What does it feel like to transition back to “regular” life?

While some people certainly do spend years living the vagabond life, many of them traveling with no definite plans to “settle down,” others set out on their adventures knowing that one day they’ll probably be back in what other people might call a normal routine. If you’re one of the people in that latter category, that may seem like a harsh reality – and it’s one you’ll have to face sooner or later.

Instead of dreading the post-trip part of your life, suffering silently in cube-ville and dreaming of buying the next cheap ticket you find no matter where it’s going, why not start thinking about the post-trip transition now? You can learn a lot from travelers who have gone before you and experienced something similar, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. Plus, when you’re feeling down (for whatever reason) it always helps to know you’re not alone.

BootsnAll member bakpakaddict is thinking ahead, and although he and his girlfriend haven’t yet set out on their 9-12 month trip he’d like to know if other people have any tricks for dealing with the transition back to “normal” life.

I was wondering if anybody had any advice or words of wisdom on the subject of transitioning back to “normal” life after extended periods of travel. … How hard was it to find a job and get back into a routine? Where did you live and how did you afford it? Did you start job hunting while on the road? What did it feel like to make that transition back to “regular” life?

As Abha recently mentioned, some of the hardships of transitioning back after an extended trip aren’t things you can control – unless wearing a T-shirt that says, “Stop welcoming me back to reality” is an option for you. But there are certainly things you can do to make the transition back easier on yourself.

Do you have any post-trip experiences that would help bakpakaddict prepare for the inevitable? Any words of wisdom about what to do or what not to do? Come on over to the BootsnAll boards and share your thoughts on this topic.

Posted by | Comments (1)  | November 22, 2008
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind


One Response to “What does it feel like to transition back to “regular” life?”

  1. » How do you handle leaving life behind? :: Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog Says:

    […] month we talked about the issues that long-term travelers have when they’re trying to transition back to “regular” life after a big trip. But there are things that can complicate the other end of the trip, too – things […]