So I was traveling solo for 5 weeks in the North-East part of India. And, I would often feel tired during my travel and so I was trying to figure out how to get rid of the post-vacation blues.
North-East is a very beautiful part of the country which is very less frequented by tourists. Most of the locals living there don’t want to leave there home, which is very understandable. I have been traveling for about 6 years now and I have been there 3 times already! That is how much I love being there. And, truth be told, I am looking forward to visiting it again soon.
Coming back to traveling and post-vacation blues
Something that can happen to anyone at any point in any country irrespective of changing timezones. Post-vacation blues is the result of your body being tired. This could have been because of a number of reasons. In my experience, if you are able to fix some travel habits, you can reduce the exhaustion that you feel by a lot.
All you have to do is to pay attention to the little things. Of course, if you have had a 12 hour (or longer flight) it is natural that you will feel tired once your vacation ends and you are back home. But that doesn’t mean that that exhaustion should last for a week after the vacation ends.
Read more : Solo Backpacking Trip to India
So what causes post-vacation blues?
In my experience, there are 4 major reasons of post-vacation blues / why do people feel tired after a vacation:
Food Habits
So many new travelers overlook the importance of maintaining a daily food schedule. Whether you are used to eating 2 meals a day or 3, you have to make sure to maintain it. If anything you should be eating more and not less than how you usually consume.
Food gives you the energy to stay awake and move around without getting tired and fainting in the sun. So not just eating but what you eat is also equally important. Calories count. And, so does all the other nutrition.
This is why many seasoned travelers carry nuts with them. They also buy raw veggies from the local market every once in a while and toss themselves a salad. It’s an easy and budget-friendly way of keeping yourself awake and healthy.
Read more : Living in the mountains – a memoir
Water Intake
A lot of travelers, whether new or old, prefer drinking packaged water rather than open-source water. Very much understandable. We don’t know where that water has been (in case of a stream) and what all people have released in it. Also, unhygienic water is a carrier of many diseases.
But the problem arises when people start to drink less water than the optimum requirement of the body. This usually happens because now, for packaged water, they have to pay money. Which is an expense. Essential one for sure, but still an expense. Also, sometimes people restrain from it because of the lack of public facilities.
Your body needs water to function properly, to flush out the toxins, and to keep you hydrated. If you are traveling in the sun or sweating too much, your body will need that much more water to keep functioning properly. Less water will make you lethargic and add to your post-vacation blues.
So be sure to NOT compromise on your water intake whether you have to pay for it or not. Nothing is more important than your health.
Read more : #6 Traveling Tips after Traveling solo for 5 weeks
Sleep Cycle
Trust me I know it gets very difficult to maintain a sleep schedule while on the road. No matter how much you try, the overnight bus that you took will turn out to be very uncomfortable to sleep in. If you are traveling on a train, some co-passenger will turn out to be noisy.
So yes maintaining a sleep cycle can be a problem. But there is never a problem without a solution.
No matter how long your journey has been, take out a few hours to get some rest. Make sure to sleep 6-8 hours a night no matter what. Me personally, every time I am traveling, I am usually in bed around 10.00 pm and up by 4.30 am. 2 benefits of this – (1) I have seen every sunrise and sunset on my journey (2) Since I am in sync with my circadian cycle, I am very energetic throughout the day. I only sleep in the night and wide awake throughout the day.
The sleep quality is better, and I don’t feel lazy or sleepy for the rest of the day.
Note: People whose idea of a vacation is to stay indoors, order room service and sleep all day long, are more prone to post-vacation blues.
Physical Activity
If you stay physically active, this will also help you to eliminate post-vacation blues. Staying energetic and the move keeps your body active. It’s no news. If you keep sitting all day long, you will feel lazy. It’s not rocket science.
Sitting in a car and taking a long drive is great, but not a physical exercise. So, schedule a walk twice a day to nearby places. Explore where you are, and your nearby surroundings. You’ll notice things that you haven’t before. And yes, it will keep you at arm’s length from during-vacation and post-vacation blues.
So stay active.