Even if you are a frequent world traveler, the feeling of anxiety or sadness about being away from your home can hit at any time — whether you are exploring the islands of Stockholm or headed to a routine business conference in Paris. In fact, around 60 percent of frequent business travelers experience homesickness.
If you are one of the thousands of people that experience homesickness, it helps to be proactive. Simple, smart strategies take little effort and can make all the difference between you enjoying your travels and being submerged in a fog of homesickness.
Explore The Beauty Of Your Destination
A great way to combat homesickness is to get out and explore the beauty of your destination has to offer. In Vietnam, there is the riverside city of Da Naag and Hoi An and in Europe, there is The Vasa Ship Museum in Stockholm and Terinife’s famous Mount Teide.
Contact your hotel or a local tour guide company and arrange for a tour to explore your surroundings. Better yet, subscribe to a group tour so you meet new likeminded people.
Capitalize On The Benefits Of Technology
Technology transformed our lives in many good ways including enabling better real-time communication with our loved ones when we are apart. With the invention of Skype, Whatsapp, and other communication software, home is never more than a phone call away. Interestingly enough, many articles have argued that homesickness is not about missing home at all. Instead, it is more about the people and the relationships we have with them.
If you find yourself feeling homesick, schedule a video or voice call with your loved ones back home. Simply seeing a loved one’s face or hearing their voice can lift your mood and help you feel a little happier immediately.
You can even arrange with your loved ones for them to send you care packages from home to lift your spirits. Alternatively, head online and arrange for customized product delivery packages containing some of the products you love from home such as snacks, beauty products or drinks.
Get Some Sleep
If you are dealing with common feelings of anxiety or sadness, getting a few hours of sleep may help you relax. Multiple studies have shown the importance of sleep in managing anxiety, depression and general mental wellbeing.
Too little sleep and jet lag can further exacerbate the feelings of homesickness. If your anxiety is preventing you from getting sleep, try some of the go-to tips for calming down before your bedtime such as a warm bath, reading or meditation.
Get Out And Get Social
Traveling presents opportunities to meet new people and form new relationships. If you are on a guided travel vacation, sign up for group tours or activities. If you are traveling alone, head out to local activities or even down to the hotel pool.
The point is to distract yourself from your feelings of homesickness and focus instead on what is going on around you. Making friends on your travel also helps you feel less alone and could significantly reduce the feelings of loneliness that have become common with homesickness.
Finally, embrace your homesickness. It is a completely normal feeling and best of all, it is temporary. While we cannot prevent homesickness, we can take steps to lessen its intensity and duration while on our travels. If you do find yourself feeling completely overwhelmed even after trying to combat your homesickness, home is always just a flight away.