“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”
Robert Frost, The Death of the Hired Man
When you constantly travel, you get to miss your friends and family members, that’s obvious. Although I’m a tough girl, I do sometimes get homesick. It usually happens during Christmas, Easter and other big events and holidays I can’t attend because I’m on the road. Homesickness comes and goes, that’s the way it is. How do I cope with it? Sit down in a closed room and cry? Try to find the quickest way to get back home as soon as possible? Not really! I have a few tricks I keep using to be less homesick or not to feel homesick at all.
Here are my top 5 ways to beat Homesickness:
1. Keep yourself busy and active.
I travel constantly and live actively so there is not much time for being homesick. My schedule is always tight and I’m usually out and about exploring various places, taking pictures, eating different food and having a blast with locals. When I get back to my hostel room or apartment, I’m so knackered so I fall asleep immediately.
When I get homesick I often go jogging, dance, cycle or go for a walk. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins which make you feel much happier. Moreover, the first thing I do after my breakfast is shooting a few e-mails to my friends and calling my mom on Skype. That gives me a lot of positive energy for the rest of my day!
2. Call home.
When I’m very homesick, I call my friends and my mom immediately and we can talk for hours. Releasing your emotions is a great way of dealing with homesickness. My mom usually tells me to shut up, stop being silly, go sightseeing and send her some pictures of me having a blast on the road. She also explains to me how lucky I am to be able to be in these wonderful places and if I don’t want to be there, there are many of my friends who would wish to swap with me. It’s a great push for me!
3. Eat, eat, eat!
Sometimes a nice dinner or lunch with locals can make my day and I stop missing home. I always buy the food I enjoy, have some extra dessert or drink fruit shakes when I feel homesick. Treating yourself with your favourite food can easily make you forget how much you miss your loved ones.
4. Talk to someone.
When traveling, I always bump into people who, like me, are sometimes homesick. Talking to them can cheer me up and makes me realize I’m not the only one who has moments of weakness. The “I’m so homesick” conversation might turn into a nice chat and I quickly stop thinking about feeling lonely.
5. Carry photos of your loved ones in your wallet.
I always have a few pictures of my close friends and my mom with me. If I know that I’m going to stay in one place for a long time, I stick these photographs on the wall and keep looking at them till I feel like they are all with me. I can look at them all when I wake up and go to sleep every day. The pictures I take with me are the funniest ones so I can smile every time looking at them.
Everyone is different and we all have different ways of dealing with homesickness. The most important though is to find your own way of beating it and always stay positive!
Travel update: In less than 7 weeks we are coming back home for summer so we can’t wait to see our friends, family members and fellow travel bloggers from Poland. Cez is going to Poland, whereas my plans are a big secret for now!
What’s your best way of beating homesickness when traveling?
