Life on the Road: Away for the Holidays
[singlepic=1601,250,,,right]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. I spent my last Christmas Eve alone eating leftovers watching a movie; I was so lonely in Vietnam that I vowed to never be alone again during the Holidays.
If your career break travel happens to fall during the holidays, then consider what you can do to avoid the holiday blues.
When I first traveled around the world I actually planned out my itinerary with the holidays in mind. For me Christmas is all about family. Luckily I happened to have family living in Singapore so when I planned my itinerary, I planned to be in Singapore in December. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have made. The familiar food, customs, and humor of my family was just what I needed. Plus, they were able to introduce me to different Asian holiday customs in Singapore – so even though I had slowed down my travel to spend time with family, I was still experiencing new things in new cultures!
[singlepic=1603,200,,,left]If you find yourself far away from family and friends when the holidays strike, then consider trying to find other people from your country that are celebrating. I found myself in Sydney, Australia once during American Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to sit around my hotel room watching TV and going to McDonalds for dinner, so I went to the American consulate to ask them if they knew of any American based Thanksgiving celebrations going on in Sydney.
[singlepic=1602,200,,,right]They quickly gave me a paper with a list of the various Expat organizations observing the holiday with traditional dinners. Perfect! I contacted a few and soon found myself eating Turkey dinner surrounded by a bunch of Australians and Americans.
Contacting your country’s consulate or embassy is a great source of information for travelers – don’t forget to use them!
How have you dealt with the holiday blues while traveling?
8 Responses to “Life on the Road: Away for the Holidays”
Other comments
9 Comments on "A Year in Paris"-
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!!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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!
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Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
[…] how badly I want to go to Paris… If only we could afford living there for an extended period of time during our travels! Any […]
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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.
2009-12-14 11:19
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2009-12-14 11:25
What a great idea to ask the consulate for a list of the US ex-pat groups in the area. We should have done that when we were in Petra, Jordan this year. Instead of felafel and chicken shwarma maybe we could have had a turkey with stuffing.
We have found that video skype is an excellent way to "visit" with family and friends at home during holidays. The important thing is to ensure you have a good wifi connection in your room, as skyping from an internet cafe is not the best audio conditions.
2009-12-14 23:48
I spent the last year mostly away from family for the holidays, except when I got to London to be with family for New Year's.
Christmas Day I was in Ethiopia and spent the day at a historic Christian church in Addis Ababa. On my birthday, I hooked up with some ex-pats in Hong Kong and made it to Macau.
You've got to make the best of wherever you are on those special days. You can find others that share something with you, whether blood, religion or nationality.
2009-12-15 09:25
I think seeking out community is esssential. On Thanksgiving day in London there is a service for all Americans at St. Paul's Cathedral. I'm not a terribly religious person but it's nice to go and be with your countrymen and just enjoy the community. Plus St. Paul's is gorgeous inside!
2009-12-15 11:46
Great advice! Christmas I need to be with my family, but New Year's Eve is all about new experiences and new people. :)
2009-12-15 19:22
Keith - yes, I couldn't travel without skype...it's invaluable!
Brian - great idea to connect with people thru religion - the church in Ethiopia sounds amazing!
2009-12-16 09:41
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2010-12-19 23:21
Last year I planned my trip to see my family in Buenos Aires that I hadn't seen in years. Well worth it. Wasn't all the same but still great. This year I'll be with only friends for Christmas. I'm throwing a party in my apartment and should be really good fun so I'll be okay this year. The day after I get to see one of the commenter's on here ;) so I have a lot to look forward to. I do miss my family a whole lot but keeping busy helps a lot.