Summary
Long term travel can be tough. After a couple of months on the road, it becomes work and many people suffer from travel fatigue.
After traveling for months, you find yourself out of the honeymoon phase of excitement; instead, you’re just simply exhausted.
Every day can feel like an endless sequence of attractions, temples, treks, or museums. Therefore, after weeks of being a tourist, all you may want to do is lay down and take a nap.
Signs You Are Suffering From Travel Fatigue
It can feel quite strange to be in a foreign country while other travelers are enthusiastically heading out for their tours and sightseeing excursions.
Consequently, despite your internal nagging to join in, you simply can’t motivate yourself. Thus, you choose to give in to fatigue and enjoy a day off from traveling.
Here are some signs that indicated to us that we were experiencing traveler fatigue:
1. Don’t Care About the Top Sites Anymore
For instance, you could visit the iconic Taj Mahal, but if it’s cold, misty, and foggy for three straight days, you might find yourself not caring at all. You may skip going inside and instead retreat to the only warm spot in town: the coffee shop.
2. You Skip The Top Tourist Attraction
For example, even though you have the chance to see the astonishing Amber Palace in Jaipur, India, you might opt to visit a mall instead, casually walking around and buying some socks.
3. Had Enough of Local Food and Traditions
For instance: Your hotel may offer traditional food with live musicians on their rooftop restaurant, providing everything you would desire for a night out in India.
However, you could end up visiting Pizza Hut instead, not just once, but twice!
4. Skip the Must Do Tours
Just outside of town, you might find a village bustling with dancers, artists, and delightful local cuisine, offering evening tours.
Nevertheless, you may prefer to stay in bed and stream “Sherlock Holmes” with Robert Downey Jr. using your computer’s free wifi.
5. Skip the City Tours
For example: You might have two days in Delhi before your flight, and pleasant weather inviting you to explore some of the city’s best attractions.
Yet, you could opt for room service and channel surf between HBO and the BBC instead.
6. Cut Short Your Trip
For example: You may have plans to head east to Varanasi in central India, intending to travel all the way to Calcutta.
However, you could make a last-minute decision to escape for a month to beautiful Sri Lanka.
7. Throw the Budget out the Window
Example: Even if you initially planned to stick to a tight budget, you might find it increasingly difficult to stay within those limits while feeling burnt out from backpacking.
You may end up disregarding the budget altogether and feel surprisingly happy about it.
Consequently, you can lay on the beach and enjoy luxury travel, which is the perfect remedy to regain your travel enthusiasm.
8. Excitement of Travel is Gone
Eventually, the excitement of travel can return.
We reconciled our travel funk on a beach along the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
Through a few relaxing days of laying in the sand, playing in the surf, and unwinding by the pool, we discovered how different and rejuvenating it can be to take a break from traveling. Once you detox for a while, you may find it easier to dive back into the travel scene.
Travel Planning Resources
Looking to plan your next trip? Here are some trusted resources that can help streamline your travel planning.
Find Your Flights: Begin your trip planning by discovering the best flight deals on Skyscanner, a service we’ve used for years and trust for great deals on flights.
Locate your Hotel: For the best prices on hotels, use Booking.com if you’re in Europe, or TripAdvisor if you’re elsewhere.
Find Apartment Rentals: Discover the most affordable apartment rentals through VRBO.
Travel Insurance: Don’t travel without coverage. Here’s what we recommend:
- Safety Wing – For occasional travelers.
- Medjet – Provides global air medical transport and travel security.
Activities Planning: For walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and other activities, we recommend Get Your Guide.
For more travel planning assistance, check out our Resources Page, where we highlight all the exceptional companies we trust in our travels.
