How to Avoid Travel Burnout on a Long-Term Trip
How to Maintain Your Excitement While Traveling Long-Term
Travel-Burnout is a very real deal, and we’ve got some advice to help you overcome it!
Some say that traveling – on a long-term basis – is one of the most rewarding things one can take on in this life. On the other hand, we all know that travel-burnout is a very real threat to long-term travelers, which can quickly make things go from being rainbows and butterflies to nothing but utter loneliness.
But what happens when long-term travelers hit the slump? After months of traveling, they wake up one day and just don’t “feel it” anymore. Suddenly, the thought of constantly traveling isn’t as enticing as it once was. They get bored. They grow tired. And they lose interest.
The reality is that long-term travelers all fall into the trap at one stage or another. The trap where excitement turns to routine… The thought of packing up nd doing everything all over again in a new place becomes mundane, so much so that not even a map leading them to a lost paradise seems to be able to shift their way of thinking.
BUT here’s the secret: The slump CAN BE CURED! There’s an easy way to put the edge back into the idea of traveling. Well, actually there are a few…
Tips for Busting Travel Slump in its Tracks
1. Slow down, you’re moving too fast!
For long-term travelers, hopping from one destination to the next is often done in a rather fast-paced fashion. If you’re constantly on the move, you get lost and end up with some old photos you hardly remember posing for. You need a travel break. You need to rest, heck even kick back and watch some movies if that’s your thing, but just slow down your pace and get your mojo back in gear. Once you reach that goal, you’ll know you’re ready to move on to the next destination.
2. Ask yourself this: Why did you start traveling in the first place?
So becoming a long-term traveler isn’t something that just magically happened in your life. It was a conscious decision to change the course of your life. To experience all the beauty that this world has to offer. To find new purpose in life, and to find your inner self. If you’re suffering from travel slump, make some time to just reflect on the core reasons why you embarked on a long-term traveling journey in the first place. This should re-motivate you and help you get your oomph level back to where it should be.
3. Don’t be scared of change.
Ever felt like your heart really wanted to stay just a little while longer in that place you visited a year ago? It’s because our minds and souls are trying to teach us something in a specific time and place, and to get the most out of it, we need to start listening to those voices. Sure we make solid plans for our travels, but as long-term travelers, we need to embrace the fact that change is the only constant we know, and changing our plans might just help us relive that initial excitement we felt when we boarded our very first planes.
4. Don’t forget to recharge your own batteries.
Before long-term travelers hit the road, they all had homes where they would engage in activities that rejuvenated them as human beings. They had habits which helped them to relax and reconnect with their inner self. If you incorporate these activities and habits into your travel itinerary, you’ll have a surefire way to combat travel slump before it even sticks out its nasty head.
5. Find your Nirvana.
When long-term travelers start focusing on everything that goes south on a trip, travel burnout happens all too soon. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects and events, instead, try shifting your mind towards remembering all of the amazing experiences that you have had on your travels. Make sure that you’re embracing the traveling experience in a positive light and that you’re looking for small, everyday scenarios that turn the regular into something spectacular.
Final Thoughts
The best thing you can do regarding travel burnout is this: chill out. Take things one small step at a time and start changing your regular traveling routine. Traveling is, without a doubt, the most awarding experience ever, but if you don’t focus on keeping your mind and soul healthy on the road, it can easily become some seriously hard work.
Most of us have experienced the travel slump at one point or another, and we’re pretty confident in saying that it might happen to us in the near future again, but what sets us at peace is the knowledge that we have the information we need to combat it before it derails our mission.
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About The Author: I’m Dan, and I’m the Editor in Chief of True North Athletics. I’m also an avid adventurer, digital nomad and traveler. I enjoy all types of outdoor sports, a good golf tan, and spontaneous weekend trips. I currently live in Brazil where I can be found frequently hiking the rain forest around my city!
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