Dealing with the loneliness of long-term travel

Every now and then long-term travel is rough.

The lifestyle of never remaining in one city or continent for more than a few months requires commitment and sacrifice.

Traveling alone means experiencing days and occasionally weeks without making friends and starting over in a new place can seem tedious.

When this happens, travelers often feel overwhelmed with homesickness, wishing for old friends and all the comforts of home.

Through my experience on the road, I have learned long-term travel requires determination, but the rewards and perks of this astounding lifestyle outweigh the battle of loneliness.

Let’s talk about a few ways to combat loneliness on the road.

Embrace Your Feelings

Loneliness is a good feeling. When it is creeping up on you, use it as a time for personal growth. With no one around, there is ample time to reflect on your adventures and how traveling has transformed you as a person.

Reflection is a tool to help us learn more about ourselves. Evaluate the lessons the road has taught and ponder where your path might lead.

Embrace your loneliness. Within a short period of time, you will feel renewed and excited for the journey ahead.

Stay Productive

Beginning a project is a vital way to keep loneliness from entering your mind. If you are journaling, video editing, or photo sorting; long hours in trains, buses, and airports become desirable.

For example, many times my travel blog, and other projects keeps me extremely busy. I often look forward to alone time so I can get caught up. I don’t even have a chance to get lonely.

Find something you are passionate, or start a travel job and pour yourself into it when you start to feel alone.

Improve Yourself

We live in the golden age of travel. With easy access to Ipads, laptops, and smart phones the world is easily accessible.  New discoveries and knowledge are just clicks away.

When I started traveling, I promised myself every day I would try to improve as a person.

One goal was teach myself a new language. This not only took my mind off of being alone, but also gave me a better cultural understanding of the countries I was visiting.

Use loneliness for self-improvement and you will not only become a better person but a more responsible traveler.

Remember Your Goals

Having travel goals is one of the best ways to deal with loneliness on the road.

Goals help keep long-term travelers focused and are a continual reminder of why traveling is important.

Whether you want to see every country in the world or to just sip wine under the Eiffel Tower, goals keep your ship pointed north when it wants to go astray.

Talk to Strangers

This is going against everything you mother taught you since you were two years old, but one lesson the road teaches quickly is that 99% of people want to help.

If you are missing home or feeling alone, just start talking to someone in the area.

Chances are you will make a new friend which can ease loneliness.

I’ve seen loneliness break travelers and honestly, it has almost broken me a few times.

Knowing how to deal with loneliness is vital for any long-term traveler.

While the feeling is not always pleasant, it can be a gift to learn more about yourself, break out of your shell, and grow as a person.

Stephen is a long-term traveler and loneliness defeater. You can check out more of his musing of life on the road at his website A Backpackers Tale, Facebook, and Instagram.