post travel depression symptoms

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8 Things to Do When You Feel Post Travel Depression

Alisa began traveling overseas at age 16. With every new destination since then, the desire to do...

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Learn how to overcome post travel depression once & for all. ? After an amazing trip abroad, returning home and trying to live a “normal” life can feel impossible. You can’t run down the street for that delicious panini like you did in Rome, you don’t get that nerdy thrill running down your spine when you correctly use the subjunctive tense, and instead of discovering something new every single day, life feels comfortable and, well, kind of boring. 

As you try to settle back into the life you’ve always known, you might feel like something’s a bit off. Guess what? Something is off, and it’s totally normal to feel the way you’re feeling. Post-travel depression is a real thing, and after spending time challenging yourself abroad, coming home can feel like the hardest part . Luckily, you’re not alone, and there are things you can do to help ease the post travel blues.

Understanding post travel depression

Depression after trips like study abroad, volunteering, or interning overseas can range from mild post vacation sadness to full-blown post trip depression. Each person reacts differently to returning from abroad. If it seems that your friend has easily slipped back into college life while you’re struggling to get to class, don’t panic. Just like you got through all the challenges of living abroad, you can also get through the post abroad depression you’re feeling now.   

Reverse culture shock 

A lot of what people think of as post-travel depression is actually reverse culture shock , especially when you’ve spent a long time away from home. It can be tricky to get used to your home culture again, and you might begin to question things you thought of as normal before. You might feel extra critical of everything in your home country, or spend a lot of time searching for ways you can return abroad. Eventually, just as your initial culture shock gave way to a fantastic learning experience, reverse culture shock will lead to a new sense of equilibrium . 

Post-abroad depression symptoms

However, sometimes these post-travel blues can’t just be attributed to reverse culture shock. Post-trip depression can feel similar to reverse culture shock, and it’s possible many of your friends and family will tell you to “just get over it”. But if you’re experiencing any of the following signs, take them seriously: 

• Sleeping all the time or struggling with insomnia
• Having trouble concentrating on your daily responsibilities, including your job, school, or internship tasks
• Spending an excessive amount of time online engaging with your friends abroad instead of making time for those around you 
• Feeling like your friends and family just don’t get you anymore
• Avoiding leaving your house because you don’t want to engage with others or deal with your home culture 
• Spending a lot of time thinking about how to move abroad immediately instead of focusing on your life in the present
• Sudden changes in appetite or weight 
• Constantly comparing your home and host cultures and criticizing how things are done at home
• Feeling sad, anxious, or upset most of the time 
• Feeling like your life will never be as exciting or fulfilling as it was while you were abroad

If you found yourself nodding your head in agreement to many of these points, don’t ignore them. Making your mental health a priority is important. By getting yourself to a better place now, you’ll be able to keep making grand plans for more adventures abroad in the future. (You’ll also be better equipped to deal with post-vacation sadness next time you return from a big trip!)

How to overcome post travel depression

You can kick depression’s butt!

Whether you’re returning from teaching abroad in Spain or just wrapped up a year of study abroad in China , chances are things are going to feel different when you return home. Accepting your new reality is part of getting over post-abroad depression, but there are other things you can do to help make the transition a bit easier. 

1. Learn about reverse culture shock

Pull out those study abroad materials or do some googling and read up on how to overcome reverse culture shock . It’ll still take some time to re-acclimate to your home country, but understanding that post-trip depression is normal can go a long way toward helping you get past it. Just like you got past your initial culture shock in your host country, you’ll also eventually hit your stride now that you’ve returned home. 

2. Practice what you learned

Just because you’re no longer surrounded by Portuguese or Arabic on a daily basis doesn’t mean you can’t keep up your newfound skills! There are many ways to practice the language you learned while abroad, from reading local news online to watching movies in your target language. In bigger cities and college towns, there are conversation circles or cultural centers that host events where you can practice your language and get a soothing dose of your host culture, too. 

3. Give back 

Look for volunteer opportunities while you get your bearings in your home country. It’s a proven fact that helping others makes you feel good too, and getting involved in your local community will help you regain a sense of connection to the city and people you interact with on a daily basis. Who knows? Maybe you’ll enjoy it so much that you decide to take it on the road and volunteer abroad next! 

4. Go explore your backyard 

By now you should be a pro at discovering cool new places, right? After all, you probably spent your time abroad seeking out new neighborhoods, taking day trips to nearby cities, and learning all about what makes your host country special. Instead of lamenting the fact that you’re no longer abroad, do the same thing at home. Take a day trip to discover a new small town, go on a hike to someplace new, or find a cultural activity to participate in. There’s probably a lot that you’ve never thought to discover about your home country, so get started now! 

Encourage the explorer in yourself!

5. Connect with others 

One of the best ways to get over post abroad depression is to be around other people. Isolating yourself can amplify your post travel blues, so get out there and reconnect with your old friends. Check out a new restaurant that’s opened since you were away, go for a walk, or participate in a shared hobby. If most of your friends have moved away since you were abroad, find new ones! Look for community events, meetups, or cultural activities where you can find people who share your interests. 

6. Plan another trip 

One fail-proof way to get over depression after trips is to plan another trip. Whether you have the time and funds to take a two-week break on a sandy beach somewhere or you can only swing a weekend in the next state over, planning for some time away allows you to take a quick break physically and mentally. While not all problems can be solved by a road trip or hopping on an airplane, sometimes getting away can give you some much-needed perspective on your current situation. If money is an issue, check out short-term volunteering trips that are affordable and let you give back to the community. 

Plus, volunteering can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

7. Try something new

Instead of constantly refreshing your browser hoping airfares to your host country have dropped, consider finding a new hobby. You probably got really good at getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things when you were abroad, so use those skills to get psyched about something in your home country. Learn how to make that pastry your host mom always made for you, join a community sports league, or find a volunteering gig. Not only will you momentarily be distracted from how much you miss being abroad, you’ll also add some new skills to your repertoire. You might even discover a lifelong passion! 

8. Practice gratitude 

It can be hard to feel grateful when you’re bummed and missing your host country, but take the time to practice gratitude for the experiences you’ve had. Not everyone is lucky enough to spend time living in a different culture, learning a new language, and making friends from around the world. Your time abroad was exciting and enlightening, but at times it was probably confusing and really dang hard, too. Be thankful for the life skills you learned while you were abroad. 

Additional resources when you feel depression after a trip abroad

If you’ve tried the above suggestions and you still don’t feel any better, even after signing up for a knitting class, going on a camping trip, and getting dinner with friends, you may need to pull in some additional resources. 

Talking about your post trip depression with a therapist or counselor can help you pinpoint why exactly you’re feeling down and find strategies to make things better. If you’re a student, you can access mental health resources through your school’s student counseling center. For those who aren’t in school, there are also ways to find therapists in your community . 

During your time abroad, you learned a lot about yourself and how to be an independent, strong, and resilient individual. None of those skills have disappeared, and you can still use them to get through this tough phase in your life . 

Don’t let post abroad depression get the best of you

Post-travel depression can affect anyone, and it’s important to recognize when the post travel blues might be something more serious. In many cases, those who return from time abroad are able to reintegrate into their lives within a matter of months, but sometimes it can take some dedicated work to feel normal again. Living abroad is an intense, challenging, and enlightening experience, and it’s bound to change you in more ways than you realize. 

The good news is that this time spent abroad isn’t an ending, but rather the beginning of a new life of travel. Now that you’ve seen another part of the world, going out there and doing it again doesn’t feel as intimidating. It’s 100% possible to continue living an inspired life after spending time abroad , and chances are, the best is still yet to come.

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11 Ways to Beat Your Post-Travel Depression

It's the moment practically everyone dreads: the end of an amazing trip. Returning home, whether from a two-week-long vacation or a multi-year round-the-world trip, can hit you hard, and this post-travel depression can affect everyone. Sometimes it can even begin in the days running up to the end—you always end up feeling a little sad in the days before heading home. As well as a sense of depression, other symptoms you may experience include lethargy, loss of appetite, a lack of motivation, feelings of nostalgia, and—a great way to cope —immediately researching your next trip.

In all seriousness, though, post-travel depression can seriously affect your mental well-being and last for as long as weeks or months. One huge reason why this is the case is that travel is transformative . After you've explored the world, you'll feel like a different person, but everyone you return to can be the same. 

So, what can you do to prepare yourself for post-travel depression, and how can you minimize its effects? These helpful tips will help you get back on track and prepare for another journey.

Keep Busy During the Final Days of Your Travels

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The last thing you want is for the end of your trip to be overshadowed by a sense of sadness about it coming to an end. To overcome this, make the final few days of your vacation the busiest of the entire trip. This means booking yourself in for classes, taking tours, going shopping for souvenirs, and taking long walks. It helps to keep your mind off the fact that you'll be returning home soon and keeps you enjoying the place you're currently in.

If Possible, Don't Return to Working or Studying Immediately

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Nothing makes you feel like you've returned to reality with a bang than returning home and immediately throwing yourself back into your old routine. This won't be possible for everyone, but if you're one of the lucky ones, aim to give yourself a few days to transition back into everyday life when you return. If you can't take extra time off, it might be worth arranging to end your trip on a Friday so that you can have the weekend to yourself. 

This time will allow you to overcome your jet lag , unpack and do your washing, catch up with friends, or even sort through your memories. Take your time decompressing and the depression won't hit you as hard.

Catch Up With Friends

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Let's face it: listening to other peoples' vacation stories can be pretty boring, so talking to friends about your trip for any real length of time can be a challenge. When you're battling the post-travel blues, though, this can be a blessing in disguise. Meet up with a friend and chat about what you've been up to in your time apart. Sure, you'll get to share stories from your travels, but you'll also hear about the fun things they've been up to while you've been gone. This will help keep you distracted and lessen your attention on how you wish you were still abroad.

Attempt to Maintain the Mindset of a Traveller

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When you travel, you'll often find yourself with a different mindset. On the road, you may be all about trying new things, signing up for fun experiences, and eating as much good food as possible. But when you live somewhere, you tend to eat at home, fall into a routine, and rarely sign up to try anything new. This lifestyle definitely doesn't help to boost one's mood. 

Keep the buzz of excitement that comes with travel alive by maintaining the mindset of a traveler. Take a cooking class in your hometown, continue with surf lessons, take a dance class or two, and treat yourself to a nice meal every couple of weeks or so. 

Travel in Your Backyard

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Who says that travel has to end when you return home? After returning home, plan to explore where you live as if you were a tourist. Take a walking tour, jump on a tour bus, take a cooking class, visit the most famous monuments, and take tons of photos. You could even plan a museum-hopping day to learn more about the history of your hometown. 

After traveling and returning home with this mindset, you might find that your hometown is a fascinating place to visit.

Share Your Photos With Friends

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Relive your vacation by sharing your photos with friends on Facebook and Instagram. It'll make you feel as though you're being productive and cheer you up as you look back on your happy memories. Be careful with your privacy settings if you're not comfortable with sharing your vacation with the entire world, though.

Re-Read Your Travel Diary or Travel Blog

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Many love to keep a record of those life-changing moments during their travels. If you decided to keep a travel diary or blog throughout your trip, spend some time reliving the best experiences and looking back on what you learned when you return home. 

If you didn't want your writing to take away from your trip, now could be a good time to start a blog. You can reminisce about the best parts of your journey, share your thoughts and feelings about coming home with your friends or anyone else who stumbles upon it and use it as an opportunity to go through and edit your photos. 

Find a Place for Your Souvenirs

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If you purchased souvenirs on your trip, spend time organizing them and working out where to place them. It'll help fill your home with happy memories and inspire you to keep seeing the world.

Start Planning Your Next Trip

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One of the best ways to take your mind off the post-vacation blues is by planning your next trip. Start by sitting down and coming up with a list of everywhere you dream of visiting. Next, start coming up with a plan for how you can make it become a reality. With a new focus in your life, you'll have something to keep your mind off of your previous trip.

Start Taking Care of Yourself

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When we travel, it can be hard to take proper care of ourselves. Maybe you ate out for every meal and are feeling unsettled from all that rich food; maybe you spent two weeks lying by the pool while letting your exercise routine fall apart, or maybe you spent every night drinking and dancing and are desperately craving a good night's sleep. 

Travel isn't always great for us, so take your return home as an opportunity to start caring for yourself. Decide to eat healthily for a while, join a gym, run, head to a spa, or get an early night. Taking good care of yourself should help reduce your post-travel blues.

Help Out Other Travelers

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While traveling, you likely ended up relying on the kindness of strangers at multiple points throughout your trip. Whether it was a friendly local who helped send you in the right direction when you were lost or someone at the hostel reception who gave you a fantastic restaurant recommendation, you were probably grateful multiple times for the help others gave you. 

Aim to pay it forward after you return home by helping out tourists who are lost in the place you live. If you see someone staring at a map on their phone and looking confused, ask if you can help them. Suppose somebody makes eye contact with you—smile and ask how they're doing. If someone looks obviously like a tourist, ask if you can do anything to help. You could even spend some time browsing some forums online to see if you can answer any strangers' queries about places you know well. 

It'll keep you busy, help you get back into the routine of chatting to other travelers, and make you feel good about how you're helping others in their times of need. 

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How to Beat Your Post-Travel Depression: Your Guide to Feeling Better

Going from exploring new places every day to feeling like you're chained to a desk can make you feel very low. It's one thing, though, to reminisce over your vacation for the first few days you're back home. It's another, if you get the post-travel blues .

The what? I'm not talking about the usual dread of heading back to work after a long holiday, that feeling usually goes away quickly. I'm referring to a deeper kind of sadness, one that leaves you frustrated, demotivated, and even makes you question your life choices.

No matter how hard you try to slip back into your routine or focus on the day-to-day, your mind keeps taking you back to the trip you just experienced, or imagining your next adventure.

If this sounds familiar, you might be experiencing what is known as post-travel depression. And yes, post-travel depression is a thing. It's actually a state that affects many of us when we return home after a trip.

It happens to me, too. So, the good news is: you're not alone in this. In this article, I’ll explain what post-travel depression is , help you understand if you're experiencing it by laying out the symptoms to watch out for and give you some tried-and-tested tips on how to overcome it. Ready? Let's dive in.

What is post-travel depression?

Post-travel depression (PTD), aka post-travel blues, is a common mood dip that people experience after returning home from a trip. This type of depression isn't typically a clinical disorder , but it can involve feelings of sadness, anxiety, and disorientation as you transition back to everyday life from the slower pace of vacation.

When people come back to their usual routines after a break, it can feel emotionally challenging. The loss of freedom and spontaneity that often comes with traveling can make regular life seem overly structured or limited.

More often than not, there’s a mix of nostalgia coming from the experiences and life you were living abroad, and a lot of stress from having to settle back into the daily grind.

But the good news is, that, unlike clinical depression , this condition is temporary and it can usually be managed. The best way to get out of it is to find ways to integrate the positive aspects of travel into everyday life, like planning future trips, or going after new experiences that can give you similar feelings of excitement.

What are the symptoms of post-travel depression?

Think of all the times you've returned from a trip and had a rollercoaster of emotions that went from the excitement of telling your friends and family about swimming with turtles for the first time, to the high anxiety levels of having to return to the office. I bet this happens to you all the time (ok, maybe not on trips that went south, but they're probably just a few).

If these emotions just last a few days, it's completely normal to have them, I mean... who doesn't prefer to enjoy the world rather than deal with your client's requests? But, if these feelings persist, don't underestimate them by thinking they're just in your head, they're not. You're most probably experiencing symptoms of post-travel depression.

But why? We're so used to living in either work mode (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm) or relax mode (weekends, holidays, vacation), that we think switching modes back and forth is a normal part of life. But we don't realize that shifting from relaxation mode (especially after a longer vacation) to work mode, can trigger a mix of emotions and physical symptoms that make us feel down. And no, ignoring these feelings won't make them go away, it can make things worse.

So, how can you tell if you're actually dealing with post-travel depression or just a phase of post-travel nostalgia? Here are some signs to watch for:

Mental symptoms

• Apathy and emotional numbness
• Difficulty concentrating, even on simple tasks
• Lack of initiative
• Restlessness
• Difficulties in making decisions
• High anxiety levels
• Mood swings
• Low motivation
• Persistent sadness
• Physical Symptoms

Physical symptoms

• Muscle tension
• Unexplained fatigue
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia
• Poor digestion

What are the causes of post-travel depression?

There are a bunch of factors that cause post-travel depression. These include physical symptoms like the impact of jet lag (you wouldn't believe how much having to re-regulate your sleep cycle can affect your mood), but most importantly, mental symptoms that are more often than not linked to how happy you are in your life back home.

According to Medical News Today , slipping back into an old routine —maybe one you're not in love with, to begin with—is a common trigger for post-travel depression.

And it makes sense. Society has been telling us to grind, make a living for ourselves, succeed no matter what. Up until a few years ago, the word "work-life balance" was considered a joke. But here's a reality check: we don't all have our dream job, or a sweet boss, or love the city we live in, or have the coolest friends. Maybe we don't love the reality and routine we have at home.

But when we travel, we have a second shot at creating the experience we want. We have the energy and desire to meet new people, have fun, try out a new sport we'd never do back home, and even learn to cook stuff. So much so that traveling has become the highlight in many people’s lives.

And even if you love your life back home, the tasks, responsibilities, and hectic pace that await you when you return are usually a source of stress. If you're in this box, the good news is you're probably going to experience the post-travel blues for a few days, then feel fine.

But for those of you who only feel alive when you're traveling, the gap between who you are during your travels and who you are at home can become so big that stress and depression hit hard. This can make readjusting to everyday life not just a challenge, but a severe emotional struggle.

How to manage post-travel depression

Now that I've discussed what post-travel depression is and what usually triggers it, let's focus on how to handle it and move past these symptoms.

I'll share 7 practical tips to help you deal with post-travel depression. Take notes and see which of these might work best for you.

1. Plan your return trip thoughtfully

This tip is all about preventing that mess and stress you often feel when you get back home.

When you're traveling, you don't want to feel rushed. So why would you want to feel rushed when you're packing before boarding on your return flight? All that rush to make it in time to the airport, with the constant worry if you forgot something in your accommodation can seriously ruin all the relaxation you accumulated up until that point.

Instead of just throwing all your clothes in your luggage, take your time to plan your trip and pack without feeling rushed. This approach turns packing into a calming ritual that keeps the chaos at bay, not just when you're unpacking but also as you start thinking about heading home. Plus, it helps you ease back into your everyday life without feeling like you've been thrown back into it all of a sudden.

2. Plan to return home a few days early

Yes, vacation time is precious, and it might seem hard to give up even a single day. But trust me, if you want to make your transition smooth and avoid feeling those post-travel blues, it's a must your return a few days early.

I have a friend who always plans his return flights a few days before the weekend, that way he has the whole weekend plus one or two days to readjust and get his mind and body ready to switch back from relax mode to work mode. Trust me, you don't want to go from spotting lions on a safari to replying to those "out of office" emails the day after you return from your trip.

Giving yourself some days to unwind after you return will give you some extra time to organize your routine without the added stress. Not to mention, it allows you to ground yourself again.

3. Stay active

I bet you probably spent your travels exploring new places, hiking in beautiful areas, getting your dose of vitamin sea in some tropical destination. Now, I'm pretty sure the Monday right after you return from your travels will most likely be you sitting in front of a desk for countless hours.

We don't need an expert to tell us the routine you had while traveling was healthier for your body than the one you probably have at home. That's why it's essential for you to keep moving and stay active once you're back. Even if you're a couch potato, get up and start moving! Harvard Medical School reported that a recent study found that " Running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression." So, the third trick to beat post-travel depression is easy: get up and move.

4. Pay attention to your diet

Have you seen the Netflix docu-series "You Are What You Eat?" Me either. But I don't need to watch it to tell you the title nails my next piece of advice.

If you've spent the last few weeks traveling the world, chances are your diet was better than the one you're used to at home. The Standard American Diet — aka SAD (I know, the acronym says it all) — lacks the right amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy oils other diets are known for. Instead, it's excessively high in red meat, high-fat dairy products, processed and fast foods, added sugars, etc.

But even if you think your body is craving a burger, trust me, especially if you're feeling low, it's best to go for fresh, plant-based foods, like berries—which are good sources of antioxidants. Because believe it or not, eating balanced meals can boost your mood, help you sleep better, and shake off some of those stress-related symptoms of post-travel depression .

5. Keep traveling

Just because you're back from a trip doesn't mean you have to plunge straight into work and responsibilities. Think of it this way: one adventure has just ended, and now you've got the chance to start planning the next one.

If you're constantly thinking about traveling, why not begin planning out your next trip, weekend getaway or even day trip to explore some local spots you've never been to before ? I'm pretty sure there's a hidden gem just around the corner that could be perfect for next weekend. Keep that traveler’s spirit alive!

If instead you want to pamper yourself, maybe look up a day spa in your area or a laid-back spa package.

6. Ease back into your routine

This one goes hand-in-hand with planning your return a few days early. Again, you may not think going from exploring to working could have any effect on your mood, but it definitely does.

Instead of going through a checklist of to-dos as soon as you get back, ease back into your daily routine. Take your time and allow yourself some moments to just breathe and detach. You're human, after all. If you have loads of things to do, instead of freaking out about the amount of workload that's waiting for you, set some small, realistic goals for the coming days and weeks to make your transition smoother.

7. Spend time with people who matter

Skip posting everything on your Instagram stories and instead meet up with your friends and family to tell each other about the adventures you had while traveling. Remember your swimming with turtles for the first time experience? Share it with them! Reach out to the people that matter in your life and plan a day out, hang out, or just grab dinner and some drinks together.

Remember, if you're experiencing any of the post-travel depression symptoms I mentioned before, the last thing you should do is isolate yourself! I know that keeping to yourself might be what you think you want but being alone won’t do any favors for your mood.

I’ve tried to soldier through on my own before, and it just made things worse. Trust me, being around people who care about you can really lift your spirit.

Wrapping up

So here they are, the seven tips that can really help with post-travel depression. If you're experiencing post-travel depression right now, don't worry, we've all been there. As in everything, learning how to deal with these emotions comes with experience. But there’s one more thing I want to talk to you about, something a bit more serious .

If you've been feeling really low for a while now, noticing that these tips aren’t helping much, and you’re stuck in a phase of sadness or depression, it might be a good idea to talk to someone about it .

I know, it's tough to admit sometimes, but feeling down after returning from a trip isn’t unusual, and it’s definitely not something to feel embarrassed about. I’ve been there, and I know many others have too. That’s actually why I wrote this article—I wanted to give some tips that can help you make your transition back home less stressful.

But if you’re really struggling and can’t seem to shake it off, please think about getting some professional help . Taking care of your mental health is super important remember, with the right approach, it’s completely possible to easily bounce back from post-travel depression.

Ready to beat the post-travel blues?

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How to overcome your post-travel blues

Who knew there was a form of depression specifically related to travel? Post-travel depression happens when you return home from a memorable trip wishing you were still abroad. Here's how to beat the post-travel blues and make the most of your transition home.

Rachael Let's Grow There

Nov 20, 2023

You've just returned home from an amazing trip abroad where you experienced inner growth , learned about a new culture, and developed a deeper love of world travel. You had a hard time stepping on your plane to come back home. 

A week or two flies by and you still can't help daydreaming about your trip, your suitcase is still not unpacked in the corner of your bedroom, and you are constantly tempted to book another flight.

You might be experiencing post-travel depression .

Who knew there was a form of depression specifically related to travel? Post-travel depression happens when you return home from a memorable trip wishing you were still abroad. Its symptoms vary, but there are several practical ways to beat the post-travel blues that Worldpackers wants to bring light to. 

Post-travel depression is when your trip comes to a close and you dread returning to the normal routine you wanted a vacation from in the first place. Avid travelers love the feeling of being in an unfamiliar country, stepping out of their comfort zone and experiencing ultimate freedom. 

This new and exciting environment is constantly creating new connections within the brain, forcing you to come up with solutions for problems you face on your travels. Research even shows that travel changes you for the better ! 

Exploring the world and immersing in local culture has the power to teach and transform.

Upon returning home, the transformation process is halted. Home has seemingly frozen in time, completely unchanged from when you left. The dramatic learning curve associated with frequent world travel is gone and your brain is stimulated at a much slower rate. 

You may have missed your family and friends while you were away, but there's nothing at home that can quite match the exhilarating and purposeful mindset travel puts you in . The whole act of coming home will seem very dull in comparison to the incredible destinations you were exploring while you were gone.

The longer you are away from home and more you've accustomed to travel as a form of education , the longer it might take to recuperate from the post-travel blues and shake off its symptoms. This depressive stage might last for a few weeks or up to several months after your return. 

Post-travel depression is heightened when we come to terms with the fact that our trip, however brief, has come to an end. 

We relive the memories, retelling the best moments we'll never forget, but you loved it so much you wish you were still there!

What are the symptoms of post-travel depression and what is the best way to deal with our post-travel blues? 

This is an important topic to address if we want to continue with our normal lives and get back in the swing of things. 

If our body, mind, and soul are continually bogged down by this mood and negative thought-pattern, there will be no room to grow because we are struggling to live in the present.

Symptoms of the post-travel blues may include:

• loss of focus
• mood swings
• lack of motivation
• sleeping too much or not enough
• increased desire to be alone
• appetite change

Coping with these symptoms will be different for every traveler, but rest assured that these feelings will eventually go away with time. The first step is recognizing you are experiencing post-travel depression , the next is to take active steps to overcome it.

So how exactly does one beat the post-travel blues? Here are some things you can try!

• Preserve your travel memories
• Plan your next trip
• Go on mini-adventures
• Try story-telling
• Keep finding ways to grow
• Make a change
• Remember what you missed

1. Preserve your travel memories

Travel infuses our life with exciting stories, eye-opening learning experiences, new skills to excel at, and beautiful memories that will always be a part of us. Try to think of creative ways to preserve your travel memories as you are living them. 

One of the easiest ways to do this is through a travel journal . After you return home, you can look back on your travel memories in fresh, vivid detail.

Collect your travel mementos such as ticket stubs, postcards, or souvenirs and put them in a shadow box to display in your home. If you're the crafty type, create a travel scrapbook and include your itinerary as well as relevant excerpts from your journal.

Create a nostalgic video montage of all the moments you chose to record, or make a sideshow of all your favorite travel photos. Turning these memories into tangible things will help you deal with your post-travel blues in a positive and practical way .

2. Plan your next trip

This is one of the most helpful coping mechanisms for post-travel depression . 

Planning your next trip lets you focus on your future travel goals by taking what you miss about your last trip and turning it into excitement for the next one! 

Not traveling any time soon? No problem. 

Start planning one of your future dream trips and work towards making it a reality.

3. Go on mini-adventures

You don't always have to plan an elaborate trip abroad to consider yourself an avid traveler! To travel is to explore an unfamiliar city, getting lost in its charm and experiencing it on a close and personal level. 

If you know you haven't seen everything your hometown has to offer, plan a weekend trip to see all the hidden gems. You never know what local treasures you'll discover that may just end up becoming your new favorite spot in town.

What are some places just a few hours from you that you've always wanted to see? Take a day trip to a nearby national park that has been on your travel radar for a while, book a ticket to see a museum that has piqued your interest, or bike through the city to travel at a more leisurely pace. 

Adventure is always out there if you're willing to seek it out!

4. Try story-telling

Share your travel experiences with your friends and loved ones. Sometimes voicing your emotions and talking it out can prove to be very cathartic. 

It works wonders for fighting the effects of post-travel depression and make you feel at ease.

5. Keep finding ways to grow

Make a promise to yourself that you'll keep finding ways to grow even though you're back home or traveling less. Mix up your old routine with some new ideas. 

Traveling makes you more open-minded and helps cultivate a growth mindset. Upon returning home, maintain this new mindset and sign up to learn a new skill.

Cook a culturally diverse meal once a week. Sign up for photography or art classes.

You'll likely be able to use some of these new skills on the next Worldpackers travel experience you sign up for!

If you're not progressing or cultivating new skills, it will be harder to kick the post-travel blues to the curb .

6. Make a change

After your travels, if you are still finding it difficult to adjust to your life at home, evaluate what needs to be different. 

Apply for jobs that may suit you better than your current one. Try out some new hobbies that you hadn't thought of trying before. Surround yourself with a new group of friends. 

Do whatever it takes to be true to yourself, your passions, and your constantly evolving self. After all, change is what travelers thrive on .

7. Remember what you missed

Be sure to stop and smell the roses. Think of all the things and people you missed the most when you were on your last adventure. 

Pick up your journal and jot down a few things you love about home that you really missed. This will help get you in a better head space and keep your post-travel depression symptoms at bay.

If you're coming home because you've run out of travel funds, Worldpackers would be happy to host you so that you can stay in your destination longer. Exchange your skills for free meals and accommodation as you help out a local family with their housework, gardening, and cooking. 

There are currently thousands of opportunities to exchange work for accommodation around the world . 

All you need to do is create a Worldpackers profile , search for hosts in the destination of your choice, and apply to the position you want!

You can also take on more involved volunteer opportunities like helping NGOs , getting involved in eco projects , or working at hostels . These opportunities will not only give you experience, but you'll have time to find paying jobs in the area, should you choose to stay there long-term and save your money to continue traveling. This makes the  work exchange concept ideal for anyone interesting in  using Worldpackers to became a full-time traveler .

On the flip side, if the stress of constant travel has worn you down and you need a place to call home for a little while, you could always join the Worldpackers community to find a temporary home base. 

As you get some much needed rest and relaxation, you can be a part of  work exchange programs  that will make it a fulfilling and rewarding experience to stay in one spot for longer.

Dealing with  post-travel blues isn't always easy, and thankfully we can learn a lot from it all. 

Experiencing post-travel depression can create a consistent hunger for growth within us that always keeps us in a transformative stage . 

We begin to have a deeper appreciation for the unforgettable life lessons we are taught through travel. It helps us realize the positive changes that are worth making in our lives so that we can do more and be better. 

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust

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Rachael Grow

Let's Grow There

Over the past five years I have worn many hats as a creative freelancer and have been able to pursue adventures across the globe. To me, travel is more than checking a box or sitting on the perfect beach all day. Travel is about self-discovery, keeping an open mind, and learning through culture immersion. In 2017 I was chosen by one of my favorite travel bloggers, The Blonde Abroad, to attend her first ever blogging retreat in Bali with a handful of other inspiring bloggers. It was truly a dream that taught me so much more than I could imagine. Fast-forward to 2019 when I was given the role of one of the lead English writer for Worldpackers. My in-depth articles touched on subjects like volunteer work, overcoming post-travel blues, outdoorsy tips, and boldly adventuring. Inner growth is my jam.

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Post-vacation depression is common, a psychologist says. Here's how to beat the post-holiday blues.

• Dr. Daniel Glazer is a clinical psychologist.
• He says it's common for people to feel down after returning from vacation.
• He recommends people keep track of their memories and bring something home with them from the trip.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Daniel Glazer . The following has been edited for length and clarity.

You go on a great holiday — a hiking vacation with your partner or a cruise with the family. It's a wonderful time, but when you get back to the hustle of your normal day-to-day, you might find yourself feeling down. It's something I've seen time and again with my patients as a psychologist: spikes in anxiety and moodiness after time away. 

We go on vacation to escape from the demands of reality. But when you come home and realize you've got to step back into that life you wanted to get away from, there's tension. 

Sometimes, there's a deeper reason for feeling down. At the beginning of vacation, we're full of excitement and anticipation. But by the end, it can feel like the good times gone by in the blink of an eye. Something precious, starting and ending, can bring up feelings about our own mortality and the fleeting nature of life. 

All of this is no reason to skip your next vacation, however. Here are six ways to fight the post-vacation blues and make sure your time away ends on a positive note. 

Keep track of your memories

Vacations are about unplugging, but they're also about creating new, positive memories. Whether it's simple moments, big thrills, or life-changing experiences, travel is full of memories. Keeping track of those is a great way to reflect on your vacation and realize just how much you got from your time away. 

There are a few ways to go about this. You can try scrapbooking — which has the added benefit of being a great way to unplug after you return home. Or, you can opt for the modern version by posting on social media — just make sure you're doing it for yourself, not for the dopamine hit of all those likes. 

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Journaling or writing a letter about your experience can also help you foster gratitude for everything you experienced during your time off. 

Learn a new skill and bring it home with you

Lifelong learners who have a keen sense of curiosity are more confident, resilient, and able to cope with stress. You can foster these benefits by trying something new on vacation and then bringing that experience home with you. 

Maybe you continue to cook a favorite dish you ate in Europe or sneak in phrases of a language you picked up before you departed. These actions keep your sense of adventure alive and give you a level of playfulness even when you're back to work. 

Spend time with friends and family

Vacations can be times of intense bonding, whether you're traveling with your family members or bonding with strangers on a group tour. Human interaction releases lots of feel-good neurotransmitters. But when we get home and no longer have an intense connection, we can feel lonely. 

To avoid that, arrange to spend time with friends and family when you get back from your holiday. You can catch up with them and tell them about your travels, which has the dual benefit of encouraging gratitude while also creating connections with others. 

Follow healthy habits

On vacation, you might tend to eat lots of treats, drink a bit too much, and stay up late. When you return home, getting back into your routine can be difficult, especially if you're battling jet lag. 

Switch your cocktails for mocktails, start following a good sleep hygiene routine, and make sure you're getting plenty of exercise. Spending time in nature can help reset your circadian rhythms when they've been thrown off by jet lag, and it will also help boost your mood. 

Expect some anxiety

We often think of anxiety as a problem that needs to be fixed as soon as possible. But really, anxiety is a normal part of being human. It's ok to expect some mood changes when you get back from vacation.

Know when you need to make bigger changes

If your symptoms start interfering with your day-to-day schedule, or you really dread returning to your job and other obligations, take some time to examine why — a qualified therapist can help with this. If you're very uncomfortable, it can be a sign that some things in your life—like your job, hobbies, or the amount of time you have to yourself — need to change.

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Why am I so sad after a vacation? How to deal with post-vacation depression

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Vacations are a wonderful and exciting part of life. They can expose you to new adventures and experiences that can change your life as you know it, or give you the relaxation and time off you need to be the best version of yourself. 

However, returning to normal life after vacation isn’t always an easy process. Coming back from vacation can cause stress, overwhelm, and unhappiness. In fact, this is so common that there is a term for this phenomenon: post-vacation depression.

Why Do I Feel Weird After Coming Back from Vacation? Why Am I Crying After a Trip?

There are many reasons someone might feel strange or sad after coming back from a trip. Coming back from vacations, especially longer ones, can feel like a big adjustment. After all, the look and feel of your daily life changes dramatically for a relatively long period of time. When it ends and you’re expected to return to your normal routine and responsibilities, it’s easy to get into a funk.

Sometimes, a trip is so wonderful and stimulating that returning to your normal life, with all its quirks and downsides, can be a bit of a letdown. It can be difficult to feel eager or happy about returning to work or school, doing things you don’t necessarily enjoy, when the past few days or weeks were filled with relaxation and excitement.

With other trips, perhaps you were really looking forward to them, and your high expectations ended up being met with disappointment. Something went wrong, or maybe the experience just wasn’t what you wanted it to be.

This sensation is referred to as post-vacation depression or post-travel blues, and is often caused by work stress or burnout, dissatisfaction with life, or a lack of relaxation during a vacation.

How you feel may not even be related to the vacation itself, but rather something else going on in your life. When we don’t know exactly what we’re feeling or why we’re feeling it, it’s helpful to have ways to figure it out, such as:

• Thought recording (i.e. journaling): Identify events that triggered distress, identify thoughts that were elicited automatically, identify evidence to support or counter the thought.
• Mindfulness : Be aware of what’s going on within and around you without judging.
• Education : Learn about the different types of feelings in order to better identify the ones you are experiencing
• Behavior activation skills: Find out what activities, people, places, or things make you feel the most satisfying or make you feel the most like yourself, then work to integrate more of them into your schedule.

What Is Post-Trip Depression?

Post-trip depression refers to a type of depression with a wide range of negative feelings that affects one’s functioning after going on vacation. Common symptoms include:

• Frustration/irritability
• Inability to focus
• Lack of motivation
• Sleep disruption

Though depression after vacation is certainly a real phenomenon , it is different from depression in that it is not recognized as an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). 

Post-trip depression is also a short-term condition. This means that, if your symptoms continue to persist, it may be worth exploring if you have a depressive disorder . Factors to consider when your post-trip depression persists are:

• Symptoms lasting for two or more weeks  
• Sustained changes in your mood and emotions
• Sustained changes in cognition, such as your awareness/perception, memory, reasoning, judging, or problem-solving abilities
• Dissociating from society
• iImpediment of any daily personal, relational, academic, or social functioning

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How Long Does Post-Vacation Syndrome Last?

Post-vacation depression usually lasts a few days, but some extreme cases last as long as two to three weeks. The duration of the condition can depend on a number of factors, such as:

• What specific symptoms is the individual experiencing
• How emotionally vulnerable a person is to negative feelings (either in general or at that moment in time)
• Overall life satisfaction (i.e. happiness with home, work, school, family, etc.)
• Amount of stress occurring in regular life (resistance to return to regular life)
• Events that occurred while on vacation 

If your symptoms continue to occur for more than two weeks, consider talking to a mental health professional, it’s possible you may be suffering from standard depression . This is diagnosable and has effective treatment approaches that can be administered by a therapist or psychiatric professional.

How Long Does It Take to Feel Normal After a Trip?

The length of time it takes for you to adjust to your “normal” after a vacation will likely depend on many factors. Your satisfaction with your life before your trip and the happiness or disappointment caused by the trip itself are two influential factors. Adjusting will take time, though there are ways to assess why it’s taking a while for you to adjust or help yourself get back to regular functioning. Some examples include: 

• Ensure returning to “normal” includes healthy habits and behavior activation (uplifting activities) rather than just typical or conforming behaviors
• Think about your situation before the trip: Were you happy, or did this trip highlight some unhappiness in your normal life? 
• Focus on a good self-care routine
• Establish firm boundaries and enforce them when they’re tested

Often, time is the main factor in adjusting from one situation to another, but these practices can help make the transition that much easier.

Is Post-Vacation Anxiety a Thing?

Post-vacation anxiety is not a condition recognized in the DSM-5. However, returning to the responsibilities and stress of normal life after being free on a vacation can absolutely cause a certain amount of anxiety . When we are in our regular flow of life, our responsibilities are always there, so the stress they cause may not feel overwhelming, since we are used to the same continued amount of pressure from them. 

The relief of freedom from responsibility that is often experienced on vacation can then make returning to them much more overwhelming, with the full weight of them returning all at once. Many may even come back from vacation with more work to do than when they left, due to work or school demands.

If the anxiety continues to affect your life well after the trip ends, it may be wise to seek advice from a mental health professional, as it may be a sign of chronic stress or an anxiety disorder . They will be able to inform you about your condition and guide you through appropriate treatments.

How Do I Stop Post-Travel Blues?

Over time, symptoms of post-travel blues will likely fade, but if you would like to help cushion the blow or need ways to help yourself cope, there are many practices you can do. Consider implementing the following practices to help you with your post-vacation blues:

• Incorporate adjustment time into vacation time to help ease you back into your routine
• Minimize the accumulation of demands prior to travel so that there aren’t too many tasks waiting when you return
• Treat feelings as your body communicating to you what you need more of. For example, if you feel lonely upon return, consider focusing on increasing time spent with those close to you outside of travel
• Consider the source of your negative feelings (Did you spend too much money? Do you regret things that happened on the trip?) and take steps to course correct.
• Be mindful of where you put your focus — is what you’re focusing on eliciting undesirable feelings?
• Focus on eating well, physical activity, rest, and other good self-care activities
• Limit the stressors in your life

Though post-travel depression is no fun, remember that this condition is temporary—you have it in you to return to your normal life or make the necessary changes to help ease your sadness and stress. Whether these adjustments look like personal lifestyle changes or seeking assistance from a mental health professional, there are many effective ways to treat post-vacation depression.

Published Jun 12, 2023

• Clinical writer
• Editorial writer
• Clinical reviewer

Laura Harris is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). She specializes in anger, anxiety, depression, stress management, coping strategies development, and problem-solving skills.

Alexandra “Alex” Cromer is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who has 4 years of experience partnering with adults, families, adolescents, and couples seeking help with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and trauma-related disorders.

Hannah is a Junior Copywriter at Thriveworks. She received her bachelor’s degree in English: Creative Writing with a minor in Spanish from Seattle Pacific University. Previously, Hannah has worked in copywriting positions in the car insurance and trucking sectors doing blog-style and journalistic writing and editing.

The information on this page is not intended to replace assistance, diagnosis, or treatment from a clinical or medical professional. Readers are urged to seek professional help if they are struggling with a mental health condition or another health concern.

If you’re in a crisis, do not use this site. Please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or use these resources to get immediate help.

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What is Post Travel Depression and How Can You Overcome It

Travel is often seen as a source of joy, adventure, and personal growth. Exploring new places, immersing yourself in other cultures and creating unforgettable memories can be incredibly fulfilling.

What many people don't talk about, however, is the emotional crash that can occur after returning from a trip. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as post-travel depression.

If you've experienced this after a trip, you're not alone. In this blog post, we'll learn what post-travel depression is, why it occurs, and most importantly, how you can overcome it.

Understanding Post-Travel Depression

Post-travel depression is a state of mind that occurs after returning from a long trip or vacation. It's characterized by feelings of sadness, restlessness, and longing for the experiences and contacts you had while traveling. You may dream about the places you visited, miss the freedom of exploration, and feel an emptiness in your daily routine.

Causes of post-travel depression

Several factors contribute to post-travel depression. First, the stark contrast between the excitement of travel and the monotony of everyday life can be challenging. When you're on the road, each day is full of new experiences and discoveries, while the routine at home can seem mundane in comparison.

Second, travel often means stepping out of your comfort zone and taking on new challenges. This can lead to personal growth, increased confidence, and a sense of accomplishment. When you return to your familiar surroundings, you may feel like you've taken a step backward, leading to a sense of disappointment or stagnation.

Finally, the contacts made while traveling can be intense and meaningful. Meeting new people, sharing experiences and forming bonds can create a sense of belonging and purpose. When you leave those connections behind, you can feel isolated and long for the sense of community you experienced on the trip.

Overcoming Post-Travel Depression

Although post-travel depression can be challenging, there are some strategies you can use to overcome it and make the transition back into your everyday life easier. Here are some practical tips to help you cope with this emotional phase:

1. Embrace the memories

Instead of dwelling on what you left behind, focus on the memories you created. Organize your photos, write a travel journal or create a scrapbook to preserve and relive the precious moments. This way you can keep the spirit of your trip alive even when you're back home.

2. Stay connected

Keep in touch with the people you met on your trip. Social media platforms, emails, or even scheduling future meetings can help maintain these connections and provide a sense of continuity. In addition, sharing stories and experiences with close people can facilitate the reintegration process.

3. Embrace new habits and perspectives

Use the personal growth and newfound inspiration from your journey to introduce positive changes into your daily life. Whether it's trying new foods, learning a language, or being more relaxed with time, incorporating elements from your travels can help you maintain a sense of adventure and growth.

4. Plan your next adventure

Having something to look forward to can be a powerful motivator. Start researching and planning your next trip, even if it's months or years away. Looking forward to your next adventure can help you shift your focus from what you've left behind to what lies ahead.

5. Explore your local environment

Rediscover the beauty and charm of your hometown or surrounding areas. Participate in activities you'd normally associate with travel, such as visiting museums, trying new cuisines, or going on hikes. Feeling like a tourist in your own city can help you experience new things and appreciate the wonders nearby.

6. Think about your trip

Take time to reflect on your travel experiences and what they meant to you. Think about the lessons you learned, the challenges you overcame, and the personal growth you achieved. Self-reflection can help you appreciate the value of your journey and understand how it has shaped you as a person.

Post-trip depression is a common emotional reaction to the end of an exciting journey. If you understand its causes and apply strategies to cope, you can manage the transition back to your everyday life well.

Enjoy the memories, stay connected with the people you met, incorporate new habits and perspectives, plan your next adventure, explore your surroundings, and reflect on your trip. Remember that the end of a trip is only the beginning of the next chapter in your travel story.

Disclaimer: While the tips in this blog post may be helpful for many people suffering from post-travel depression, it's important to note that they aren't intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you're struggling with persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or other symptoms of depression, be sure to see a qualified psychiatrist. They can provide you with individualized counseling and support to meet your needs. Remember, seeking professional help is a sign of strength and can lead to effective treatment and recovery.

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Tips to overcome Post-Travel Blues

If you have ever experienced feeling down after coming back from travelling, you are not alone - this phenomenon is the so-called post-travel blues. Through research by scientists, there is now an officially recognised name for it: Post-vacation syndrome (PVS).

What are post-travel blues?

Post-vacation-syndrome – also called post-travel blues or post-holiday depression – is when one experiences feelings of depression and/or anxiety after a vacation. It can also manifest as irritability, listlessness, difficulty concentrating, and sleep issues, i.e., insomnia or sleeping too much. In the past, most research focused on depression occurring during holidays. However, there has been an upsurge in post-holiday depression in recent decades. Consequently, scientists have begun to devote more attention to it. In 2015, a National Alliance on Mental Illness survey found that 64% of participants had experienced post-holiday blues.

What causes post-travel blues?

Mental health professionals believe several factors can trigger post-travel blues. However, most experts think transitioning from a holiday to everyday life can cause an adrenaline crash that accounts for the syndrome. There are two sides to this coin. On the one hand, some people find travels or the holidays highly stressful. Financial pressure, family friction, and reminders of lost loved ones can create emotional distress. Furthermore, the holidays tend to be a time of sheer abandon in health terms. Psychological stressors, rich food, alcohol consumption, late nights, and busy days can leave one feeling drained after a vacation.

However, travellers returning from a life-changing trip away may experience post-holiday depression for a different psychological reason. They may share the overindulgence factor with people who struggle with stressful vacations. However, unlike people who become emotionally overwhelmed during holidays, these individuals miss the exhilaration and adventure of the experience. One interviewed traveller said, 'When you travel, you grow fast. You learn so much about yourself and other people and cultures. Once you see different parts of the world, you are never the same again. But then you come home and everything and everyone around you is exactly like when you left. You feel this sense of emptiness you can't explain… It's a reverse culture shock'.

Whether you love or hate holidays, returning to everyday life after time away can cause adrenaline to dip significantly. The brain struggles to calibrate after experiencing such dramatically different cultures and environments. This causes the physical and psychological symptoms collectively recognised as a post-vacation syndrome.

How long does post-travel depression last?

Typically, post-travel blues do not last as long as other depressive states, but the syndrome's length differs between people. Some still experience PVS for months after their holiday. Others find their symptoms so debilitating that they interfere with their work and/or social life. If your post-holiday blues persist for a long time or are unmanageable, contact a mental healthcare professional, organisation, or helpline for advice. They are there to assist!

How to deal with post-travel blues

Fortunately, there are ways to get over post-travel blues or even avoid them altogether. Experts suggest these tips to combat the syndrome.

Before the trip

1) Book realistic return dates: Plan your return as carefully as you do your travels. Understandably, most people want to cram as many travel days into their leave allocation as possible. However, to avoid post-holiday depression, factoring in a couple of days to decompress can be enormously helpful. Avoid flying in on the Sunday night before the Monday you return to work. Instead, book your return date a few days earlier. This stop-gap will give you time to readjust before diving back into work and other commitments.

2) Schedule catch-up time: You can also minimise post-travel depression by using these extra leave days to catch up on work. This may include checking your emails, mulling over problems that may have cropped up, or preparing discussion notes.

3) Manage your expectations: Prepare yourself to be plunged into a different reality for a while, and acknowledge that this may shake you up emotionally and physically. Be aware of your psychological triggers, whether they may be fear of a foreign environment or an abrasive relative. Furthermore, figure out how you would best like to react to such uncomfortable situations ahead of time. Speak to a friend, family member, or mental health professional and map out a game plan for these potential pitfalls.

4) Create an inviting space for your return: Getting back to a mountain of laundry or a sink full of dirty dishes after a holiday can exacerbate post-holiday syndrome. It is naturally tempting to let household chores slide when you are rushing to make final holiday preparations. Nevertheless, remember that getting back to a clean, comfortable space is infinitely preferable!

5) Plan fun things to do when you arrive home: Think of what you would most like to do when you get back from holiday and plan accordingly. For example, put list of favourite movies to watch, or organise a catch-up with your loved ones. Whatever you choose to do, having some plans in place upon your return can help ease feelings of post-travel blues.

During the trip

1) Stay off social media: Jennifer Wallace is the author of the Glamour Magazine article entitled The Holiday is Over...Sob. What Now? She advises travellers to keep off social media while they are on vacation. ‘This helps you stay in the moment and relish every beautiful moment of your adventure without being distracted’, she explains.

2) Follow the 95% rule: A great tip to avoid stress after your holiday is to devote 5% of your time to work. Check your emails every day or two for any work 'fires' starting. However, applying this rule can be a delicate balance. Addressing problems early is a great way to avoid work issues snowballing. Nevertheless, it is critical to refer concerns to your team on the ground and trust them to address these. If you try to sort them out while away, you have virtually no chance of sticking to the 95% rule.

After the trip

1) Avoid procrastination: It can be tough to kick back into action when you arrive home. When basking in that post-vacation glow, Monday morning can seem far away, particularly if you return a few days early. However, putting things off is the worst thing you can do for your re-entry to reality. Remember why you put those scheduled catch-up times in place and stick to them!

2) Put time aside for people who feed your soul: Make time to reconnect with friends, family, and loved ones at home. You may not be able to communicate fully how mind-altering your journey has been. However, it will help those at home to understand your post-travel depression or elation, whichever side of the spectrum you fall on. And you may even find your revelations make them catch the travel bug too.

3) Bring travel rituals home: Holidays and traveling provide a wonderful opportunity to step back, reconnect with your passions, and rediscover what you truly love to do. They are also a chance to experience new things that make you feel happy and alive. It is easy to lose those treasures when you return to daily routines and commitments. However, you can also take them back home with you by setting aside time to do whatever fed your soul while away. Read, practise yoga, cook your favourite holiday dish, take a sunset stroll – or do whatever else you most enjoyed on your travel experiences.

4) Get active: An extensive body of research shows that exercise has significant mental and physical health benefits. These include raising the body’s endorphin levels – the body’s ‘feel-good neurotransmitters’. Therefore, exercise can be an excellent antidote to stress, depression, and anxiety, including post-travel blues. You do not need to spend hours working out or doing high-impact exercise for it to make a difference. Even a 15-minute walk can help to shift your mood.

Why we need holidays

'Holidays are a medical necessity!', says Wallace. Research shows that vacations do more good than harm for most people. The Framingham Heart Study found that taking regular holidays lowers the risk of heart attacks by 32% in men and 50% in women. So take that time off, guilt-free! Just be sure to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools to diffuse potential PVS should you need them. Additionally, remember that this syndrome usually passes relatively quickly - but unforgettable travel memories last forever.

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What Is After Travel Depression? SIMPLE Strategies On How To Cope!

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Post-holiday blues can sneak up on you and completely smack you off your feet! It can suck the life and happy vibes right out of your soul. 

Going from one extreme of the buzz of exploring a new country, destination, or culture to being back in boring reality can be pretty daunting!

Not all of us can travel full-time even if we wanted to! So for some of us, this is reality!

Coming home after traveling, returning to work, and returning to routine.

Post-travel depression after a trip is so real that they even have an acronym for it – PTD.  Go figure!

In this Post:

1: Why do we feel the post-trip blues?

2: How to get over post-travel depression

3: Benefits of after-travel depression – because yes, there are some!

What is Post Holiday Blues?

Post-vacation blues or post-holiday blues is a type of depressed and anxious mood that holidaymakers often experience when returning home from a trip. 

While symptoms usually are mild feelings of being dissatisfied with life, they might also include short bouts of crying after vacation has ended.

Why do we feel the Post Travel Blues?

It seems that there can be a multitude of reasons why we feel depressed after vacation. Travel is beneficial to our health in so many ways.

There are valid reasons for these post-holiday blues, and true reasons as to why it is so hard to adjust back to your normal way of life. 

This image from Getaway Brigade wraps the post-holiday depression symptoms real well.

5 Typical Post Travel Depression Symptoms

The symptoms of post-holiday depression can really include some or even all of the following: anxiety, fatigue, irritability, mood swings, headaches, sleeping too much or too little, change in appetite, weight loss or gain, inability to concentrate, increased desire to be alone, and loss of interest in things you usually enjoy.

Clinical psychologist Linda Blair says: ‘Bear in mind it takes a good three days to wind down when you go on holiday so likewise, it will take you a bit of time to re-immerse yourself in real life.’

My Story of Travel Depression Anxiety:

We recently came back from a family holiday to Cambodia . I am now on long service leave and therefore have no job except for blogging to return to, I thought our return from Cambodia would be a happy one! 

However, knowing we are home-bound for my last trimester of pregnancy and the birth of my baby has escalated my post-traveling depression to a new dimension.

There is nothing like feeling like you are stuck!! That you have no choice but to be where you are right this minute! 

No matter how strong you can feel the pull to explore and wander some more.

I think that to some extent all of the points in the image; that outlines the reasons for depression after traveling; applies to our return after coming back from holiday!   Understanding post-trip depression helps you to move beyond the symptoms.

1.  The sadness from leaving behind a new country explored, the friendships made along the way, and the favorite destinations in the country that connected with your soul, all of which have the potential to leave you feeling depressed after traveling.

2.  The nostalgia that comes from having an awesome trip and knowing that it is a once-in-a-lifetime memory!

3.  Having to return to the routine of life , the school lunches, the school drop-offs!  Having to do our own washing again and make our own meals. 

Knowing that there is no adventure or excitement awaiting us every single day and that some days will just be ‘boring’ as we get some jobs and housework out of the way!

4.  Reverse culture shock !  I think we have felt reverse culture shock to the extremes on our return from our two last trips! 

Visiting countries where people have to go through a harder lifestyle than us and experiencing how people who work incredibly hard and have so few material things against their names, can be so incredibly happy with life! 

And here we are, lucky and fortunate in a country where luxury is almost a given and material things consume our lives! The difference between our lifestyle compared to theirs really struck us!

5.  And of course, even as travel bloggers we still come home with a credit card bill that we need to repay before our next travels!

At 24 weeks pregnant, I could barely see those wanderlust feet of mine!

I have restless soul syndrome!  And this being ‘stuck’ at home is making my after traveling depression pretty damn real!

How to Beat the Post-Travel Depression 

Below is a list of ideas on how to deal with post-travel depression.  

Now as an important side note, if you have more than post-holiday blues and it is edging towards severe depression after vacation, you really need to stop reading my post and get yourself some professional help.

1. Allow yourself time to adjust

It is important to realize that it is pretty normal to feel depressed after travelling.  

And often we used up our energy on an adrenaline rush to explore a new destination, only to get back home with little to zero energy left for the normal everyday stuff.

Next, it is important to deal with jet lag. “The body clock, which is in the brain in the hypothalamus, takes a few days to adjust to the timing of light and darkness at the destination, and this disrupted rhythm results in a host of unpleasant symptoms, including tiredness, headache, disorientation, poor concentration, and indigestion,” explains Dr Peter Prendergast of Venus Medical.  

Allow yourself time to adjust and do expect a level of after-trip depression to show up.

If at all possible, build in an extra vacation day at the end of your trip to simply be at home and recover!

2. Keep hold of your Travel Memories in a creative way

One of the easiest ways to help move past the depression after travel is to start working on recording those travel memories in some creative way.

“Research has shown that if we can recall positive memories they can boost our positive emotions at the moment,” says Dr Green, a clinical psychologist and founder of The Positivity Institute.

• Turn your favorite travel photos into canvas prints. We love finding cheap canvas deals with Easy Canvas Prints.   Grab your 25% off plus FREE shipping with our link.
• Make a slideshow or montage from your favorite travel photos and videos. Then you can easily watch it back and revisit your incredible memories, plus you can share it with friends. 
• Write blog posts about your travels.
• Create a coffee photo book for your vacation. My go-to photo book printing company is Blurb!
• Get hands-on and lose yourself in the art and craft of scrapbooking. I love to create travel scrapbooks of my trips so that I can include ticket stubs and pamphlets from the holiday. A brilliant product to organize all your ticket stubs is Just the Ticket: Ticket Stub Organizer .  A really awesome product!

3.  Be a Tourist in your own Area

While we are grounded for the last trimester we are doing our best to keep the wanderlust bug at bay by exploring more of the local area! 

Recently we had a beautiful and relaxing day exploring all that Noosa on the Sunshine Coast has to offer!  Blog research of course! 

But at least it gets us out and exploring.  I think this view says it all!

4.  Evaluate what isn’t working

Maybe it is time to look at why home life is so depressing.  Are you too busy?  Do you need to change your job?  

Do you need more balance in life?  Do you have fun hobbies and activities that you participate in?  

Ask yourself some questions and try to understand why being home is so hard.  Can you make any changes?

A really good book to read is  The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich .  It is a great eye-opener to looking at life with fresh eyes and reevaluating whether the 9-5 lifestyle is making you happy.

5.  Practice thankfulness through a gratitude journal

My passion area in counseling is meditation and gratitude.  Gratitude is so incredibly powerful.  

When you express gratitude (or thankfulness), you create a surge of ”feel-good” brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.  

In fact, several studies show that being grateful reduces the risk of depression.

I did a research project in my master of counseling that was centered around gratitude’s connection with well-being and happiness and the results were incredible!

There are two super easy ways to practice gratitude.  You might choose to share your thoughts on thankfulness with another person.  

We do this every night around the dinner table.  Or for those who love to keep their thoughts private, you might choose to express your gratitude by journaling.

I personally love The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life !  You will be surprised how beneficial thankfulness can be when you are struggling with post-travel depression.

6.  Start planning the next trip!

I love planning trips! That is something that I enjoy even more than writing about them post-trip. 

So even though I know we can’t head anywhere far from home till baby-love is at least 6 weeks old, I am already planning and prepping for our next trip abroad! 

We have already bought tickets for our entire family for a trip to Bali, Lombok and Gili Islands! 

I’m onto finding our accommodation and slowly making my way through figuring out which day trips will be newborn-baby-friendly whilst there!

It keeps me moving forward and it keeps me motivated!  The blues are still there in the background, lingering around, but at least I can choose to focus on something more pleasant than to just sulk around!

Planning a trip, no matter how prematurely can be really beneficial.  

Dr Green, a clinical psychologist and founder of  The Positivity Institute, says: “Research tells us that anticipation of the experience of pleasure is nearly as pleasurable as the experience itself.”

So even if the trip is years away,  go and start brainstorming where you want to go and what you want to see.

Books are always brilliant for inspiring some travel ideas.  Here are some of my favorites!

7.  Use journaling to foster positive change

Journaling is another powerful tool that you can make use of.  It can be so ‘releasing’ to simply get your thoughts out on paper.  

Clear out your brain for more positive and happy thoughts.  

If your head is full of negativity, it can be hard to squeeze in positive thoughts, so grab a journal and release the thoughts that are currently there.

Make it a daily practice.  And simply write 1-3 pages every morning or every night.  Write whatever comes up in your brain, the idea here is to simply let go and get it out!  

8. Pick a job that allows you to earn whilst traveling!

What do you currently do for a living?  Could you incorporate travel into your career? 

For example a teacher can teach anywhere in the world.  A hairdresser can cut hair wherever they want.  See our post on the best travel jobs in the world .

9. Find out what your future has in store!

How about trying something different and somewhat exciting? Reach out to an alternative option and seek a place that can provide you with a free psychic reading.

This way you might get a glimpse into your future and create excitement that open you up to new possibilities.

As hard as it is to live with post travel depression, especially when you know that there are no immediate trips in your near future, there is actually a positive side to the misery that comes from the blues that follows a holiday. For me it teaches you about aspects of yourself or your life that you are not happy with!  Why did these emotions tackle me and what is it that I need to change in order to be happier to return home in the future?  What is working in your life and what is not!  Travel is addictive, but it is also important to have an addictive lifestyle that you are passionate about even when you are NOT traveling!

Benefits of Post-Vacation Blues

• Post-travel depression can help us figure out what we are not enjoying about our current way of life, and open our eyes to what we are truly passionate about!
• It opens our yearning to do more with our lives, to be more, to travel more, to learn and discover more!
• Post-travel depression is a great motivator to start saving those dollars for the next trip away!
• It makes you appreciate how lucky we truly are to be able to travel and explore other countries and other ways of life!
• It makes us re-evaluate how we live and makes us notice the things that we tend to normally take for granted!
• It makes us take action to break away from the normal routines of life!

Post Travel Depression Quotes – Because for some Reason Quotes Help! What about you!  Have you ever suffered from after holiday blues   ?  What did you learn from feeling depressed after vacation?  What did you do to overcome your  post trip depression ?

Beautiful photo of a sunset at a beach in Noosa National Park!  Sometimes beauty lies just beyond your front door!

Travel; makes u grateful for what u have, but also opens your eyes to how different life could be!

Jolene Ejmont

44 thoughts on “what is after travel depression simple strategies on how to cope”.

as travel blogger somehow i feel greedy to explore all the world but when i see my pocket is empty but does not mean stopping from travelling

Yes very true!

I know this feeling too well – having several places that feel like home around Europe. In the end it’s always the people you miss the most! Would someone invent teleporting already?? 🙂

Yes please!!! 🙂

^^^ If only teleportation was possible, right? I was actually in Cape Town for 10 weeks and am back in the US. PTD has been hitting me quite hard and it’s so difficult to shake it off. I’ve met with friends and have been running errands all around but nothing feels right. It’s as if time stood still here and nothing has changed. I love my friends and family and am still in graduate school, so I do have things to take care of, but nothing compares to the experiences I had in South Africa. I felt as if I had so much growth abroad that it’s hard to avoid reverting to old ways being back home. The only thing keeping me motivated is planning another trip. Just have to figure out the financial means to make that happen again.

It is hard isn’t it!! Especially when you connect with destination as much as you have in SA (I love Cape Town! Can’t wait to return myself!). I think the more we travel than more we yearn for more and more and more! I hope you get to travel again soon!! At least planning the next trip is exciting, we have 2 weeks till our next trip and I can’t wait!!

Struggling big time now. Been home 4 days and can’t stand it. Next 4 trips are booked in but I just wanna go now!!

It is hard isn’t it!! Best way is to just be on a permanent holiday … if only that was possible!! Hope that next trip is soon for you! 🙂

Currently suffering PTD ???? Just camr back from almost 3 weeks in Japan & its hitting me at some times of the day. Having been to Japan vs my hometown is very depressing as I can see the wide difference… trying to shake it off… this has been the longest vacation I had.. now I’m trying to plan my next trip back as a diversion… even normal.office routine is hard

Yes!! PTD is not fun! I have experienced it and have seen it in my friends too! We just came back from a 3 week trip to Japan too! Talk about a coincidence!! And yes, I am in full swing planning our trip to France!!! Trying to keep busy, but already over the routine of life at home! Hope things look up for you soon Mylene!

Just returned from a 2 year trip, I definitely feel it! You are on point when you say that it makes you realize how lucky we are to be able to travel. And reverse travel shock? BIG TIME! I love returning home but it only takes a few short weeks to get me ready for the next adventure!

Edit: Reverse CULTURE shock*

The part where you said “it teaches you about aspects of yourself or your life that you are not happy with” really resonated with me. After coming back from my travels, I always get a clearer perspective of what’s keeping me unhappy and what sort of changes I should finally make to move towards happiness. Very awesome and insightful post!

Exactly! And whilst that might be hard, change and moving forward in life is always good! 🙂

Sometimes we just don’t want to go back to real life, it takes a few days for us to get back to normal after traveling to awesome places.

Yes, I think it is normal to have a few hard days back in reality! The problem is when those few days turn into weeks or a month 🙂

I came back from my first trip abroad. I had some sought of internship in London . Then I visited Scotland where I had so much fun and met so many people. After that I went to lake district where I took part in many adventure activities . Overall I felt different about myself and I felt different I can’t explain it . It was roughly 1 and a half month trip. Now I am back in India and I just miss everything . Sometimes , it feels like I was a whole different person .

Hi Manvi, I definitely think that you can be a different version of yourself in different cultures. I know that I felt more ‘at peace’ with myself in Italy. I hope that you adjust back to life in India soon and that you can experience more trips/internships in the future! Thanks for sharing your journey 🙂

Shout out to you people ….I love travelling but this was my first trip in 5 years to new York …it’s already been 22 days I came back from my vacation …I still feel like my mind doesn’t belong to where I am now ……those beautiful moments captured in camera makes me smile and I think why I had to leave those moments ….I wish I had a time travel machine….hope life will come down to normal ….but till now I don’t want to be where I am now ….just want to go where I was for two weeks ….is there any medicine to come over this depression ? I am in London now …

Hi Rana, it is fairly normal to feel like this! We just returned from a trip to Europe and it has been a struggle to adjust again. My heart just wants to head off again! It normally does fade over a few weeks time as you adjust back to normal life. But if you find that it doesn’t, see a doctor as they can prescribe some meds to help you if you need.

Hi Jolene, When I got back from my 2 weeks trip from Japan last year, I kept dreaming about the country every night for 2 weeks. Thanked God, I could overcome it after all. It was not easy though…. 🙁

I know this inclination too well – having a few places that vibe like home around America. At last, it’s dependably the general population you miss the most

Yes, it really can be like that when you just easily click with the culture of the destination you are visiting! 🙂

leaving tmr and the PTD is making me so upset, its already been a month time flies

Excellent Post. I guess, Stress is the most common thing that can be seen after Holidays. For that, I always make a list of all the things I want to do as soon as I come home. I think doing something exciting inspires you to live more and stress free. Infact I have watched a video also in which tips are given regarding how can we cope up with Post Holiday Blues and I really liked the third tip which states – Wear something you feel good in. Wearing something you like will definitely boost your mood. You can also take a look on the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEAYxer0kws , the other tips are also really useful.

Thanks Ashpreet! Great tips and thanks for sharing thanks for sharing the link to the video for those who would like to watch it.

Thank you for this, I thought I was losing my mind. Just back from exploring Bali and Thailand for a month and feel like I am in an alternate (sad) universe, crying for no reason. Grateful you shared about this and also write about the benefits, it is helping me, thank you!

Glad to hear it was helpful Talyn – Hope you recover from the PTD soon!

I just got back from Bali with my husband..beautiful country amazing people..we had initially went for a yoga retreat but unfortunately it wasn’t a good environment and our teacher did not plan well so we left the retreat and stayed in UBud for a few days..but before that the beginning of our vacation started at a resort before the yoga retreat and my husband suffered tremendously from the long plane flight and had possibly blood clot..so we spent several days back and forth to health clinic and hospital. Luckily they were able to help..but I think the stress with that plus the yoga retreat not being what we had hoped and then the long flight back home just took a toll on me 🙁 it’s been a week and I’ve had zero energy during the day and I’m wide awake at night 🙁 I feel resentful for the yoga teacher charging us 4,000.00 and have emailed her for 50% of our money back another lady was also upset with the environment and left too. We also had to pay for the hospital charged and unexpected hotel cost etch which was ok but I had this vision this would be the best trip ever and it wasn’t 🙁 all my friends were so excited to hear about our adventure and I just wanted to cry. The one thing that’s helping me is the new friendships I did make and the exposure of the culture and beautiful people…

Hi Marie, sounds like a disappointing trip. Sorry to hear about all the drama. Unfortunately, things sometimes go wrong no matter where we are in the world. Did you have any travel insurance for the trip? You should be able to claim for the hospital expenses etc on that? Hope that the yoga retreat helps to refund some of your money for you. I’m glad to hear that you are ending your comment on a happy note and I hope that the next weeks will go a bit better for you.

I am really glad to have come across this because I made me realize I am not alone in this struggle. I usually feel depressed every time I return home from a holiday that I enjoyed, and I find it hard to get back into the daily monotonous routine of life, such as going back to work, etc. I suffered a major bout of PTD about four years back after I returned from a trip to New Zealand. It was only a two week trip, but I guess I loved it so much I didn’t want it to end. Just got back a few days ago from a trip to Japan, and I am feeling the same way. The f funny thing is, the first couple days of the trip I am actually abit homesick, but then its like I start to get attached to the place and miss it so much once its time to go home. Its difficult talking to others about it because quite often they don’t really understand, they just feel you should get over it, and they may not share your own love/passion for travel. It is hard, but I also realize that all good things in life have to come to an end at some point. Rather than be depressed that its over, I try to be happy that it happened, and that I actually got the opportunity to go to these places. And of course, there is always tomorrow, and the chance to go back again one day. But its great to know I am not alone in this!

Thanks for sharing your story AGM. I love that you finish off your comment with loads of positive vibes and with a positive outlook on the future! All the best to you!

I just traveled to bali one week ago, and I’m still suffering PTD until now 🙁 what makes me sad the most is my friends. My friends and I went to Bali, we did everything together in there and now it feels weird when I’m not around them

That sounds hard Risma. Do they live close that you can organize some regular catch ups with them to help you a bit? Or maybe you guys could start planning your next ‘friends’ holiday?

I’ve been back for almost 3 months after 2 and a half years away travelling and STILL have bad PTD. No motivation to leave the house and wanting to be alone. Fear of reality. Enjoy spending time with my family but avoiding everyone else. I’m slowly getting better but it hit me hard.

Oh, Felicity that really sounds hard. I hope you have been getting some support from family and seeking some professional help you guide you through it all.

Thanks for this! We just returned from a 3 week trip to Israel where we celebrated our son’s Bar Mitzvah so it was a super special one to boot. 1 day in and I’m already experiencing PTD! Love your suggestions and will repost to my blog, AlyaBuzz! thanks and congrats on the baby!!!

Thanks so much! 🙂 Glad you found the suggestions helpful. Sounds like you had a super special trip!

This has helped so much. Thank you. I didn’t even realize there was a name to this phenomenon until recently, and already I feel much more not alone. I almost always experience PTD for trips which are longer than a weekend or a few days. Just yesterday I got back from a trip to Southern Africa. We started in Joburg, went to Kruger, Vic Falls, Sossusvlei in Namibia, and ended with Cape Town, and there were layovers both ways thru Istanbul. Altho the trip at times felt rushed since we squeezed in so much in just over two weeks, and there were tensions among us due to the difficulties of cohabitation with, (there was actually a couple fights with one friend), the trip overall was the blast of a lifetime, and really changed me personally. One friend in particular is very special to me, and I miss him the most already. The San Francisco Bay Area feels like a different planet from Southern Africa right now, even though I may have noticed similarities when I was actually there on the ground. I know I’ll get over it, but it’s just really tough right now. Maybe I’ll check this out in a few weeks and reflect back on my feelings then from now 🙂

Thanks for your comment Bobby. Grateful the post has helped – sometimes just knowing that your feelings are fairly normal helps your brain settle a bit. I do find that it hits me more when I visit countries that are just so diverse and different to Australia that I call home. Will be interesting to see your reflection in a few weeks, hope you leave us another comment 🙂 All the best.

Think I’m a bit late to the party here but so glad I found this post of yours. I have always struggled with PTD, as long as I can remember, but this time it’s worse than ever. I had a really rough year, I struggled with mental illness quite bad and ended up quitting my job. I moved to NYC after graduation and have a studio apartment there, so I spent most of my time there this year lonely and waiting for better days ahead. I just returned from my dream trip to Australia and New Zealand, went with my dad and stayed for almost a month. For the last few months this trip has been the only thing on my mind, the one thing that was getting me through everything else. I’d think “yeah ok today sucks but get through 60 more of these and then you get to go on your trip”. Now it’s over and I have to face that my day to day life isn’t something I’m happy with. I’d love to change direction but I’m fairly scared to. Not to mention I can’t help but think back to all the amazing times my dad and I had on vacation, and instead of the memories making me happy, it’s making me cry because I was so happy and it’s so different from how I normally feel. I also just miss the vacation excitement, waking up every day in a beautiful place ready for an adventure. I just hope this eases soon, I’ve dealt with it before but never to this extent. I had a panic attack on the flight home yesterday and have been having more since. Ugh. Anyway, I also find it funny that you live in the exact place I’m dying to be back at, yet you deal with PTD coming back there from elsewhere. So funny how where we live changes our view on everything. I’d love to be back in Noosa and on the Sunshine Coast but I’m sure if I lived there it’d be completely different. So weird how that all works.

Thank you very much for the comment Sarah, and apologies for a much-delayed reply.

As you said, it is funny how where we live changes our view on everything… We love coming back to Australia and to our home on the Sunshine Coast. Saying that, we still get the PTD regardless.

Hope that you will visit hte Sunshine Coast again soon 🙂 or that you have already been again, since you wrote this comment.

All the very best and safe travel in the future.

Thanks for writing this post. It’s inspired me to write about post holiday depression too 🙂 I’m certainly going through these strange feelings and crazy mixed confronting emotions with every interaction I’m having. It’s nice to read people have similar experiences

Yes, I think all travellers experience PTD to some extent. It is especially hard to not travel in the current times. All best to you and glad that we could inspire you to write about it as well. 🙂

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How to Deal with Post-Vacation Blues and Be Happy Again

Traveling the world for a short or long period is always incredible. None of the experiences you get home can’t be compared to those you get abroad, as every country has its own culture and traditions. Therefore, you experience wonderful things that you can’t at home. And no matter how long you travel, going back is always both exciting and a bit sad.

Travelers who get back home after a couple of weeks of travel can feel sad after vacation they just spent on a sunny beach, in a busy but adventurous city, hiking and trekking in various gorgeous places, or visiting family and friends. But travelers who get back home after a year or so might even experience the so-called post-vacation depression .

End of vacation blues always hit travelers since the trip is coming to an end, and the “normal” life is all around. It usually occurs in the last week or the last several days of a trip. And while on the last run of completing the things-to-do-during-the-trip list, this feeling will dissipate for a couple of weeks after you arrive home.

Travelers who used to discover the world, explore diverse locations, meet people, and pursue their goals freely, now have to get back to the point they were left when their journey started. And that is not always easy. No wonder post-travel depression is an expected occurrence.

So, while you may be one of them, you are probably seeking answers. You may have a lot of questions now as life has changed for you, but not for those who surround you at home. That’s why we’ll answer some questions that may appear in your mind, and after that, we’ll provide you with some tips to overcome your after trip depression.

What Is Post-Travel Depression?

It is a feeling that is usually experienced by travelers who get back to the life they used to live before they went on traveling. Not every traveler experience it, but the majority are having it due to the high transformative feature of travel. No matter how stubborn is a person to new conditions, he might get changed after a trip. People who travel around the world and feel on their skin diverse life situations, occurrences, events, discover traditions, culture through interacting closely with the locals are more likely to get depressed after travel.

Why Do I Experience Depression After Traveling?

As said, travel is highly transformative. People’s minds and life aspects get changed as they get to perceive the world differently when they see, feel, think about, and experience on their skin things that can’t be experienced while living in a constant ambiance. By traveling, you discover a brand new world, and if you carry back home the knowledge and experience you got from your trip, you will find out that it doesn’t fit in the reality you just got back to.

How to Actually Overcome Depression After Vacation?

As depression can seriously impact mental health, overcoming it is vital for your well-being and, consequently, for the quality of your life. Keeping a positive mindset is the key factor, and as you are already seeking an answer, you are just a few steps from being happy and motivated again. After all, knocking over post-trip depression is just a matter of time and is on the length of a great piece of advice. Read on to find out several tips on the topic.

1. Keep You Schedule Busy on the Last Days of Your Trip

To capture every positive memory possible, get your schedule busy on the last days of your stay in a foreign country. Go to a masterclass and learn something new. For instance, attend a photography workshop or a cooking lesson. Visit the places you haven’t been to yet and capture gorgeous pictures of them. Have one last dinner in a location that you know will remind you about your trip years ahead.

Inhale every moment of your trip and keep them in your mind and heart. Travel depression, in this case, won’t have time to hit you, as you will be busy doing other significant things than being bored and sad about your travel ending.

2. Don’t Rush to Work and Study (If Possible)

If you go right back to work or study, it might be indeed hard to perceive the life that you used to live a while ago. Post-travel depression symptoms include apathy, unmotivated state of being, and even loss of appetite. And work won’t make matters better, as you may feel life dreads more at work than anywhere else.

Getting time-off before you get back to your previous routine will provide you with the possibility to unpack, to get rid of jetlag, get comfortable back at home, sort through your memories, meet some of your friends, and get accommodated with your new life. This will offer you the time to transition back to the life you had before you went on to travel and you won’t feel as depressed.

3. Meet with Your Friends

Connecting with friends is always good, as you can have their support, their friendship, their love and care. When you get back with your beloved ones, you don’t feel the pressure of the reality as hard, as you might have their hand of help anytime you need it. What’s for sure, they will want to hear your story. When recollecting your travel memories, you don’t feel as stressed, and there is always hope of getting back to traveling.

Though it sounds easy, it might bring a feeling of nostalgia. So, it is essential to keep a positive mindset and, therefore, make your memories a weapon against bad mood, depression, and stress. Let memories be your sunshine on a rainy day and your good news on a bad day.  

4. Follow the Mindset of a Traveler

Who says you can’t be excited at home as you have been when traveling? You had experienced a lot of exciting things when you were on a trip, got engaged in fun activities, and tried a ton of good food, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do the same at your place.

To overcome the depression after coming back from vacation, don’t hop on your usual routine instantly and proceed following it without any changes. Pamper yourself with exquisite dinners from time to time and go to some cooking or dancing lessons (learn something new). This will definitely boost your mood, and you won’t feel nostalgic as when you’ll follow your usual routine.

5. Don’t Stop Traveling

You may experience exciting things at home as if you are on a trip when you don’t stop traveling. Yes, it is possible to keep your traveling routine at your place by exploring the surrounding you have to live in now. Go to a local museum and learn about some historical things, go for a walk around the city, visit some monuments and take tons of pictures. Even usual things might hide something unexpected and exciting, so why not give it a try?  

6. Share Your Story by Sharing Photos from Your Trip

When coming back from vacation, depression might hit you hard if you don’t share your experience. At the point when you return home, your friends and family might be already pissed off by the multitude of pictures and stories you have provided them with when traveling. But that doesn’t mean you have to hold back your feelings. Share with the world the best, or the worst, things you have encountered while on a trip, and let your feelings flow.

7. Read / Create You Travel Blog or Travel Diary

In addition to the previous tip, you might also want to share your story that you wrote in your diary while traveling. Vacation depression can affect your mental health a lot if you hide your feelings. Sharing with someone what you experienced when traveling might help you as you will cheer up when you recollect the best moments you have had.

If you don’t have any written records of your travel experience, perhaps creating a travel blog or a travel diary can sweep your sadness away. This will keep you busy, and you won’t have time to feel nostalgic. What’s more, you will experience incredible moments of your journey when recollecting them.

8. Adorn Your Home with Souvenirs

You might have brought home a ton of souvenirs from your journey, and now it’s time to decorate the house with them. Take your time and seek the best place for every specific item. You will be delighted to reminisce about the stunning moment of your trip every time you put in your hand a piece of souvenir, and this will definitely bring a smile on your face. Additionally, your mood will be boosted every time your glance falls on one of them. Isn’t it a wonderful feeling?

9. Make Travel Plans

No matter how severe depression after vacation may be, don’t stop making travel plans. Yes, you are at the point where you left a month, half a year, or more than a year ago. But that doesn’t mean your travel has stopped here. The reality is as it is, and the best you can do is to accept it and find ways to apply your knowledge and experience. This might cheer you up a bit, as well.

If you keep the hope to get back to traveling again, the feeling of nostalgia won’t knock you out at all. You are the master of your dreams, so why not keep dreaming of traveling? Just don’t fall into your imagination completely. There is a reason you are back now. So, find it, keep living, and travel when you are done.  

10. Pamper Yourself

To beat the depression after returning from vacation, relax as much as you can. As we previously said, take your time to accommodate (if possible) and then get back to your usual routine. You might have had no time to care about your appearance and health as much on your trip, but now, as you are back, you can relax and pamper yourself with a spa or massage session, healthy food, and perhaps, you may want to hit the gym, again.

11. Help Travelers

Now that you are home, you won’t be considered a traveler anymore. Now you are a native. That means you can help travelers who visit your place, just like you were by inhabitants of the area you visited a while ago. If you see people on the streets, who are carefully inspecting a map or are wandering around confused, give them a hand of help.

If you want to go further, you can join a forum conversation and help visitors traveling to your place with guidance on locations and places. If you know a lot about the area you have visited, you might want to share with your experience by providing travel suggestions and information, as well.

Post-vacation blues are a common occurrence, and overcoming it might be different for everyone. If you follow the above-mentioned tips, you are going to feel a lot better. One for sure, you know how to get over post-vacation blues now.

Spell out your feelings and your opinions in the comment section below, and make your story heard out. We are always happy to hear your stories and give you the support you may need.

Last Updated on December 10, 2019.

Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Travel Better, Cheaper, Longer

Post-Vacation Depression: Why It’s Often Hard to Come Home

Before my first trip around the world , I was driving through Boston with my friend Mike. I was talking about how excited I was about my upcoming travel and how I was looking forward to seeing all the changes that would happen in Boston while I was away.

Where would my friends be in life? How would they have changed? What jobs would they have? New hobbies? New relationships? What would the city be like?

The possibilities seemed endless.

“Matt, everything will be exactly how you left it,” he said. “Look, when I studied abroad, I thought the same thing. But in truth, nothing will be different when you come home. Everything and everyone will be the same.”

“A lot can happen in a year, Mike.”

“I’m telling you, Matt,” he continued, “life will be just the way you left it. You’ll see.”

When I came back home eighteen months later, I realized that he had been right. While I had changed, home hadn’t. My friends, now heading into their late twenties, still had the same jobs, were going to the same bars, and were mostly doing the same things. They were still the same people I had left before. Moreover, Boston itself just felt the same. It had the same vibe as it had had before. There was still construction everywhere, and the restaurants were still the same.

Mike had been right. While I had grown, home had remained frozen in time.

And while I still loved my friends, family, and city, I realized I didn’t fit into Boston anymore. It felt small to me. I had outgrown living there.

However, the worst part was I now had this fire in me that I couldn’t express to anyone I knew. I yearned to try new things, go new places, and meet new people. But my friends couldn’t understand why I was so depressed about being back. They didn’t want to hear about my trip or all the cool things I did while they had commuted to and from work.

To my parents, it was like I was equivocating on my place of birth. To my friends, it felt as if I was now “too cool” for them.

But it wasn’t that.

As Benjamin Button said, “It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.”

After the initial excitement of being home wore off, I had become restless. I had post-travel depression.

Returning home is hard and few people address the reality that it’s often an anticlimactic end to a life-changing experience.

After a year of mind-blowing adventures, you‘re back where you started — sitting on a couch, back in your apartment or your old bedroom, bored, anxious, and jittery. Your friends don’t understand the new you, don’t want to hear your stories, or don’t get why you feel so uncomfortable.

“What? You don’t like it here anymore?” they’ll ask.

But it’s not that you don’t like it.

It’s just that you went from 100 to 0 faster than you can process.

You feel as if you came back to the exact spot you left. You’ve gone from backpacking the world and trekking in jungles to sitting in a cubicle. One minute you’re your dream you, the next you’re the old one back in an office that yearned to be free. And you feel like you never really escaped your old life after all.

And that’s depressing.

Anyone who has ever traveled the world has felt this.

After you come home, when the initial hugs are hugged out, the stories told (to those who will listen), and the reunions over, many of us find that our true home is being surrounded by the unknown.

Every time a friend comes home from traveling, their first question to me is always, “How do you cope with post-travel depression?”

There is no real cure for the post-trip blues. The only real way to get over post-trip depressions is to stay busy. You talk people online, go to meet-ups, or plan your next trip . Keep that energy you had on the road going. Go out, sightsee in your own town, take road trips, find a hobby… do something. Because the more you stay still, the worse your depression will be.

But it only ever fades as more time passes. There’s no cure other than time. It’s like getting over a relationship. Sure, you can stay busy but it’s only as time progresses that you slowly begin to move on.

When you were traveling, you viewed every moment as an adventure. View your life back home as one too. Stay busy. Stay active. Try new things. Keep that can do attitude.

When you do that, home will feel a little less suffocating.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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Post-Travel Depression Is Real...Here Are 8 Ways to Bounce Back

Post-travel depression, also known as PTD, is described as a type of mood a person may experience as a result of returning home from a long trip.

Simone Cherí • Dec 22, 2022

You’ve just landed home after an unforgettable travel experience. Think, your favorite annual conference with like-minded peers or a weeks-long stint working remotely in your dream destination.) But as the high of all that you explored and the people you met wears off, an overwhelming feeling of sadness sets in.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Post-travel depression, also known as PTD, is described as a type of mood a person may experience as a result of returning home from a long trip. The longer the trip, the more likely you are to experience a heightened sense of PTD.

Not sure if you’re experiencing the post-vacation blues or if something else is amiss? A few common symptoms of post-travel depression include:

• Feelings of stress, anxiety, lethargy, irritability, loss of appetite, or nostalgia
• Struggling to adjust back into your at-home life and routine
• Feeling disconnected from family and friends who you feel no longer understand you
• Comparing and criticizing life at home in favor of the ways things are done abroad
• Excessively thinking or researching how to live abroad in lieu of focusing on the present

Returning home can be an adjustment but it doesn’t have to be an uphill battle with the right tools to cope. Let’s explore eight ways to work through PTD and ride the wave of travel joy long after you’ve landed.

Share Your Memories

Whether you’re posting your favorite photos and videos on social media or starting (or restarting) your personal blog, sharing memories from your travels can prolong your travel joy and extend the good feelings once you’ve returned home. Creating Reels or TikTok videos is a great way to relive your memories while tapping into your creativity.

If posting publicly isn’t your thing, consider updating your home decor with artwork or photo walls using images captured during your adventurous time away.

Plan a Post-Travel Detox

If your travel itinerary looks anything like ours, you may indulge in more food and libations than normal. Planning a detox on the other side of a vacation is always a good idea to reset your brain and body.

Air travel can lead to dehydration for many travelers, so staying hydrated while on vacation and upon return is essential to easing back into normal life. Detoxing after a vacation can do wonders for your physical and mental health.

Spend Time with Family and Friends

Having the time of your life and returning home to business as usual can spark a feeling akin to someone letting air out of your tires. Deflating, to say the least.

Schedule an activity (or two) with your loved ones to ward off feelings of disconnection or isolation. By spending time with those who matter most, you can each share what you’ve been up to since you last connected. It also gives you another chance to share your travel highlights and catch up on the latest with family and friends.

Include a Reset Day in Your Vacation Time

In an effort to please employers and clients, we often find ourselves jumping back into hectic routines on the other side of travel to make up for perceived time lost or as a display of commitment to our career.

The next time you request off or block vacation on your self-employed calendar, consider adding a day (or more) to your OOO status.

Hopping back into your schedule immediately after travel can be disorienting and exhausting so give yourself time to unpack, do laundry, and go grocery shopping. Trust us, one more day to get yourself together won’t hurt.

Explore Like a Tourist In Your City

Having amazing experiences doesn’t always require catching a flight or spending hours on the road to places you’ve never been. While you may be more inclined to sightsee, do walking tours, or visit a museum when in another city or country, the same exploratory energy can be applied to where you live.

From local festivals to cultural events, being a tourist in your own city can help keep your back-home blues at bay.

Incorporate Your Travel Experiences Into At-Home Life

Another way to extend your travel wonder is to bring newfound discoveries home with you in the form of art, recipes, or music from your time away.

For example, on a recent month-long trip to Mexico City, I stumbled upon a record shop where I walked out with albums that would be harder to find stateside. Now that I’m home, every time I pull out my Chaka Khan or Diana Ross records, I’m transported back to Mexico’s capital city and my pleasant interaction with the local vinyl shop owner.

The same applies to traditional meals you can add to your at-home cooking list or finding local dance classes to keep your newfound bachata or salsa steps fresh.

Plan Your Next Trip

Planning your next trip before or shortly after your current one ends is by no means a green light to keep yourself so booked that you’re avoiding real life, but as the old saying goes, sometimes the only way to get over an old situation is to get into a new one.

Even if you’re not ready to confirm travel arrangements, thinking about where you want to go next can be helpful in keeping your mind forward-focused. If you’re busy thinking about all the fun you had and how it’s over, you may experience feelings of lack of motivation or fulfillment with your current situation.

If you don’t have one already, consider making a list of places you want to visit in the next few months or a year and set your sights on what’s next instead of what was.

Talk to a Therapist

It’s normal to have the post-vacation blues for a few days or even a week or two, but prolonged feelings of sadness may be a sign it’s time for professional support.

Talking to a therapist is a great way to process emotions as you transition back into daily life. Whether your depression is related to travel or not, seeking the help of a professional can offer the tools you need to find your center again.

TL;DR – It’s perfectly normal to feel down after returning from travels that left an imprint on you in a good way. The key to working through post-vacation depression is leaning on your tribe, giving yourself the grace to adjust, and making plans to keep yourself entertained once you’re back home (after your rest day, of course).

Related:  Megan Thee Stallion Wants Black Girls To De-Stress. Her Foundation Is Coming To A City Near You

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Post-Travel Depression: Why It Happens and How To Remedy It

Disclaimer: This article is meant to provide general information. For advice related to your specific situation, please consult a doctor or therapist.  See our disclosure  here .

Presented by BetterHelp.

Have you ever heard of post- travel depression? It’s a phenomenon that happens to many people, and there’s a good scientific reason for it. Although depression can happen during a trip or a move as well, many people feel a huge disappointment when they return from something they’d put so much time and planning into. Let’s take a look at why it happens and how to remedy it. 

Why Do I Feel Sad After a Trip? 

Feeling sad after a trip is normal, but why does it happen? Although it’s not always depression itself, any form of disappointment, sadness, anxiety, anger, or regret after a trip might come up. There are many reasons for this, but some of the most common include: 

• Past trauma related to traveling or not having the chance to travel 
• Financial struggles
• Emergencies or unexpected events during the trip 
• Dissatisfaction with your career, relationship/s, living situation, etc. 
• Dissatisfaction with the town/state/country you live in 
• Having many responsibilities at home 
• Feeling overwhelmed with your home life or family 
• Difficulty accepting reality 

No matter the reason why you feel sad after a trip, you’re not alone. 

Can You Get Depression From Post-Travel Blues? 

Depression is a mental health condition that is characterized by long-term periods of deep sadness, an inability to care for oneself, and other distressing symptoms. It may feel like you can never get happy, don’t enjoy your life anymore, or wish to end your life. 

If you are feeling suicidal, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline today at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). They are available 24/7 to help. You’re not alone, and your life is important. 

Depression is a mental health condition, so it does have to be diagnosed by a licensed mental health professional. But can depression be caused by post-travel sadness? 

Depression can be triggered by a variety of factors, including feeling deeply sad after a trip. If your sadness lasts more than two weeks, is accompanied by common symptoms of depression, and impacts your day-to-day life negatively, you may be experiencing depression. 

It’s important to speak to a professional as soon as possible if you’re exhibiting symptoms of depression after a trip. You can also research depression in more depth to see if you relate to the symptoms and experiences of those who go through it. 

Remember, depression is highly treatable, and there are ways to get through it, even if it feels like there is no hope. 

How Can I Stop Feeling Sad After a Trip? 

If you’re looking for ways to stop feeling sad after your trip, try these tips! 

Plan Your Next Trip

A great way to get your mind off of your previous trip and the disappointment you may feel in being home is to plan your next trip. Although it might be a while, planning something exciting can get you focused on something positive. 

Consider how much money you need to save up, what you need to arrange, and where you want to go. Make goals for yourself, and work hard to achieve them. Having something to work towards can help treat sadness, anxiety, and depression! 

Find Ways To Make Your Own Life Exciting

If you are feeling sad due to the circumstances in your current life, it’s important to deal with them by facing them head-on. Finding ways to increase happiness and excitement in your current life can help you feel more appreciative and content. 

If you don’t like your home, find ways to decorate or change it so that it fits your needs. If you don’t like your car, start saving up for a new one. Although it can take a while, putting investments into things you truly want for your future is a good way to avoid future post-trip depression. 

Figure Out What About Your Life Makes You Sad

It’s essential to figure out why you feel sad after a trip to be able to help yourself. If you’re unsure, it might be worth speaking to a therapist to figure out if you might be experiencing depression or anxiety after your trip. 

If there’s something in your life that leaves you deeply upset, your therapist will be able to help you come up with coping mechanisms to deal with these things and potentially change them. 

Consider a Change

Finally, if you’re truly dissatisfied with your life, there’s nothing saying you can’t change it. Although it can be hard to make major life changes, nothing is impossible. 

If you’d prefer to live in your preferred vacation destination, whether it’s international or not, there may be ways to do so. 

Here are some examples of people who were able to make big changes and find satisfaction in their lives.

Jane’s Story 

Jane hated the town she grew up in and much preferred to travel to Canada once a year. Whenever she came back, she would become severely depressed and would end up needing to take medication. Jane decided she was going to move to Canada and went through a remote worker visa process. She was approved within a year and was able to move to a new city where she met new friends, got married, and changed all aspects of her life. 

Jack’s Story 

Jack worked as a designer in a small town in Illinois. He had always dreamed of moving to Brazil as an adult after his many trips to the country. After meeting a Brazilian woman and falling in love, Jack decided he was ready to make a move. He applied to remote jobs in the design field and was hired. After a few months of working and saving up, he moved to Brazil and sold his belongings. He married his wife and was able to eventually buy a house for much cheaper than in the US. 

Conclusion 

Although it may take time to understand your post-travel depression, there are ways to find happiness again. Sometimes, it just takes a week or two of feeling disappointed before you’re back feeling happy and energetic again. Other times, major life changes are in order. 

If you do feel that you’re struggling with depression, consider reaching out to a professional therapist today. You’re not alone, and help is available.

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What Are the Post-Holiday Blues?

It's not uncommon to feel sad after the holidays—but know when to seek help

Barbara is a writer and speaker who is passionate about mental health, overall wellness, and women's issues.

Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor at Yeshiva University’s clinical psychology doctoral program.

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The Post-Holiday Blues and Mental Health

Signs of post-holiday blues, what the post-holiday blues feel like, tips on how to feel better, when to seek help.

Post-holiday blues usually refer to the short-lived mental distress, anxiety , and sadness that arises after the holidays. It’s common after all of the hoopla for people to experience a letdown or what some call the "post-holiday blues." Usually not long-lasting, most people swing “back to normal” after a short while.

The holidays are a busy time, and they last from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. This period might include celebrations and get-togethers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve.

While it may be an exciting stretch for many people, it can also be a prolonged period of loneliness and sadness for others. Throughout this time, emotions are heightened, and sometimes difficult to regulate.

At a Glance

Researchers have found that mental health problems tend to increase after the holiday season. While feeling let down, exhausted, or even sad after the holidays is normal, pay attention to how long these emotions last. Focus on self-care and creating a supportive routine during the post-holiday seasons, but be sure to talk to a professional if these symptoms are severe or persistant.

Here is what you need to know about this down period. This article will discuss the Christmas effect on mental health, signs of post-holiday blues, emotions you might feel after the frantic holidays, and tips on how to feel better.

Many people experience mental health challenges after the holidays. Scientists have in fact studied the effect of religious holidays on individuals.

In a study called "The Christmas Effect on Psychopathology," scientists conducted a literature search from 1980 to the present. They used the search terms "Christmas," "suicide," "depression," "psychiatric disorders," and "self-harm behavior." It included studies from the U.S. as well as other countries.

They found a decrease in the overall utilization of psychiatric emergency services and admissions, self-harm behavior, and suicide attempts/completions during the holiday. But they found an increase, or a rebound, following the Christmas holiday.

A 2022 systematic review of 25 studies also found that psychiatric hospitalizations were lower at Christmas and during other holidays than they were during other times of the year.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database .

How can you determine if what you have is indeed the post-holiday blues? Rest assured, though signs may vary, any of these signs likely won’t last too long.

After the adrenaline rush of the holidays, you may feel:

• Unmotivated
• Unable to sleep
• Worried about money

You may also experience excessive rumination , thinking about problems or events that happened over the holiday season. This can worsen your feelings or stress, anxiety, and sadness.

Sometimes caused "post-vacation syndrome," people are navigating a way to get back to business as usual. While not reflective of a serious case of depression in most circumstances, emotions involved with post-holiday blues range widely.

Common emotions people feel include:

You might wonder why you feel empty . Various reasons, including exhaustion, might contribute to you feeling this way.

After all, the holiday season is a frenzied time. In addition to putting up decorations and buying gifts , you may have had added responsibilities like cooking or volunteering for a local non-profit.

Let Down After Extreme Emotions

This feeling of being let down after the holidays might simply be your recovery from intense positive emotions. For example, you may have felt extreme joy and happiness seeing your friends and family.

Reuniting with older relatives who you distanced from during the pandemic might have been wonderful. While it seems counter-intuitive, you might feel low now as your emotions regulate and readjust.

Conversely, you may have felt especially isolated and alone during the holidays . Maybe you had to work long hours, couldn’t afford to travel, or chose to be alone.

For those feeling loneliness during the holiday season or afterward, psychologists advise you to cultivate your sense of gratitude and be kind to yourself.

Yet another reason for feeling the post-holiday blues is you’re stressed. If you traveled for the first time in a long while, logistics could have made things more complicated. Getting ready for and returning from a long car trip or flight is hard enough.

After so much stimulation, your return to reality might involve even more to catch up on. Thus, the stress continues. While you might have enjoyed holiday time, it disrupted your routine and you really didn’t have much rest.

If you were close to your family and are no longer, you might feel disappointed as well as a sense of loss. Remember that emotions during and after the holiday period might be especially heightened. If a loved one recently died, you might be sad and grieving.

Recovering from the post-holiday blues can take a little time, but there are things that you can do to start to feel better as you start a new year. Here are some ways to get out of the funk after the holidays:

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Give Yourself Time

Give yourself more time. This means giving yourself additional time for everything from unpacking to catching up on the mail. Schedule a day or two as catch-up time. Use this as a buffer before returning to the regular routine .

Connect With Others

Change your mood by limiting social media. Talk to people by phone or in person instead.

Communicate that you’re feeling down. Tell family and close friends what you’re going through. They might be helpful.

Take Care of Yourself

Be nice to yourself. Cut yourself some slack and administer self-care. Self-care is important when you are feeling down. Some things you can do that will help include:

• Get some exercise . Exercise has been shown to help combat feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Partake in nature therapy . It’s been proven that green spaces increase our sense of well-being.
• Eat well . Focus on fish, whole grains, dark chocolate, and green tea to combat stress.
• Get enough sleep . The Sleep Foundation says poor sleep contributes to depression and that someone might be more likely to deal with sleep issues if they are depressed.

Find Things to Look Forward To

Schedule something to look forward to on the calendar. Rather than slog through January, set up a time with friends to play sports, to check out a museum show, or to meet for a special lunch.

Rule Out Seasonal Affective Disorder

Find out if you’re suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) . SAD is a recurring depressive disorder during seasons of more darkness. A recent study found adding exercise and going to the gym can effectively treat SAD.

Find Ways to Deal With Stress

During the post-holiday season, you might feel frazzled and burned out from all the stress, business, and chaos of the last couple of months. It can be helpful to decompress with some proven stress management strategies .

• Watch funny movies; humor and laughter reduce stress
• Try mindfulness and meditation
• Practice deep breathing exercises
• Use progressive muscle relaxation

It’s natural that after all the excitement and busyness of the holidays, you’d come down off the highs.

If you are struggling mildly with these after-holiday blues, try some of the suggested remedies above. You’ll probably be able to shake off these blahs, cheer up and get on with the new year.

Know you are not alone. Post-holiday blues can range from disappointment and emptiness to lack of motivation and feelings of slight depression. But if these feelings persist, it might be something else.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 64% of people with mental illness report holidays make their conditions worse.

Those tackling loneliness, depression, and grief may have a difficult time during the holidays. The spill-over effect after the holidays may exacerbate the situation. If you can’t shake these feelings, seek out the help of a professional therapist . 

Your post-holiday blues may actually be a sign of a more serious mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety. Your therapist can evaluate your symptoms, make a diagnosis, and provide treatments that can help.

Sansone RA, Sansone LA. The christmas effect on psychopathology .  Innov Clin Neurosci . 2011;8(12):10-13.

Schneider E, Liwinski T, Imfeld L, Lang UE, Brühl AB. Who is afraid of Christmas? The effect of Christmas and Easter holidays on psychiatric hospitalizations and emergencies-Systematic review and single center experience from 2012 to 2021 .  Front Psychiatry . 2023;13:1049935. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1049935

Day-Calder M. How to beat the post-holiday blues .  Nurs Stand . 2016;31(3):37-38. doi:10.7748/ns.31.3.37.s42

Newsom R. Depression and Sleep . The Sleep Foundation. Updated May 19, 2021.

Drew EM, Hanson BL, Huo K. Seasonal affective disorder and engagement in physical activities among adults in Alaska . International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 2021;80(1). doi:10.1080/22423982.2021.1906058

National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mental Health and the Holiday Blues .

By Barbara Field Barbara is a writer and speaker who is passionate about mental health, overall wellness, and women's issues.

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PTSD Symptoms in Women

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that some people develop following a traumatic experience. Not everyone develops PTSD, but it can be highly distressing for those who do. Though anyone can be susceptible to PTSD, women are twice as likely than men to develop it. Regardless of gender, PTSD symptoms can vary from person to person.

This article discusses PTSD symptoms in women and explains its causes, prevalence, and treatment.

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A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology

Verywell Health acknowledges that  sex and gender  are related concepts. However, they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as our sources do.

PTSD symptoms occur when you associate a traumatic experience with a trigger in your current life. You experience a natural fear response to the trigger, even if there is no present threat.

For a healthcare provider to diagnose you with PTSD, you must experience several symptoms for at least one month. PTSD symptoms include:

• Reexperiencing the traumatic incident either through flashbacks, recurring dreams or memories, distressing thoughts, or physical stress symptoms.
• Avoiding places, things, or reminders of the event and avoiding thoughts and feelings related to the event.
• Having reactive responses , such as startling easily, feeling tense or on edge, having difficulty concentrating, experiencing sleep disturbances, feeling irritable or angry, and engaging in dangerous or destructive behaviors.
• Experiencing cognition or mood-related symptoms , such as difficulty remembering the incident, feeling negative about yourself or the world, having uncontrollable guilt or shame, losing interest in activities, experiencing isolation, or no longer experiencing joy or happiness.

Women in particular may experience PTSD symptoms uniquely, including being more likely to:

• Startle more easily than men
• Express fear differently from men and exhibit fight-and-flight responses more often
• Feel more distractible and experience emotional distress and numbness
• Avoid reminders of traumatic incidents
• Experience depression and anxiety

LGBTQ+ People Have the Highest PTSD Risk

Those who identify as LGBTQ+ are also at an increased risk of developing PTSD, as are cisgender women. At the highest risk are those who are transgender and/or bisexual .

Causes of PTSD in Women

A person is at risk of developing PTSD after exposure to a traumatic event. Some traumatic experiences that specifically put women at risk of developing PTSD include:

• Sexual assault
• Physical violence and intimate partner violence
• Military experience, including both combat and sexual assault
• Childhood abuse or neglect

The severity and length of time that a woman experiences trauma symptoms is likely due to a combination of genetics, hormones, and life experiences. Additionally, women are more likely to experience trauma at a younger age.

Prevalence of PTSD in Women

Though PTSD is more common in women than men, the reason for this is unknown. Research on female-specific PTSD has been limited. However, research that has asked women about harmful or traumatic childhood experiences called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) shows that they are twice as likely as men to have experienced six or more adverse childhood experiences between the ages of 1 and 17.

PTSD Is More Common in Women

PTSD has a prevalence of 10% to 12% in women as compared to 5% to 6% in men, and about 1 in 10 women will develop PTSD in their lifetime.

How PTSD Is Diagnosed in Women

Only a licensed mental health or healthcare provider can diagnose PTSD. A woman might be diagnosed with PTSD if she has been experiencing several symptoms of the illness for at least one month.

To provide a diagnosis, the provider will ask several questions about the impact of your symptoms and how much time has passed since you started experiencing them. After the provider diagnoses you, they will develop a treatment plan to reduce symptoms and increase healthy coping skills.

Treating PTSD in Women

Women who are coping with PTSD tend to use a more emotional, defensive, and palliative style compared to men, who tend to take more of a problem-solving approach. It is also common for women to need strong social connections and support to recover from traumatic experiences. Psychotherapy is also an effective tool for healing from trauma and reducing PTSD in women.

During psychotherapy, there are several practical treatment approaches, including the following:

• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Dialectical behavior therapy for PTSD (DBT-PTSD)
• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)

The goal of these treatment methods is to reduce trauma symptoms, adopt coping mechanisms, and reprocess how the trauma is stored in the brain to decrease the impact of trauma.

PTSD is a common mental illness that can significantly impact your mental, emotional, and physical well-being following a traumatic event. For women, PTSD can have a worse or longer-term impact than for men. Women develop PTSD twice as often as men and experience PTSD differently. A mental health or medical provider can diagnose PTSD and recommend treatment options for reducing symptoms.

Shansky RM. Sex differences in PTSD resilience and susceptibility: challenges for animal models of fear learning .  Neurobiol Stress . 2015;1:60-65. doi:10.1016/j.ynstr.2014.09.005

National Institute of Mental Health. Post-traumatic stress disorder .

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office on Women’s Health. Post-traumatic stress disorder .

Marchi M, Travascio A, Uberti D, et al. Post-traumatic stress disorder among LGBTQ people: a systematic review and meta-analysis .  Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci . 2023;32:e44. doi:10.1017/S2045796023000586

Olff M. Sex and gender differences in post-traumatic stress disorder: an update .  Eur J Psychotraumatol . 2017;8(sup4):1351204. doi:10.1080/20008198.2017.1351204

Machtinger EL, Cuca YP, Khanna N, et al. From treatment to healing: the promise of trauma-informed primary care .  Womens Health Issues . 2015;25(3):193-197. doi:10.1016/j.whi.2015.03.008

Ehring T, Welboren R, Morina N, et al. Meta-analysis of psychological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder in adult survivors of childhood abuse .  Clin Psychol Rev . 2014;34(8):645-657. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.10.004

Bohus M, Kleindienst N, Hahn C, et al. Dialectical behavior therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (DBT-PTSD) compared with cognitive processing therapy (CPT) in complex presentations of PTSD in women survivors of childhood abuse: a randomized clinical trial .  JAMA Psychiatry . 2020;77(12):1235-1245. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2148

By Melissa Porrey LPC, NCC Porrey is a licensed professional counselor and writer based in DC. She is a nationally board-certified counselor.