Mental Health and Homesickness while Travelling
It’s common for many travellers to experience homesickness and peaks and troughs in their mental health. Many people now only talk about the positives of travelling, but you will have struggles too. Many of you will be far from family and friends, and for long-term backpackers, you may well find yourself missing out on big life events for yourself, and for your friends and family: i.e. missing birthdays, weddings, etc. You will have to weigh up what you can go home for and what you can’t. Varying time differences can also make it hard to contact family back home. Travelling opens your mind to new possibilities and sometimes even overwhelm you by making you realise you have so many options in life that the world is your oyster; before you then get yourself in a pout of worry thinking you could make the wrong choice.
No matter what ails you, there is help at hand! My advice:
Maintain existing support and connections
Try to maintain your connections to long-term friends and family back at home. I love WhatsApp, Polarsteps (see my app recommendations above for more information) and the clock app on your phone – you can use the clock to easily work out time zones so that you aren’t calling your friends at 2am on a work night!
Share with travellers
Other travellers are likely to have similar feelings to you and can empathise, sometimes even empathising with you more easily than your non-travelling friends back at home. I’ll never forget meeting my now friend Julie for the first time in Taipei, Taiwan. We had arranged via the Hostelworld app to have street food together. Despite loving travelling, I had some mental health baggage from a break up that had been building over time and I ended up word-vomiting my problems to her at our first meeting for about 2 hours. She was really patient and helped me work through things.
We are still good friends to this day (surprisingly, as I accidentally forced her to be my therapist on our first meeting). Some of my best life chats in general and wisdom have been meeting other travellers, from all over the world and different walks of life. Don’t be afraid to open up to people, in doing so, you may find you build connections more quickly as well – after all, doing the same small talk with people can get repetitive after a while anyway!
Podcasts
You may not find like-minded people in your immediate social surroundings for everything on your mind. I find that podcasts and vlogs, etc., can be a great help. You can listen to or read the stories of others who may be experiencing something similar to you. If you haven’t already, feel free to check out my podcast and maybe you can find some of the answers you seek on there or at least, have some thoughts provoked so that you can find your own solutions. You can also contact me too!
Spirituality
I have a friend from Liverpool, UK, who at first meeting stuck me as one of the last people I would expect to give self-help/spirituality a go. He’s done two silent meditation retreats in India, however and has found them incredible. He described spending a week in silence both times, staying in a meditation position for hours on end. He vouched for the experience as being incredible and helping to work through problems and give you direction. Many others I have met along the way have been to aashrams and the like and have found the experience beneficial. For many, improving a self-reflective or spiritual connection is a key reason to travel.
Religion
Some people find help with exploring religion either through prayer, song or via words of wisdom from religious leaders.
Physical health and the outdoors
Many people will find they get happier from physical exercise and exercise routines. You will likely find that when travelling, you will do a fair bit of this anywhere as you walk around foreign towns, cities and beautiful landscapes. If you are resting up by a pool for a while, you may find that you aren’t as happy as you thought you would be. This could be because you need to get moving and exercising more. I know going climbing or for a hike; especially being in nature, is a great way for me to feel more positive.
Rest
Maybe it’s the opposite; maybe for you, you need more time to rest up. Have you been on the go for several weeks or months, changing hostel beds every night and trying to cram in every experience under the sun? Chances are that you will be feeling tired and burned out. Take some time to rest, socialise and enjoy yourself!
Try somewhere new
Are you following the crowd or finding that where you somewhere which doesn’t have your kind of people or activities? I advise you to choose a destination which you think you will enjoy. The chances are when you are somewhere which you find interesting, you will then meet some likeminded people who have similar interests as you. If you don’t like partying or beaches but find yourself in a place like that and not loving travelling then the chances are you won’t have a great time. That’s not to say you shouldn’t try something new or out of your comfort zone for a while but I have found that the more I travel, the more I know what I like and I know where will make me happiest: surfing, climbing, history, motorbikes and mountains often make me happiest!
If you expect to follow the crowd to a somewhere famous for nightlife, but you prefer yoga, spirituality or the outdoors, maybe consider destinations which are suited for you! You can use my Destination Guides to give you a flavour of which countries may be right for you.
Professional help
I have many friends who have sought out help from therapists and other professionals. Some of my friends felt like they only needed a handful of sessions, while others have seen therapists for longer. If you feel it may be worthwhile, then definitely look into getting help from a trained and trusted professional.
Head home Many people have put pressure on themselves to travel for a certain period of time (i.e. 6 months). Travelling long-term isn’t for everyone. Some people prefer shorter holidays of 1-2 weeks, others like to plan their whole trip down to every minor detail and find long-term travelling where this can’t be done easily more stressful. If you aren’t enjoying travelling that’s totally fine. Trust your gut and do what makes you happy, if that means going home and catching up with friends and family then you do you, don’t put pressure on yourself.
Summary: Overall you are you; everyone is different with different life stories, circumstances and challenges. The above recommendations are only ideas. Find what works for you and above all remember above all else that you are amazing!
Happy travels!
Andy Argo
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Title image: Victoria, Australia.
Other Photos: 1) Cát Bà island, Vietnam, leading a pack of scooter-going backpackers. Julie (USA) up front, followed by Julian (GER). 2) Me at Cradle Mountain, north-west Tasmania, Australia, where I lived, worked and enjoyed the outdoors. 3) Me in my hammock, relaxing on a warm day by the beautiful blue glacial waters of Morraine Lake, Canadian Rockies, Canada. 4) The view from aeoroplane seat as I travelled from the UK to Australia on my first long-term travel adventure!