3 Immediate Ways to Cope with Travel Burnout

Have you ever experienced travel burnout – feeling overextended or uninspired while on a longer-than-average trip? While I hadn’t been on the road for months (or even weeks), on day 11 of a certain trip, I was there.

I left Chicago for Houston on a Thursday and spent four days seeing old friends and students, celebrating a wedding and eating all my favorite foods. From there, work took me to Austin for a week to experience the awesome SXSWedu conference. After that? On to Miami. Whew!

Mind you, this was years before I even became a full fledge travel blogger. This travel burnout was the result of traveling as part of everyday life – celebratory occasions and corporate work!

I had an absolute blast exploring Miami as part of this trip. I visited the artsy, fun pockets of the city, ate a lot of great food and made some new friends. The change of city had me feeling like a new person.

Then, a day later, I crashed. I spent most of that day hiding out in my hotel room.

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How to Deal with Travel Burnout

It can be tough, when you’re in a new place, to let yourself off the hook from cramming in as many experiences as possible. But, whether you have a week left of your trip or only a couple days, it’s important to give in for the sake of your wellbeing.

1. Realize your limits

It’s hard to hear what your mind and body are telling you they need, and harder still to provide it. Practice acknowledging your limits as they arise.

When you’re planning the day’s itinerary, are you feeling energized or filling up with dread? More obviously, are you physically straining to walk around and explore?

Or, maybe you’re feeling sick from constantly eating out (also me), in which case you may decide to forego your list of must-eat foods in favor of simpler, healthier options.

If you’re traveling with someone, consider splitting meals you don’t want to miss out on to create smaller portions for yourself.

2. Treat yourself to R&R

If you’re like me, the last thing you want to do when you’re in a new city is stay indoors.

I love getting to know a new city well by walking its streets, observing and talking with its people, stepping into interesting shops I pass and snapping hundreds of photos as I go. But sometimes, on a longer trip, you have to let your body recover.

When needed, I sit in my hotel room and opted to get some work done as I let my body relax.

By the end of the night, most of my aches go away and I can go to bed happy, knowing I’ll wake up refreshed the next day. Whether or not your version of R&R matches mine, don’t be afraid to just veg out one day.

3. Rise above GOMO

Yes, to the best of my knowledge, I made this up. FOMO is what I get back home when deciding whether or not to go out on any particular night.

GOMO, guilt of missing out, is what overcomes me while I’m traveling. I’m lucky to be traveling in a new city, I live for travel. So how could I waste a travel opportunity by spending a day in my hotel room?!

Well, I’ve had to realize that if I’m forcing myself to be out and about when I’m not fully into it then I’ll only end up tainting my overall experience. It helps if you make a plan to ensure you’ll still be able to hit your most anticipated sights.

Regardless, when you need time to unwind just take it and know it will enhance your experience in the long run.

Preparation is everything

As incredible as frequent travel is, it can also cause physical, mental or emotional stress. Travel also brings uncertainty, which can result in anxiety-inducing mishaps. We’re never going to be able to predict and plan for it all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be as prepared as possible when the inevitable ocurs!

One way I set myself up for travel success is by making sure I have all the essentials covered before any trip. So, as you prepare for you next bout of travel consult my recommended resources for yourself.