Travel burnout is a problem for the privileged, I know. Play your tiny violins, because I've made it to Australia, only I'm too exhausted to keep going.
On my first morning in Australia, I woke up with a deep sigh. It was the kind of sigh that you let out when you arrive somewhere and the sensation of relaxation washes over you, like “Aaah, vacation starts now.” Which is funny, really, because I’ve been on vacation for five months. After five months of backpacking Africa, the gratitude I felt wasn’t for what I’d seen — but for where I finally was: here, now.
In a sense, what I am grateful for is for having done something, so that now I can slow down. “Okay, now you’ve seen the world, checked off some boxes, so you can take a break.” I’ve been waiting to give myself permission to rest. Given that half of the intention of this trip is to heal, it is permission that I should have given myself from the beginning, but even on vacation I’ve still got it twisted in my mind that I need to earn rest.
This is part of what needs healing. This idea that safety, slowness, and peace is something to be sipped in small doses, rather than a state of being that fills me and becomes me, as I move through the world.
I am craving to sit still. To root down. To find connection in community, and with myself.
I’m also eager to see Australia. But not until I quench this thirst for stillness.
Why We Hit Travel Burnout
If you've hit travel burnout, perhaps you are no stranger to burnout in general.
What if you were burned out before you left, and travel just moved the problem to a more beautiful location?
Yes, my burnout followed me on my adult gap year, and yours probably followed you too, along with all of the other problems you hoped to run away from. (Yes, I see you. Welcome to the club.)
Clara Ritger
Related Read: The story of the first day of my journey traveling the world to recover from burnout.
We hit travel burnout because we expect too much from ourselves, our trip, our work, and our life. We make to do lists and sightseeing lists we can never finish, and we rush from place to place with the FOMO that if we slow down we'll miss something. Of course, in our pace we're missing many things, the details, the magic, the things that can only happen when we spend time in a place. But we convince ourselves we don't have time to spend, that breadth is better than depth, and then we spend more time getting from place to place than we do in the place and we wonder why we're tired.
We need better boundaries with ourselves, first and foremost. And we need a dose of compassion, gratitude, and surrender. A little natural drug cocktail that may cause thoughts like, "I trust that whatever adventure I have is enough," and "I love just being in the energy of this place." Side effects include side quests.
How To Recover From Travel Burnout – Without Ending the Trip
Travel burnout often manifests in two ways: "Everything looks the same" and "I'm tired." The only real way to recover from travel burnout is to stop. Stop, take a day off, do nothing, have no expectations. Depending on how long you've been rushing around your itinerary, you may need more than a day, or less. The meditation I recorded above is a great place to start.
Because I was in the midst of my adult gap year, I took almost a month off. I went to a meditation retreat center, volunteered, and enjoyed the time to pause while I planned the adventures I'd have next, and reflected on all that I had already experienced. I spent time journaling, reading, and watching the clouds go by. I called loved ones. I cooked my own meals. I took walks in the woods. I found a rhythm in my daily routine.
I love journaling as a tool for healing in general. Be with yourself, your thoughts that are bringing you down, and remind yourself of why you're on this trip. Re-prioritize, reconnect with what matters, and dream about what the rest of the trip could be. It might involve some itinerary changes and that's okay. Make the journey one you want to be on – rather than chasing the itinerary you think you'll want to remember. For me, that looked like slowing things way down, and seeing less than I had originally planned.
How To Know If It's Time To Go Home
If your travel burnout symptoms start to sound like this, it might be time to call it quits:
- You are dreading going anywhere. You feel more overwhelmed by the idea of the next place and the logistics of getting there than you feel excited.
- You're still tired after rest or taking a break in one place.
- You're indecisive and it's paralyzing.
- You miss what you're missing out on at home and you're having more FOMO about that than the planned itinerary.
Why I Kept Traveling After Travel Burnout
I left on my journey in search of personal transformation. I knew that I hadn't quite done that yet. I didn't need to end the trip – I needed to give myself permission to rest, so that I could reprioritize how I was spending my time. Burnout for me was my soul telling me something was misaligned. It was misaligned at home, and it was misaligned in the way I was traveling the world.
I had healing to do, and I needed to do it on the road.
