Beating the Post-Holiday Blues

You’ve just been on an amazing trip of a lifetime which of course is never long enough and then suddenly you are back home. All the excitement and thrills and new experiences of the past few weeks seem long forgotten as you face the prospect of returning to normal life. I know I have been guilty on numerous occasions of complaining “Sydney is so boring! We’re so far away from everything FUN” “Gosh the architecture and culture in Australia leaves a lot to be desired, you know in Paris they….” etc etc. Coupled with the fact you are probably jet lagged and about to return to work, the aftermath of a great trip can be rather depressing.

However, the last time I returned home from an amazing 5 week holiday I suffered none of the above general grouchiness. I was GLAD to be home. One of the things I love about travel is that it really does make you appreciate what you have and where you live. So here are a few tips that I followed to ease back into normal life:

♥ Do all the things you missed when you were away. I found myself missing/craving the strangest things whilst I was away and it’s great to have things to look forward to when you get back! Catching up with my girlfriends at my favourite cafe, eating amazing Thai and Indian food that you just can’t seem to find in Europe, and drinking tea and hanging out with my cat (yes, simple pleasures)

♥ Get back into a routine. Don’t spend the next few days moping around the house (or worse, sleeping at the wrong times due to jetlag). As soon as you arrive home try to re-establish your routine again. Many international flights arrive in Sydney in the wee hours of the morning which means you are forced to try and keep yourself awake all day to get back to a regular sleeping routine. Have a cup of tea, go for a walk (fresh air and sunshine are great for waking you up and helping readjust your body clock) and unpack your suitcase (boring I know, but it will keep you awake!)

♥ Don’t push yourself. You’ve probably just completed a 30 day whirlwind Europe tour that involved far too much booze and naughty food and not enough sleep. Please, for the love of god don’t try and go back to work the next day! Not only do you run the risk of getting sick but you will probably be pretty useless at your job that day. I flew in from the USA on a Sunday once and arrived for work the next day severely jet lagged and barely slept. After making countless mistakes and feeling like death, my boss ordered me to go home – I was doing more harm than good!

♥ Plan another holiday. Ok ok bear with me, I know you have probably arrived home in a lot of debt and financially speaking another holiday sounds ludicrous. But you can at least start researching and planning! I always need a holiday looming in my future to keep me inspired and happy – even if it’s a year away it’s still a great motivator!

I hope these tips help ease the pain you may suffer from the post-holiday blues. Do you have any more tips to add?