Starting your new career as a traveler is very exciting. You get the chance to see some of the most fun and interesting places across the country. But moving away from home to start your own adventure is (admit it) terrifying. We have all done it at some point – packing away your pictures, organizing your things for your car or for the moving truck and saying goodbye to a loving home while you go off and write the next chapter of your life. While it’s exciting to go off and start your new journey, there will be times where missing home becomes a reality. Missing home is not uncommon – here are some of our tips to cope with homesickness:
- Set up a daily or weekly FaceTime/Skype/phone call with your loved ones: The first few nights away from home will be hard and you will feel the need to talk to your loved ones on a regular basis, so do it. Let me know you’re okay, tell them what’s going on, how you’re liking your new surroundings, etc.
- Get some familiar scents and pieces of your home into your new place: Did you have that one particular smell growing up that just reminded you so much of your childhood home? Or that piece of furniture you bought right out of college into your very first place? Bring those with. It will give you a little bit of home day by day.
- Explore your new surroundings: walk around your new neighborhood, go to one of the museums, or a locally owned restaurants. You don’t want to sit around in an apartment during your assignment, because it will make the homesickness worse.
- If you know other travelers that are in that area, make connections with them: You may have a lot more in common than you think.
- Finally, make the most of your time while you’re on assignment.
Getting adjusted to a new setting and a new home isn’t easy and it will make you become extremely homesick. But if you make sure that you bring a little bit of home and make some new memories, the homesickness will fade away.