back into the world you left and focusing on taking what you learned and applying it to your daily life. A lot of long term backpackers end up leaving again, afflicted by a virus that they can never cure. Others stay home because their expedition taught them that what they wanted the most was what they left behind at home. Either way, we need to know how to cope with that experience.



About The Author:
Matthew Kepnes is a lifelong backpacker who has spent many years traveling around the world. Visit his website about how to backpack the world on a budget and adjusting to coming home from the road.


Tags: COMING HOME, BACKPACKING, TRAVEL TIPS, BUDGET TRAVEL, TRAVEL, TRAVEL BLOGS, TRAVEL ADVICE
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