TRAVEL FATIGUE

Knowing When to Pack it Up and Go Home

By Caitlyn Kelley

Traveling provides us with some of life’s greatest pleasures. The ability to explore the world- and explore it well - comes with such immense privilege that it’s almost ironic that, often after some time away, you begin to crave the comfort of home.

Travel fever releases its hold when you least expect it, though often loosening its grip as you anticipate the end of your excursion. In the final days of your trip, the wistfulness of your time away is mixed with the relief of returning home.

As you travel,and travel consistently, no longer begin to feel the same. Airports become glorified glass cages, and hotel rooms begin to reek with the scent of musty lavender yet simultaneously unscented soap.

Though travel fatigue has no formal definition (some scholarly articles equate “travel fatigue” with “jet-lag”), it can be defined as the feelings of exhaustion and apathy you begin to develop from constantly being on high-alert while traveling.

When this happens, the answer is simple: go home.

From a practical viewpoint, traveling is expensive. Spending money on something that no longer brings you joy is, arguably, a bigger waste of time than simply packing up and heading home.

Traveling is meant to provide you with a view of the world that many are never able to witness. The moment you see travel as a chore, rather than something you should be so lucky to do, is the moment to contemplate the return home.

Travel fatigue is a common occurrence, and if it happens to you, spare yourself the guilt trip. Book a one-way flight back home, and take a nap. Your next adventure awaits you when you recover!