How to Avoid the Holiday Blues While Traveling
Taking a career break and traveling long term is a gift – the ability to see and experience new cultures, to step away from your own rat race, and slow down. However, when you’ve been on the road for a while and the holidays roll around, it’s easy to get the blues. You’re away from your own culture and traditions, and you miss your family and friends, so it’s easy to get a bit homesick.
If your career break travel happens to fall during the holidays, then consider what you can do to avoid the holiday blues.
If you have family or friends who live overseas, consider planning your itinerary in order to pay them a visit during the holiday season. Seeing familiar faces and enjoying familiar traditions and customs may be just what you need. Plus, they might be able to introduce you to different holiday customs in the country where they reside – so even though you are spending the holidays with friends or family, you are still experiencing new things in new cultures!
Try to find other people from your country who are celebrating where you are. Try contacting your country’s consulate or embassy to see if they know of any expat gatherings or organizations. Try message boards or forums on sites like CouchSurfing, Lonely Planet or BootsnAll to try to connect with other travelers or stay at a hostel and reach out to other guests.
Use the opportunity to immerse yourself in local holiday traditions. Look online or in local publications for holiday events or festivals you can attend solo. Or, try CouchSurfing to reach out to locals who might be willing to include you in some of their celebrations. If you are staying at a hostel, find out if they have anything organized to introduce hostel guests to local traditions.
Finally, if you aren’t feeling in the holiday spirit, don’t push it. Just because you are on the road doesn’t mean you have to do something unique or interesting to celebrate. If you usually feel a bit harried around the holidays back home, perhaps enjoy the chance to relax instead. Schedule some time to connect with loved ones by Skype and then treat yourself, whether with a nice hotel room, a tasty dinner out or just buying yourself a holiday gift!
How have you dealt with the holiday blues while traveling?
Leah on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:12 am
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am thirty-two soon and have itchy feet that are ready to try out foreign soils.
It is a fear of leaving the security of the day to day grind of paying the bills and living a safe and non-challenging way of life that has put me on hold for some time.
I hope (as it has I) your post will inspire others to go and follow their bliss – Leah 🙂
Patricia GW on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:54 am
Travel and experiencing a new culture really has put it into perspective, and filled that void with purpose (and joy).
In three weeks I’ll be moving to Paris myself for one month. I have the same feeling – the incredible surreal realization that I’m going to be living there…. it’s thrilling!!
Abby on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 2:11 pm
Oh, Jenny! Escargot isn’t palatable — it’s delicious! I love your writing style; it’s so fun and energetic. Can you believe how far we’ve come? Everyone, Jenny and I were in the exact same industry and have known each other online and via work emails for years and years. But we’ve only met once, many, many years ago. And one of those jobs she was sleeping next to her BlackBerry for was one I’d just left. And now she’s 33 and living abroad, just like I was last year. Kindred spirits. Jenny, you’re a true inspiration — I can’t wait to see how your adventure unfolds!
Debbie Beardsley on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 3:22 pm
Your life in Paris sounds ideal. It is nice to read about people who follow their dreams instead of wishing they had! Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Terriaw on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 1:40 pm
Wow, fabulous and well said! I love your new outlook on like. After experiencing career burnout and feeling a little lost and purposeless lately, you have encouraged me. I look forward to seeing Paris someday!
Jenny on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 6:50 pm
merci for all the sweet comments! @abby we are soooo kindred spirits! well except when it comes to our differing feelings on escargot…;) and congrats patricia on the move! thrilling indeed!
shawna on Thu, 9th Jun 2011 1:32 am
you’ve reawakened my travel bug. must. return. to. france. (someday.) eat a croissant for me!
Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
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G. Michael Schneider on Sun, 19th Jun 2011 3:36 pm
I am a firm believer in living and working overseas, just as you described. However, many of us actually like our jobs and our homes and are simply looking to renew and refresh our lives, not change it. However, you can have the same type of cultural experience without having to reach into your own wallet and without having to quit your day job–by taking what I call a “working vacation.” My wife and I have done this 15 separate times, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Turket to Tibet, Mauritius to Mongolia. I describe how to do it in my blog otherguysdime.wordpress.com and via Twitter at @otherguysdime. Learn how to have fun without having to have burn any of your bridges behind you.