Last Updated: 03/16/20 | March 16th, 2020
The travel slump.
It happens to us all. After months on the road, you wake up one day and feel a little off. Travel doesn’t seem as exciting as it used to be. You’re bored, tired, and uninterested.
You start to think, “What’s wrong with me? I’m seeing and doing amazing stuff every day. Why don’t I love it anymore?”
This is the slump — and it happens to us all.
When you first set out, travel is exciting and new. You’re meeting different people from around the world, experiencing new activities, trying different food, and exploring exotic lands.
But one day you realize your travels have become a routine: you wake up, sightsee, meet other travelers, ask and get asked the same questions, pack your bag, trek to the next destination, and do it all over again in a new place.
You get sick of constantly trying to find your bus or hostel in countries whose language you don’t speak. You’re tired of making plans from scratch each day. You’re worn out of seeing new friends take the bus out of town, never to be heard from again. The quotidian parts of life that you take for granted at home—finding food that won’t make you sick, figuring out where to clean your laundry, communicating about bus schedules or menus—become tedious chores.
You have to learn a brand-new set of social norms at each stop. You have to restart your life again and again, in a new place and with new people. As much as the backdrop changes, nomad life can come to resemble an unending Groundhog Day.
A friend recently emailed me about this problem. He and his partner are five months into their trip and suddenly aren’t having as much fun as they used to. They just aren’t “feeling it” as much he said to me. He wanted to know what was wrong and if this was normal.
“Nothing is wrong,” I said. “It is completely normal.”
Many long-term travelers face the slump on their trip.
For example, after four and a half months traveling around the United States, my last weeks weren’t spent sightseeing new cities but rather watching Netflix and eating with friends. After moving every few days for so long, I needed a break. Luckily, I was heading home to relax, but if I wasn’t, I would have done what I told my friend he should do:
Stop and mix it up.
The slump is easily curable because it is an illness born out of routine. You went traveling to add excitement to your life and yet suddenly you feel like saying, “Another damn church/temple/waterfall? Whatever.” How many beautiful cathedrals, mountains, or beaches can you see in a short period of time before you become a little desensitized?
When travel becomes routine, it loses its edge, but there are two easy ways fix that:
1. Stop Where You Are
Spend time in one place. Part of why you are feeling the way you do is because you’re running around so much. Changing locations every few days is tiring. You’re constantly unpacking and packing again while also trying to see as much as possible. Life becomes a blur, a series of photos.
So slow down.
Take a break from travel.
Stay where you are, get to know the place more deeply, become a regular. Watch Netflix, read, and sleep. One day you’ll find you have your mojo back. When that happens, move on again.
2. Mix Up Your Routine
My friends are digital nomads, work a lot on the road, and spend a lot of time in Airbnbs.
I told them they should stay at hostels or Couchsurf instead, join a pub crawl, or use a site like EatWith to meet locals.
What makes travel so exciting is the variety. Every day is a new day filled with endless possibilities. You can be or do whatever you want.
However, just like anything else in life, when it becomes a routine, the excitement fades.
So break out of your routine. If you are staying in hostels, couchsurf instead. Use Meetup.com to find local groups with similar interests. Skip all the activities you normally would do and attend that festival you heard about instead.
The slump happens to the best of us. Travel is like a battery not an unlimited wellspring. You need to recharge it every so often. When you feel the slump, it’s time to stop and recharge.
By slowing down and changing your routine, the slump will disappear.
And, as you head out on the road again, the excitement and energy you had at the beginning will come back and travel will ber wonderful again.
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Chloe
I really understand this feeling! After a few months away last year (loving almost every second), I had a few days where it started to feel a bit too normal. All it took was to take a step back, and realise how lucky I was to be doing what I was doing (rather than being trapped in an office somewhere) and I got the love back again. I love the freedom travel brings, but I’ve learned that sometimes it is hard/tiring/boring… but generally beats the other options you have if you’re back home!
Leigh
I’ve been travelling for 19 months now and absolutely know this feeling. I decided to stay in one spot in October last year after feeling like this a lot (been living in Belgrade ever since) and done small trips since then around the Balkans region.
Now I’m about to embark on another adventure to the Greek Islands in 1 week and I feel the excitement that I used to have coming back just thinking about that trip.
Ása Steinarsdóttir
I’m 5 months into my 14 months trip and this is exactly what I’m feeling! The ambition is just gone! Maybe it’s a “5 month crisis”. I’ve been thinking about it for the last days how to cure it.
My idea was also to try workaway.info and just stay at a farm in Australia for a while and help out 🙂 then hit the road again.
I like your tips as well.
Brian
We’ve been traveling full-time for over five years now and there is definitely a different rhythm to long-term travel that takes some figuring out. No one can keep a vacation sight-seeing schedule up for any length of time. After a while, it just wears you down.
And that’s why it’s so funny to us when we get criticized for writing articles about things like how to stream U.S. T.V. shows while overseas. Many people don’t get that long-term travel is different than vacation travel. When you’re traveling all the time, you need to make room for all the stuff you normally enjoy when you’re not traveling. You’re not a failure if you don’t pack every minute of our trip living the hard-core local lifestyle. You’re just normal, and that’s okay.
Veronika
Unfortunately I haven’t had the ‘slump’ happen too often, but that’s because I’m not on the road for that long usually! I actually traveled with people who became uninterested after a few days only and were not wanting to to see yet another market or a temple.. It helped to do nothing for a day, relax and then get excited again.
I’m definitely the luckier one as my excitement from travel is quite resistant 🙂
Another great post, Matt! Something people don’t often talk about..
Joanne Joseph
I think there is a common thread here – at the five month out mark we too started to lose a bit of our travel mojo. Taking time to stop, refresh, and do a few “normal” non sightseeing things helped us get reenergized. Thank you Matt for addressing this.
Zascha
Experiencing the “travel slump” is one of the things I fear the most as I’m about to embark on my travels around the world. As a newbie traveler I don’t understand how it can happen to anyone (as I haven’t experienced it myself), but as I read more and more travel blogs, I realize that it’s a common issue for many people.
Jonny
I am at the 11 month point of a 12 month trip around South America and I can relate! I got pretty badly burnt out around the 6-month point, and although I got over it, the second half of my trip has definitely had a different rhytm and vibe to it than the first half. I have just spent 4 months in Brazil and loved the country so much that I am struggling to find the motivation to explore my last country (Bolivia) for my last month. It’s so stupid because I know I’ll be home and bored in a month’s time…the human mind is strange
NomadicMatt
The human mind is a very strange thing but if you love Brazil, just stay there! You can always go away again!
Lissa
I went through this “slump.” I had lived out of a suit case for two years, and felt like just going home. I really didn’t have much to go home to, but the idea of going non-stop anymore was so much. I was jet lagged, and never in the same place two nights in a row. I was burned out. A nice lady I met in England invited me over for tea. Somehow that lifted my spirits. I might not have family around me, but the friends that I met over time were genuinely good people.
Katya
So true! Any activity can become tiresome if it repeats itself over and over again. When traveling I always try to mix and match – a few magnificent landmarks and then some local farmers market or having lunch on a bench of the most regular “not tourist-worthy” park somewhere in the backwaters of the city. Playing with balance and contrast for me is the best remedy against routine.
George
Could not have come at a better time. I am nearly 11 months in my mini retirement, and I am gassed. I feel incredibly spoiled complaining about being exhausted from doing everything I want anywhere in the world I want, but the sad truth is it does in fact get old.
Taking your advice. Headed back to Texas in a couple of weeks and just chilling for a while. Hopefully then I will be pumped for my last leg. Central and South America here I come!
Always enjoy your posts. Keep them up!
NomadicMatt
A good trip to SJDS will cure what ails ya!
Jeremy
I feel you bud! So wild how everyone feels the slump around the 5 month mark. I have been traveling for just over 5 months now on a road trip in Croatia and the struggle is real. But it helps me to go back and look at old photos or read old posts in my blog to remind myself of why I set out on my adventure in the first place.
Croatia is amazing and this trip has really helped me find my inspiration again. I would suggest doing something that really inspires you to remind yourself why you started your journey in the first place.
Enjoy your travels everyone!
Kim Steiberg
I must say I haven’t experienced this yet and I’m almost jealous that I haven’t LOL but I suppose if I were feeling this way and being a photographer, I would sit and seek out new, short photographic assignments to give myself a mini project and something else to focus on for a while. Improving your photography is never wasted as those memories are with you for a lifetime afterwards and to have not only photos but EPIC photos to pass down to friends, family and your kids one day will be rewarding as you look back on your life, nod and agree that you truly lived!!!
Laura
Totally agree with your tips Matt! We had the travel slump too half way through our 1 year around the world trip and it was definitely due to fatigue and moving around too much, so we also decided to stop in one place (for just over 2 weeks) which definitely worked a treat. Not only did it allow us to chill and get to know the place/people well (Arequipa, Peru – which was a lovely town with not too much sightseeing to do but had really friendly people and great restaurants/accomm/shops instead – just what we were looking for!), we also had time to improve our Spanish by signing up to a week’s course of lessons which of course enhanced the rest of our time in South America too with increased confidence in the language. After a good long break, we were also excited to get moving again and enjoyed the next part of our trip so much more!
Britt Jeffs
I think even on smaller trips its a good idea to have a ‘slow day’ planned somewhere in the middle- especially if you are going to an action packed destination.
For me the slump has more to do with homesickness. My biggest fear is getting half way through my trip and doing something silly like cancelling half way through. My friend just got back 6 months in to what was meant to be an 18 month trip and I think the excitement of coming home lasts a week and then for me at least the regret would set in.
I’ve thought about this alot and my plan is to seek a spot I’m comfortable in and just chill out. If it gets bad when I’m in Europe I’ve got close family that live in the UK and the plan is to just book a flight over there and rest up for a bit with the comfort of family. I’ve also 2 months in Florence studying about 5 months into my trip which will be a much needed slow down from my travels!
NomadicMatt
I agree. Slow travel is always the best way to go but variety is also the spice of life!
Alison Armstrong
We’ve been intentionally homeless nomads for nearly four years.We’re 64 and 72 and selling our home, car, everything, to travel was the best thing we ever did. We’ve covered 24 countries, several twice, so far, though we don’t view travelling as checking countries of a list. As Brian(another long term traveller), above, said – there’s a rhythm to travel. We’ve hit the slump, several times. When it happens we just stop, either somewhere warm (a Mexican fishing village for four months) or housesitting in Vancouver which we still regard as our home town. When you’re travelling you get saturated. The mind and heart just can’t take in any more. I know it’s harder if you only have 12 months for your big RTW, but really stopping is the best thing. Chill on a beach for a week or two without a thought to what you might be missing or where to go next and the energy and excitement returns.
Jonny
Yep I have experienced the slump many times over the years, indeed I am going through one now and have done the usual like you said here, slowed down and taking it easy. Visiting family for a month and staying in one place is just what I need before getting back to life on the road!
The only problem is for people who have pre-booked flights and trips etc and don’t really have the luxury of slowing down too much. For them it’s a choice, slow down and appreciate one particular area or speed up and see everything.
Velofa
Ya. I somehow feel it right now. It seemed like the law of deminishing return. The more you travel, the more you feel excited. And after you reach your top point, everything decreases.
The best way to handle this while youre traveling is staying for longer, and living like local. No need to rush, no pack/unpack bags, no ‘lost’ feeling. Just getting closer to the surroundings. Get comfort with that until your ‘soul’ call you back. At that time, go move! 🙂
Rocio
Hi Matt. Glad to know that I am not the only one that has felt this way. I asked myself: what’s going on with me? Am I such an ungrateful person?
As you said, slow down is the key. I think that our senses get so overwhelmed from all the excitment, curiosity etc. After a pause we are ready to see alll what this planet give us, with refreshed eyes.
Great post, cheers from Switzerland.
Rocio
Michele
Great advice, we have realised that after 4- 6 weeks of constant moving you need to have a break. We try and book an apartment for a few weeks and chill. It works wonders and we are ready to hit the road again.
Claus Gurumeta
I can’t say I’ve ever felt in a huge slump while traveling, but I have gotten travel fatigue before… I did exactly what you recommend, STOP traveling, take a few days to just relax and have a breather.
I sometimes get the fear that I won’t get to see as much as I’d like to in a destination, and then overfill my itinerary, and end up having to move things around and cancel some cities to extend my time in others, as the last thing I want to do is move yet again and start from zero in a place where I don’t know the way, where to eat or what to do!
Usually after a few days of relaxation, my nomadic soul takes over and I regain my love for travel though 🙂
Stathi
I’m about to head off for long-term travel (6+ months) so I’m curious to see how I will go with the ‘travel slump’.
Damn law of diminishing returns. I guess it’s just a matter of weathering it, like you say Matt, and recharging.
I have kept a journal of my feelings in the last month being burnt out with work and study – a real slump, so I think referring to that may help put the travel slump in perspective!!
Janalla
I can totally relate to the travel slump. Twenty years ago, I needed to take a vacation about 6 months into my 18 month RTW trip. I spent 2 weeks reading, having daily massages and eating Tom Kha Gai in Koh Samui. Nobody had really talked about traveller’s fatique before so I didn’t realize how common it was but it makes sense that everything can become routine after awhile. Once I accepted that it was normal, I gave myself permission to take mini-breaks from traveling more often. So I ended up getting to know some local people and places a lot better because I was living there rather than passing through.
Suzanne Fluhr
Many of us don’t get to do the long, “slow travel” trips although I have friends who do and its sounds like a great way to travel. They will schedule house/pet sits of a few weeks to a few months even, in between periods of more intense moving around. I find that even on a 3 week trip, I need to pace myself by taking a half day or even a full day to rest—a day to get up when my body wants to, to sit in a cafe with good wifi and people watch in between spurts of writing. If I am going somewhere where I know someone—even if I only know them from the internet, I’ll try to schedule a time to meet them IRL (in real life) which is also a recharging interlude and often results in learning more about a place from a local perspective.
Sue
Matt, Oh my gosh, this is so true. I hope people will read and heed this advice. 3 1/2 months into our 6 month European tour, we hit the slump. We were tired, getting sick a lot and just over it, in general. Our mistake (one of many) was to try to keep up the “vacation” travel. Sightseeing, eating, drinking, etc. EVERYDAY! We couldn’t do it. We ended up cutting our trip short and coming home. Now, we know what our limits are for sure. We are planning to go back next year to finish up our tour. One suggestion I would make is to take time to exercise and keep in shape. We ate and drank our way through Europe and that is not good. And even though you walk everywhere, it wasn’t enough. Taking care of yourself will make the trip easier and better in the long run.
NomadicMatt
I agree. Physical health is important to your mental health, especially when you’re on the road for a long time.
Pierre
My enthusiasm started to fade a bit about 6 months into my year of travel, even though I was returning home for brief stays between trips. The cure for me was to start traveling differently: I signed up for a couple of organized tours, although I had never considered myself to be a tour group person. I also focused on enjoying my hobbies, rather than constantly sightseeing. For example, playing ice hockey throughout Eastern Europe was a great way to see that part of the world from a different perspective. It also helped keep me in shape!
I think it all comes down to the same idea: don’t let travel become a routine!
Irene
So glad that you talked to this phenomenon, Matt. It does not sit well to complain to those whose lives are 9-5, M-F, with weekends full of grocery shopping and laundry, about how you have just spent three days in a row in Inverness just reading blogs and two mysteries, having no desire to partake of the opportunities of where you actually are! Your readers understand, and it’s refreshing to hear their responses. Thanks!
Satish
I totally agree, in order to get rid of the slump, its important to stay at one place longer. Usually trips with booked tickets and tight schedules can wear you out. Compared to visiting a place and getting to know people around for a time till you feel its time to move on. In my time in South East Asia, if I liked the place, I got a part time job and in a way meet more people and stay longer. I have always loved your tips as they come handy quite often and love the way you have been maintaining the blog regularly.Thanks 🙂
Brittany
This is great advice! I’ve heard many times of long-term travelers falling into “the slump” so it’s reassuring to know it’s normal and have a coping mechanism ready. It’s sometimes crazy to think this could happen, but it’s good to be prepared for this before setting out on a nomadic journey!
Dominic
This is really great advice, and definitely true. A lot of people do fail to recognise the difference between a short holiday (sorry, ‘vacation’!) and long-term travel. People sometimes thought I was just being grumpy when I’d say something like “great, another temple. Let’s move on”.
At the end of my seven month trip last year I was at the stage where I felt ready to go home; sadly less than three days later I wanted to leave again!
Grace
Thanks for the great post, Matt! When I was living in Spain I definitely hit a slump where all of the beautiful landmarks started to look the same – but I was seeing everything in the same way. Stopping to mix this up is definitely what is needed.