Overcoming Loneliness and Burnout on Long Trips
The idea of traveling for long stretches of time can seem ideal, especially when planning stops in multiple places or an extended stay in a certain region. It can be hard, though, to combat loneliness and the feeling of being burned out on long trips. There are ways to prevent that, and we’ll cover them in this article.
Book Different Hostels
The first key to overcoming loneliness on a long trip is to book hostels in the first place. But booking separate hostels, each for intermediate amounts of time, can help shake things up and keep you fresh. Not every town or city has multiple hostels to choose from, but for the ones that do, it’s worth looking into different hostels to help break up the monotony of staying in one place. While sticking around at a certain hostel for days or weeks at a time is a great way to build lasting connections, feel a part of a community, and perhaps even find work, there is a feeling of burnout that can surface after too much time in one place.
By booking separate hostels, you get to meet different people, feel the varying vibes that each hostel has, and experience a new part of town on a single trip. Different hostels all have their own energy and reasons that they are special, and by mixing it up, you can see the different ways that people interact and operate in the same sort of communal space.
Find Work
Finding work on the road isn’t always easy, but having structure and something to build a schedule around can help prevent the feeling of loneliness while traveling. Especially if you’re staying in one hostel for an extended amount of time, finding work in the area can be a great way to offset the costs of travel and allow you to do even more stuff in your free time. Since a lot of hostels are located in towns that bring a lot of tourism, there tends to be more service industry and customer service jobs available, depending on the season. If you’re traveling during the winter to a place that gets a lot of summer travel, it might be tougher to find steady work, but there are always gigs like house-sitting or pet-sitting to look into. These sorts of gigs are great ways to supplement income and break up the routine of being in one place for too long. They can also lead to other opportunities, such as finding an apartment or meeting new people in town.
Keep Tabs on Your Friends Back Home
Being on the road and far away from friends and family can be tough, especially during long trips. By making regular calls, or even sending an occasional text message to the people back home, you can at least make it feel like you’re still close, even though you might be halfway across the globe. It's easy to get wrapped up in the moment and forget to reach out, but a simple message or call can go a long way. It’s also another way for them to know that you’re safe and having fun while you’re away from home.
Make Time For Yourself
Like keeping tabs on your friends, this bit of advice can seem obvious. But when traveling, especially in hostels, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of activity and socialize with new people all the time. Meeting new people and creating new experiences is the beauty of travel, but if you’re constantly saying ‘yes’ to everything and not making time for yourself, you can get burned out. Simply taking a day trip to a new town by yourself or going on a hike somewhere can be a great way to detach from the hostel and allow you to ground yourself. Traveling is exhausting, and so is the hostel life, but it’s just as important to create separation from the stimulation as it is to be doing something new and exciting all the time.
