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ROAD & TRAVEL Travel Advice: What to Do When You Return Home from Vacation

Post-Vacation Blues -
8 Tips to Acclimate from your Travels back to the Real World

You planned your adventure down to the last Snickers bar or nights lodging. You dreamed of this adventure for years, planning and saving for months before heading out to fulfill your dream vacation. Now you’re finding that returning to the mountainous "to do" bin at work is difficult. You may feel detached, out of place, even mildly depressed. You are not alone, and this experience is not unique. This feeling is common among mountain climbers after the summit, marathon runners after the race, and scores of others who have gone after their dreams and accomplished their goals.

"Make a list of all the profound thoughts and ideas you had on vacation and select the ones you can implement."

Jeff Alt, author of the award-winning "A Walk For Sunshine" and "A Hike For Mike," experienced some difficulties readjusting upon returning from his expeditions; most recently a trek across Ireland carrying his child on his back. Whether your vacation was an all inclusive resort, cruise in the Caribbean, or a death defying trip up Everest, you may experience difficulty after your vacation. Here, Jeff's assembled a list of tips to help adjust back to the real world after your grand adventure. 

1.) Return to your daily routine slowly
Jumping right back into the fast paced hubbub of society may be to much to handle at first.  Pad in a few extra days off work upon returning to allow a gradual return to your routine.

2.) Share your adventure
You may be bursting with stories from your journey, or you may have flashes of brilliant thoughts from your adventure. Keeping these to yourself may cause frustration and feelings that no one understands what you’ve just experienced. Share your adventure.  Invite your family and friends over for a slide show, contact your local newspaper, give talks to schools and civic groups.  Many folks would love to hear of your adventure and sharing it allows you to relive the experience.   

3.) Take care of your body medically
After weeks or months of travel you may have acquired Giardia, Rocky Mountain Fever, Poison Oak, severe sun damage or some other ailment.  See your doctor for a full head-to-toe examination. Let the doctor know if you’re feeling depressed. 

4.) Eat sensibly 
If your adventure involved rigorous exercise, you are no longer burning 5,000 calories a day, taking daily jogs along the beach, or ascending mountain summits. Model your food portions after your civilized "real world" peers.

5.) Stay in shape
Perhaps you trained for a hike along the Appalachian Trail or you started a walking routine while on vacation. Chances are you are in the best shape of your life.  Keep that excellent physique you earned from rigorous exercise. Establish a time each day to walk.  Join the gym and convert your energy to weights, spinning, inclined treadmill, etc.  If you live near a park or the mountains, by all means keep walking and exercising even if it’s only an hour a day. 

6.) Turn your vacation thoughts into action
All that thinking time may have allowed you to solve some of your personal dilemmas, or perhaps you thought of a new business idea, or a new path you’d like your life to take. It may feel defeating to let those thoughts drift away.  Make a list of all the profound thoughts and ideas you had on vacation and select the ones you can implement. 

7.) Have a vacation escape
When the hustle and bustle becomes overwhelming, slip in that nature CD, post a picture from your trip as a screen saver; take a brief stroll in the nearby park. Let your mind drift off to that peaceful place on the trail, beach, or mountain vista.

8.) Plan your next adventure
Dwelling on the great adventure having ended can bring you down.  Focus on your next great adventure.  Give yourself something to look forward to!

For more information on Jeff and his journeys, check out jeffalt.com.