Dealing with homesickness.

Hey guys, so as I am traveling quite a lot for work now, and as traveling is my work, I must deal with being away from home and loved ones more than I would like. So, I came online for tips to deal with homesickness and wanted to share my experiences with people going through the same situations. If you are traveling for the pure fun of it, homesickness will be very rare, or none existent if you are going for a short holiday.

My experience was much longer, the first time going away was for three months straight for Camp America. I was 18 at the time and found it extremely hard as I had never been away from home before. Then as I came onto ships it is a six-month stint, so I altered my methods a little as I was away for longer. [obvs].

Tip Number ONE: BE OKAY WITH BEING EMOTIONAL. It’s okay to be sad, or a little emotional when you go away especially for the first time. Let yourself be sad. It will pass eventually and give you some perspective. It will make you feel worse if you try to ignore it and think of as something you should feel guilty about.

Tip Number TWO: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Now it may seem silly but look after your health. While moping around may make you feel good at the time it’s not good in the long run. You may do it for a long time and find yourself eating for comfort, or just zoning yourself away from people. Don’t do this, get out and be healthy, be present. For me personally I started gyming as I found it as a distraction. It ultimately took up a lot of my time and I split it between Face Timing my mom, and it made me a better person, I lost 40lbs and feel great.

Tip Number THREE: EXPLORE AND STAY BUSY. Now this applied to me when I first went away. I wanted to stay busy to take my mind off being away from home. So, I asked my camp supervisor if here was any work I could do whilst I had time to settle in. I offered to help clean the office and do general maintenance around the camp. As for the cruise, we were given time to sleep as we had an early start, and then we started work in the afternoon so both methods worked for me. Being busier is better as it takes your mind off it to start. Don’t exhaust yourself though, think first.

Tip Number FOUR: KEEP HOME CLOSE. You won’t be able to recreate your life and home abroad, and it would be futile and upsetting to try. You don’t have to cast it all off, though. Find a way to keep up on your favourite programs or purchase your favourite foods to take. For me, I took some British chocolate, and sweets to keep me happy. Also, one major thing I learned my second contract on board the ship was to print pictures, as we stay in quote small rooms you have the freedom to decorate. I loved this opportunity, so I printed lots of pictures from home and brought some fairy lights to bling out my cabin. It was cool, and I felt at home.

Tip Number FIVE: REACH OUT. Don’t be afraid to talk about feeling homesick. No matter where you are or what you’re doing it’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, and that’s okay. If you ignore those feelings can intensify them in the long run. So, speak up ad let people know, for me the cruise was easier and camp as the people are in the same situation, or boat (haha).

Tip Number SIX: MAKE A BUCKET LIST FOR EXPLORING YOUR NEW HOME. Do a little research about where you’re living or where you are traveling too. Find places you want to see and what you want to accomplish or really want to do. When I went to the US I travelled afterwards, I went to LA, Vegas, and San Fran, so I wanted to make a list of places I wanted to see, it was a good way to be organized as it’s a huge place and we didn’t have long. This will give you something fun to do and keep you focused on the next adventure where you are, instead of dwelling on what’s happening at home.

So, I hope this helped you deal with some sort of homesickness you’re feeling. Just remember it’s okay to feel a little low, it is just the way you deal with it that will make all the difference.