This blog post was updated on October 8, 2018.
The travel deprived often never see the open road as somewhere that might cause aches for home. However, seasoned travelers know that the grass is always greener on the other side. In lands where you don’t speak the language or merely those weekly business trips to points on a map that are certainly not home, homesickness can creep into the traveler’s itinerary. It is only natural, but it shouldn’t put a rain cloud over your trip. If you are battling the homesickness blues on your travels, try implementing a few of these tips and tricks to make the road feel a little bit like home.
Move your clothes into hotel wardrobes and closets: Living out of a suitcase for weeks or months on end can be trying on the homesick traveler. If I am ever growing sick of the road, it is usually because I am annoyed at some aspect of the journey. One of those aspects is often merely wanting to feel settled and less like I am living out of a suitcase. An easy way to feel settled while traveling is to put your clothes and items in hotel wardrobes and closets. You should move in to the hotel if you are staying more than just a night to create a home away from home.
Pay a visit to the local grocery store or market: When I lived in Italy for several months at a time, I frequently paid a visit to my local grocery store when I felt a little homesick. While the labels were all in Italian and everyone looked at me like I was new to this grocery routine, these visits had a way for reminding me of home. If you are homesick on the road, sometimes it can be due to all of the eating out and lack of routine. You can partake in a routine from home by visiting a local grocery store and in the process assemble a meal beyond the usual restaurant. If you have a small kitchen or even just purchase items that you don’t need to cook, you can still feel like you are back home at your own local grocery store when those bouts of homesickness present.
Frequent the same coffee shop if you’re staying for days at a time: One of the main reasons that a traveler can tire of traveling is the lack of order in the day. If you are traveling solo or merely just unfamiliar to a new city, you can establish a routine from home that just might lead to new travel friends. If I am setting up in a city for several days or weeks, I try to frequent the same coffee shop on my stay. After a time, the place will start to feel like your own neighborhood café, a place where you can feel comfortable and at home. If you are traveling solo, you never know where such a practice will lead. A local might notice you keep popping up each day and strike up a conversation.
Go for a walk and observe: Whenever I get homesick on the road, I know that this feeling will subside eventually. The fastest way to rid myself of this feeling is to discover just why I came all this way. Half of homesickness is often due to unknowns that we are experiencing. The best way to put the kibosh on these feelings of being unfamiliar and alone is to go get to know your destination. Take a walk and observe what you see. If you familiarize yourself with where you are, it will feel a lot less like a big scary world out there and a little bit like a place you might know, a place like home.
When you are homesick on your travels, how do you find home far away from it?
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