Dr Lucy Shattock, Clinical Psychologist & Guest Contributor
There is plenty of practical and emotional advice to help you prepare for travelling, yet little attention is given to the psychological challenges of returning to ‘normal’ life after an extended time away. The transition back home can be just as complex as the journey itself. Travelling, whether for weeks or months, undoubtedly breaks you out of your usual routines and roles.
I recently travelled around Southeast Asia for three months with my husband, which gave us much yearned-for adventure, novelty, and variety. It was also a time to recharge. Yet, neither of us were truly ready to return home.
Anticipate Strong Feelings Towards the End of Travel
In the last fortnight of our travels, I noticed a sad, sinking feeling. Where did this come from? Travelling had been an exciting adventure! I tried to focus on savouring the remaining time, but these feelings were pervasive.
Instead, I tried to sit with this uncomfortable feeling. I recognised that the sadness was a form of anticipatory grief—the emotional weight of knowing the adventure was nearly over, and the dread of slipping back into the monotony of usual routines. These were indications that travelling had been a very special and important time away for me. In hindsight, this was a form of emotional preparation to return home. Acknowledging these feelings helped me appreciate the meaning travelling had for me and (paradoxically) freed me up a little from the internal pressure to make the most of my final days away.
Your experience may differ. You might feel a yearning and impatience to return home. These feelings might reflect how deeply you value connections to people, routines or the places that you have missed, or the important comfort of the familiarity of back home. For most, it’s probably a mixture of feelings – and once the end of travel is in sight, it can feel easier to commit to one extreme rather than sit with the discomfort of seemingly juxtaposed feelings.
It’s helpful to try to observe, without judgement, what feelings show up. Our feelings are valid and hold important messages for us. Journaling about this can be particularly helpful, and I would recommend this to anyone who travels. It’s a powerful way to process experiences and preserve memories. If you are travelling with others, discussing your thoughts about returning home can reveal the range of feelings and can foster a supportive and shared understanding.
The ‘Honeymoon’ Period of Returning Home
Upon returning home, you may have an initial surge of happiness- reuniting with home comforts, foods you’ve missed, and seeing loved ones. A friend who has travelled extensively once told me that in the first few days back, everything seems more vivid and colourful. It’s as if your senses have been fine-tuned after months of immersion in different cultures and environments.
For me, this heightened awareness was clear when I savoured my first cup of Earl Grey tea after months abroad—it tasted incredible, grounding me back into a familiar yet newfound reality. It was also a warm, comforting ally as I landed back to a much cooler climate.
This “honeymoon” phase can serve as a bridge, allowing you to reacquaint yourself with home in a fresh way. If you can, give yourself a few days with minimal commitments when you return home (avoid jumping straight back into work or a pack schedule). This small act of self-care can help ease the adjustment, especially if you are adjusting to a different climate, new diet, and sleep schedule.
Reverse Culture Shock
Traveling not only heightens your senses but also provides new experiences that can result in fresh perspectives. The term ‘reverse culture shock’ is used to recognise the difficulties transitioning between cultures.
The Cultural Identity Model (Sussman, 2000) helps explain why some people struggle to reintegrate after living or traveling abroad. The model suggests that the more your cultural identity shifts while abroad, the more challenging re-entry can be. If your experiences fundamentally alter how you see the world, returning home may feel uncomfortable and/or disorienting.
While it is not a universal experience, those who have experienced a deeper cultural identity shift while travelling or living elsewhere may have more challenges assimilating back into their home culture. An important factor in this process is the degree of psychological flexibility —the ability to navigate between different cultural mindsets without feeling entirely detached from either.
To ease reverse culture shock, it’s helpful to be proactive about this adjustment. Reflect on the changes you have experienced and recognise that the re-entry is a process. Reintegration happens gradually, so give yourself permission to adjust without expecting everything to feel the same as before.
Reconnecting with Your Travel Experience
One of the best ways to integrate your travel experiences into everyday life is to share your stories. For example, I had a wonderful forty-five-minute conversation with my nail technician, as we swapped stories about our favourite Vietnamese dishes and travel spots.
Other ways to maintain this connection include:
- Revisiting travel diaries and photo albums – this isn’t just for nostalgia; it’s a way of continuing the reflective process.
- Talking about your travels with friends and family – sharing insight can deepen relationships and spark curiosity.
- Engaging with others who share similar travel interests and experiences– this can be connecting and validating, especially if you have a sense of alienation, loneliness or disconnection on your return.
Looking Forward: Integrating Travel Experiences into Everyday Life
You’ll likely slip back into old routines and patterns, and that’s completely natural. However, an important key question to ask yourself is: What parts of your travel experiences or insights can you carry forward into these ‘new-old’ routines?
For some, time away leads to fundamental shifts in priorities (career choices, relationships, lifestyle choices). For others, small yet meaningful practices or insights can help them stay connected to parts of themselves they have gained from a period of longer travel.
For me, a simple pleasure during my travels—sitting in a small plastic chair and enjoying a local coffee—has stayed with me. While the surroundings may be different, slowing down and watching the world go by in my home local coffee shop has become a regular weekend activity, helping me bring a slower pace into my life (something I wished to hold onto when returning from travelling).
Travel has a way of reaffirming joy in everyday comforts. It may even deepen gratitude for your home culture. One final suggestion – let it be fuel and motivation to start planning your next adventure, however long or short, near or far that may be.
References
Sussman, N. M. (2000) The dynamic nature of cultural identity throughout cultural transitions: Why home is not so sweet. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(4), 355–373.
