Today’s Guest Post was written by Melanie Colby – a first time traveler come backpacker from Plymouth, England. During Melanie’s working holiday she traveled a lot, worked a little, and even gave Wwoofing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) a go. Melanie has guest posted for Backpackingmatt previously and was recently featured on the front page of Backpackers News – a backpacking publication found throughout New Zealand.
After six months in Kiwi land I had convinced myself that I was ready to return home. As much as I loved New Zealand, I loved home just that little bit more – or so I thought! How wrong I was. I felt a longing pang for New Zealand the very moment our Royal Brunei flight took off from Auckland airport – destination Heathrow. Staring out over the Land of the Long White Cloud, I knew instinctively that something fundamental had changed. From now on I was also going to suffer from itchy feet. Lamisil was unlikely to solve this itch.
The flight was painless enough. It was reasonably comfortable for 26 hours of air time. The problem was that there were just too many stops! First Brunei and then Dubai, every airport that we landed at either for a refuel or stopover; I wanted to make a desperate run for the exit doors. I wanted to explore and experience everything that was new, unique, and cultural. Lucky for the custom’s officials, I had a very tried boyfriend in toe who kept me in check. There was no possibility of escaping the fast approaching reality of home.
As the plane descended over the south of England, the cloud cover closed in sparking a rather gloomy and ominous feeling that gnarled in the pit of my stomach – we were home!
The grey tarmac and concrete buildings of Heathrow airport did very little in making the prospect of my homecoming any brighter. Coming through arrivals, my family gathered outside waving frantically as we walked through the arrival doors. There faces beamed with excitement and anticipation, my face however was not beaming or bright. I still can’t decide whether my pallid complexion was due to a reaction to the UK or the fact I hadn’t washed for 26 hours.
A few days have passed now and slowly I am beginning to feel a little more settled. I am still pining for New Zealand, although I am inclined to believe that at this point any form of travel would suffice. Having spoken to friends and relatives, I beginning to understand that what I am suffering from is a very bad case of the ‘holiday blues.’
It is not uncommon for people who have travelled, to feel dejected after their experience.
From what I can gather the following are the biggest culprits in instigating the ‘travel blues.’
1) Money Either you don’t have any or you’re very lucky. In my case I don’t have any; this can be difficult to deal with when returning home. You need money to pay for your basic needs – food and accommodation. A lack of funds can cause a feeling of lost independence. This is not an easy change to except especially as travel can give you a huge sense of freedom.
2) Employment – or lack of. In order to gain an income you are usually required to have a job. This is not an easy task to achieve, particularly in this economic climate.
3) Debt Many travellers can accumulative debt whilst backpacking, sometimes through no fault of there own. In my case this was particularly true. I had to borrow money in order to pay of food and accommodation when our flight was cancelled due to the Icelandic volcano. Our insurers are unlikely to cover.
4) Loss of Independence Relying on other people’s kindness is always a difficult thing to do. However many travellers are required to rely on their friends and family. I am very lucky that my mum and her partner have taken me in; they are currently providing me with food, clothes, travel, plenty of wine, and much entertainment. As much as I am eternally grateful for their hospitability I feel I have experienced a loss of independence.
These are the some of the obstacles travellers experience when returning home. However it is not all doom and gloom, there some things you can do to help during this time of transition.
What You Can Do:
When it comes to employment, a pre-emptive strike can help. Start looking a month or so before returning home. Why not send out speculative emails to companies you would like to work for? I did exactly this – although I have not secured a full time job as of yet. I have drummed up interested from employers and received some great feed back. Give it a go you have nothing to lose.
It may sound silly but exercise is a good remedy for the ‘travel blues.’ Exercise is said to help people who suffer from depression by allowing the body to release endorphins ‘the feel good chemical.’ A brisk walk a day can help improve your mood and keep you motivated.
It can be very easy to feel overloaded with the realities of being home, so make a plan. Writing a simple list of objectives can help organise your thoughts, when they are in black and white, in plain sight you can start to prioritize your goals. Whether it is to plan your next adventure or simply get a grip on your finances, a list is a really useful aid.
Surround yourself with friends and family. They are there to help! No doubt they’ve missed you like crazy whilst you’ve been away. You have probably stockpiled a few good hours of air time, recounting your tales of adventure before they get bored.
Last but not least, communication. There are thousands of people who travel, have travelled, or are about to travel. I am very sure I am not the only person who is experiencing a difficult period of readjustment after backpacking. The online travel community is vast, so why not share your experiences; there is a lot of support to be had at just a click of a button.
Do you have any advice on dealing with the end of travel blues? Share it in the comments section below.
If you’re interested in guest posting on Backpackingmatt, send an email with your idea to matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com
Backpacking Matt 
Oh I know this feeling all too well. I had all four. So to cure it, I accepted a job in China! Continue travels, get paid, and just keep on moving. Can’t imagine a life without traveling at this point.
When I did my first solo trip at 19, a two month adventure in Europe, by the end I really didn’t want to go home and had been dreading the return only a few weeks into my trip. I remember getting off the plane and seeing my parent and bursting into tear, ‘miss us’ they said, ‘No, I replied I want to get back on the plane and go straight back!’. Ultimately I think what has kept me sane between my trips is writing about my travels and planning the next trip however far away then filling all my hours working to save up!
@Michael – Terrific idea. I’m very seriously considering moving to South Korea after my stint here in New Zealand. I’ll sooner or later be ready for a trip home to recharge, but I’m not ready to settle down. Good luck in China!
@Sasha Funny! I only seriously got involved with the travel blog community after being home for about 10 months. I regret this now! It would have been an excellent way to stay connected with like-minded travelers while I was home. Instead, I based myself in DC and my group of friends had no idea what it was like to yearn to be on the road again.
Matt, I so get that about your friends not having a clue as to why you’re pining over travel, mine are the same!!! Though most of them haven’t even spent much time out of the state so me jetting off they think how can you be bothered! LOL
I enjoyed reading that although I’m a couple of years to early, we’re only just about to set off on our trip, not to brag….
I am on the same boat!Just returning home from a year long backpacking RTW and is definetly not easy settling back…not sure even if I want to!
Great post… nice to hear I am not the only one who is blue when they come home. The only way I can ever get over it is by starting to plan my next trip, even if I haven’t got the fund to go. At least the dreaming stops me from becoming desperate :).
Sasha is so right! The travel community really helps. I am just starting to get into it and it does cushion the blow of being stuck at home. At least you can talk, think and write about travel 🙂
For me there are always two difficult things about coming home. The first is that my friends haven’t changed… at all. That may seem like a weird thing to say but traveling overseas and now living in Sweden I feel like my life is continuously changing and with all the experiences I have grown a lot. Then I come home and my friends are still complaining about the same problems as last year. It just feels so weird… like the world back there is in stasis somehow. The second is living with my parents again when I am home. I love them to pieces, they are fantastic people and my best friends. But man the loss of independence drives me completely bonkers!
I can absolutely relate. I have been struggling since coming back from over a year abroad. The loss of independence is rough, especially returning to a receding economy with no job and a bit of debt. I am fortunate as well to have an incredible network of friends and family so willing to help me out, but this too is an adjustment.
You nailed it in your last paragraph about communicating with the travel community. I have found so much comfort and happiness in travel blogs and websites. If I can’t be traveling right now, it’s nice to be in contact with those who are and to take notes for my next adventure!
Thanks Melanie for your thoughts and Matt for always sharing great travel content!
I know this all too well. The first time I returned home after 3 years
abroad was fantastic. I was arriving home at the same time as many other old
friends who were also coming home from travel. The reunion was unreal and we
had so many memories and stories to share. I lived my home life as if I was
a traveller. But after my husband and I returned after a 5 year ‘honeymoon’
the return was brutal. We had our beautiful daughter at this time, and the
joy of that still could not fill the gaping hole I felt. We ended up moving
to the States. We still miss being on the road something awful. We’ve now
moved into blogging and sharing all our memories and years of experience.
That’s helping to keep us immersed in the world of travel. We feel alive
again and are now planning our next adventure. Travel is an addiction so I
guess stopping it comes with usual addiction ‘come downs’
Great post!
Even with so much time to go until I arrive back home, I’m not looking forward. I’m not sure how I can go back to that old life after living this travel life…
Not looking forward to dealing with any of these issues, and trying to figure out a way to stretch this traveling thing out indefinitely every single day.
I find the thought of it quite frightening as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to get home to see friends and family, yet only for a brief refresher. I need to figure out how to truly become location independent! We’ll keep each other posted!
Great post. I’m heading home in just over a month after 18 months travelling and I’m dreading it already. I’m excited to see friends and family but I know its going to be tough. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels like this though so thanks for the post!
Great post, I remember that feeling when coming to the end of my travelling days touring south east asia then australia. Caz brings up a really good point though and meeting up with both people that had also been travelling and ones who had not after you get back is really exciting and you have loads to catch up on.
@Alex Absolutely, meeting travelers and reading travel blogs is a great way to live vicariously while you’re not traveling!