How To Avoid Getting Homesick

March 27, 2012

As much as we may try to deny it, most travelers do get pangs of homesickness from time to time. Although I’ve never gone on an around the world trip, I’ve still had moments where I miss my friends and family back home.

Here are 5 Tips to Avoid Homesickness

1) Prepare in Advance

I’ve often found that whenever I’m packing for a trip, the last thing on my mind is homesickness. Missing your loved ones is nothing to feel ashamed of so knowing that this may happen is the first step in facing it head on. This way, when you start to miss your best friend back home, you will already have a mental list of how to get back on track.

2) Embrace the New

Travel is all about new experiences and a lot of times when we feel overwhelmed by a new environment our first tendency is to clam up and retreat. When we turn inwards, it makes us miss home more than usual. Recognizing this natural human behavior and making a conscious effort to excitedly welcome our new surroundings often cuts down on the change of feeling homesick.

3) Take Advantage of Technology

We live in a tech driven world, which can sometimes bring more harm than good, especially when trying to disconnect to better experience a new culture. Take thirty minutes out of your day and Skype, Facebook or google chat with your friends back home. I’ve found that evening is a good time, especially when you take time zones into account. Sometimes hearing your mom’s voice or seeing your boyfriend’s face is all you need to keep on trekking.

4) Make New Connections

It’s often the people we remember from a trip more so than the destination itself which is why making new friends is essential for avoiding homesickness. Make an effort to meet other avant-garde travelers by staying at a social hostel or chatting with locals at the nearby coffee shop. Some of the people I’ve met while traveling I still keep in touch with today. Each person has taught me something new about the world and about myself.

5) Change Your Attitude

As a psychology major in college, I always enjoyed over analyzing behavioral patterns in hopes that I would solve the puzzle of the world. It never happened but one thing that i do know is that attitude plays a huge role in how we view ourselves and those around us. Traveling to a new city or town is the perfect opportunity to get out of a funk or to see the world with open eyes. If you catch yourself being negative, do whatever it takes to turn your frown upside down.

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Hi! I’m Megan,

a Scorpio sun and Libra moon who left her job in the music industry to travel and write full-time. Since then, i´ve explored more than 60 countries in the hopes that you will, too.

The world is made of magic and so are you!

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