When you travel it’s common to experience homesickness while abroad, especially if you travel alone. There are so many things to miss like family and friends and the familiarity of living in the same place for a long time.
Whether you are taking a short trip overseas, or making a new start for yourself in a foreign place, it can be hard to adjust. Thankfully there are many ways that you can cope with this feeling – and even get rid of it entirely!
I’ve written this guide to help you deal with homesickness, and enjoy your time abroad. These are all strategies that have helped me over the years as a solo traveller, and living overseas permanently. I hope that they will be helpful to you too.
What Is Homesickness?
If this is your first time away from home or you’re travelling alone, you may have never experienced homesickness before.
Feeling homesick is very common and totally normal. It happens to all of us at least once in our lives, especially if we travel a lot. It’s feelings of sadness, anxiety, or loneliness when you miss home. It’s a natural reaction to change in your life like being overseas or making a move to a new city.
What Causes Homesickness?
Usually, it’s caused by experiencing unfamiliar environments and missing the familiarity of home. So even the most seasoned traveller can experience it. It can strike us suddenly for no apparent reason triggered by things like differences in culture, food, and customs.
While living overseas, I have felt homesick if I miss British food or encounter challenges with the culture of my new home. At times it was the stupidest, smallest things that would make me miss England.
Fear Of Missing Out
FOMO can hit often when you are abroad. If you’ve been away for a while and events are happening back home that you can’t go to it can be tough.
So you will have times when you wonder what you are missing out on back home. You might start feeling that the people around you donโt understand how much your culture has shaped you.
You may start missing things like how easy it was to go home after work to see your family or friends. When loved ones live in different places, there isn’t always someone around when things are hard.
Whatever it is that makes you feel homesick, just know that it won’t last forever.
Symptoms Of Homesickness While Abroad
If you think you might be feeling homesick, the symptoms can range from mild to severe. Sometimes the feelings of homesickness may get so bad that you have to return home for a while until the feeling passes.
If you are struggling, but not sure if homesickness is the cause, these are common symptoms:
- You want to spend time with family and friends
- You feel sad and/or depressed.
- You feel lonely and/or isolated.
- You feel anxious or nervous about being away from home/the familiar environment (e.g., friends) where you grew up/grew up in
First You Need To Recognize & Acknowledge Your Feelings
Just because living abroad is the best thing youโve ever done doesnโt mean you will always feel good about it. So, I’ve found that a really helpful way to deal with homesickness is to recognize and acknowledge your feelings. This is where self-reflection comes in, and journaling or meditating can really help with this. If journaling isn’t your thing or you find meditating tough, just going for walks or getting creative will help you to reflect.
Just take some time to write or think about why you feel homesick and allow yourself to have those negative feelings. Remind yourself often that there is nothing wrong with the way you are feeling.
Reasons you are feeling down could be:
- Loneliness
- Missing friends and family
- Stress or anxiety
- The time of year โ Christmas always caused the most homesickness for me
Remind Yourself Of Why You Left Home To Travel
Remember why you embarked on this trip overseas in the first place.
When you were planning it, you had goals and dreams. You were excited about finally ticking someplace off your bucket list or experiencing life overseas.
Think about that feeling which compelled you to leave home. Channel how you felt at that moment. Even if the magic is somewhat broken by your current situation or your expectations werenโt met. Try to return to that person who bravely left home. How did you feel, and what were you looking for?
Talk It Out With Yourself
You may have already heard that journaling really helps with working through feelings because it really does.
When we write (or type) our situation out, it forces us to think about it thoroughly – and often differently. It also takes our attention away from our negative thoughts consuming us by doing something.
Here are some journal prompts to get you started:
- How am I feeling right now?
- What was I doing when I started feeling really sad or missing home?
- What do I love about (where you are)?
- What am I learning right now?
- How will this trip influence future travel I do?
- What has been my favourite travel experience during this trip?
- Write a bucket list of things to do in your current location
Get Rid Of Any Guilt You Feel While Abroad
Guilt will get you every time, and it will eat you up inside if you let it.
You might start feeling guilty for a number of reasons such as:
- Leaving people you care about behind,
- Not being there for loved ones with XYZ
- Missing important events for family and friends
- Not being able to talk to loved ones at regular times in the same way you could back home because of time differences.
- Family members, pets, and friends only have so long to live. You think youโre wasting precious time you could be spending with them.
All of these feelings are totally valid. It’s ok to feel guilty but what matters most is that you live for yourself and no one else. It is not selfish to put yourself first.
Have Some Routine In Your Day
Travelling or moving overseas will completely throw your usual routines and schedule out of whack. If you are also struggling with homesickness this can just make your anxiety worse.
So it will help you to try and get back into some form of routine as soon as you can. This can be as basic as going to bed and waking up at times that you’re used to, drinking your favourite coffee or eating your meals at regular times. Anything that you were used to doing before your travels will help you to bring some normality and structure back to your life.
Make Your House A Home
Whether you are in temporary accommodations or somewhere more permanent, you need to make yourself as comfortable as you can. One of the simplest ways to do this is just to find a place for everything you own – so no living out of a suitcase. It will really help you to feel at home and less likely to feel homesick with all of your things in their own places.
It may seem like a laborious task or something that won’t make a big difference, but it’s one of the best ways to make any new place feel like home, Investing in shelves, cupboards or any kind of storage to put your stuff in will be well worth the time and expense.
Decorate Your New Space To Make It Yours
Personally, I have found that this was one of the most effective ways to feel at home abroad and it has always helped me to minimize my homesickness. Once I started making my new apartment in Vancouver cosy and comfy, and put my stamp on it, I began to get settled in.
Here are a few suggestions of ways that you can decorate without spending lots of money:
Put Pictures Out Around Your New Home
- Display pictures of friends and family to remind you that there are people who care about you back home, even when they can’t be with you at this moment. If they’ve given you a picture to hang on the wall or put on a shelf, that’s even better!
- Display pictures that show where you came from (or where you’d like to return). If you miss your hometown or plan to return there one day, they can be helpful reminders throughout your time abroad.
Put Favourite Items From Your Old Home Into Your New Home
I brought quite a lot of items from my old home with me when I moved abroad. I put some small items in my suitcase so that I had things to help me settle in from day 1, and the remainder in the shipping containers of my belongings which took a few weeks to arrive.
Use Your Own Furniture Or Furnishings
This is a natural way to make your home feel like you’re in familiar territory, even if you’re in an unfamiliar place. The comfort of your own bed and the familiarity of your kitchen can help ease the stress of moving abroad.
However it’s not very economical or practical to move furniture overseas. However, you can get a similar effect by bringing things like your favourite bedding, blankets, and cushions with you in vacuum bags. It may sound silly but having these things with me when I was low helped me to feel more comfortable in my new surroundings.
Practise Self Care Every Day To Combat Homesickness
Take time for yourself. You might feel like you don’t have the luxury of self-care when you’re living in a new country. Yet it’s important to remember that your well-being is essential for your ability to adapt and thrive abroad.
There are lots of easy ways to practice self-care when you are abroad or travelling.
Meditate, exercise and eat healthy food (obviously). If there’s something specific about the local culture that interests you like a meditation class or an art museum do some research on it. Then when the time comes, you’ll already be familiar with its benefits and how best to enjoy them.
Mix The Old With The New While You’re Abroad
In addition to getting back into your routine, itโs also helpful to introduce a few new things to it. Your routine might be slightly off if the new place. Rather than feeling sad about what has had to change, embrace the opportunity to incorporate some fresh things into your daily life. Being proactive and purposely adding new things to your routine will help you feel in control, as well as excited.
Get Out & Explore Your New Surroundings
If you are just on vacation, exploring your new surroundings is a given. But when you’re making a more permanent move somewhere it’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day and forget to actually enjoy your new environment. No matter how much you need to do to establish yourself successfully in your new home, take time every day to explore and appreciate the local culture.
Set yourself a goal to try and do something new each day to make the most of your new environment. It could be as simple as just checking out a local coffee shop or a different grocery store. From experience, it can really help you to feel less homesick and more excited about your new adventures.
A brand-new neighbourhood can feel daunting at first. So instead of focusing on how unfamiliar it all is, take control and start exploring. Look at it as an adventure. Play tourist at first to see all the main attractions. Then start digging deeper to get to know it as a local. Try new restaurants, visit museums and art galleries, see a show at the theatre, and check out local businesses. There are all kinds of interesting things to discover in a new community.
Create A Bucket List
Write down all the things you really want to do while you are abroad. Also make a separate list for every country, city and/or your new home. Then whenever you are feeling down and homesick, refer back to the list. Remind yourself of all the exciting fun activities you have ahead of you!
If some of the things on your bucket list require some planning that’s even better as you can distract yourself by setting dates and booking things.
When I moved to Vancouver, I made a list of tourist attractions, day trips and experiences that I wanted to have. It kept me motivated on low days. I used the activities on the list as incentives for pushing through and getting tasks done.
It also just balanced out the endless hours I spent searching for an apartment and a job in my first few weeks. Having fun experiences reminded me why I’d moved abroad, and the quality of life I wanted to create for myself.
See The Beauty In Your New Environment
No matter what is going on for you, remember to take moments of quiet to just look around you and take in your surroundings. What do you smell, hear, feel, and see? Is it exactly what you imagined it would be when you were planning your trip?
Whatโs beautiful about your environment right now? You may never get to be here again, and you won’t have this exact same moment again.
So take pictures, draw, write, whatever will help you to savour the moments. Just be present as much as you can.
Avoid Excessive Contact With Your Friends & Family
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of moving abroad. You may not realize that you’re going through a major life transition. While it may be tempting to share all of your new experiences with everyone back home, sometimes it’s better to avoid excessive contact with family and friends.
It will also be hard for your loved ones who are still living their lives the same way to relate to your experiences. Also, if anyone you love goes through a major life change like losing their job, or breaking up with someone it will be hard for them to hear about your adventures.
After all, you don’t want them to feel jealous or left out during an important moment in their own lives.
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Travelling is a perfect time to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Whether it’s an adventurous activity, or going out to dinner alone, push yourself to do things that are uncomfortable.
You only live once, and you will be so proud of yourself afterwards for pushing through any fears you have. It also does wonders for your confidence to do something you are scared of doing.
Plus it will give you fond memories to look back on whenever you are feeling low. Might even inspire you to do other things that you’re unsure of doing.
Make New Friends While You Travel
One of the fastest ways to settle into a new environment, and enjoy your experiences is to make new friends. It can be intimidating to put yourself out there though. Networking is not always fun but you will thank yourself for doing it when you have made new friends.
There are a few ways to meet people like expat groups on social media, forums and local events. In my case, I used a mix of expat groups, and professional events to start making friends. I also went to a lot of local events to try and meet people with similar interests which had mixed results.
If it’s something you find difficult, or daunting, there are a few ways that you can make new friends when you move abroad. But ultimately the most important thing is that you put yourself out there. So find ways to be sociable and meet people.
Use Social Media Sparingly When You Feel Homesick
Technology, while working as an expat abroad, can be your best friend or worst enemy when it comes to settling in. It is a brilliant way to stay in touch with family and friends at home regularly. However, social media can also make you feel more aware of what you are โmissing out onโ too. If you are on it too much it may make any homesickness while abroad even worse!
Nights out, birthdays and family reunions can be hard to observe from a distance, especially when photos pop up on Facebook of โall the crewโ and youโre absent.
Just remember that social media is a highlights reel so you may not be missing out on as much as you think.
Similarly, try not to go overboard with updates of your new life abroad. It may make it hard for family and friends to understand when you express feelings of homesickness.
Look For Familiar Things To Combat Homesickness
No matter where you go in the world you will always be able to find familiar things where you are.
I think that one of the best things about travelling is learning about how people are both similar and different around the world.
Here are a few things you could do to embrace the familiar when you are struggling with homesickness while abroad:
- Wear your favourite outfit that you brought from home.
- Find foods from back home in a restaurant or store.
- Listen to your favourite music.
- Watch a TV show or movie that you love.
- Read a book that you brought from home.
- Enjoy smells from home with a candle or your favourite perfume that brings back fond memories.
- Wear a piece of jewellery or sentimental item that reminds you of home or someone you love.
Get Involved In The Local Community
If you are feeling alone and disconnected, getting involved in your new community will help you to embrace your new environment. So don’t hesitate to sign up for local activities and organizations. It will connect you with local people while keeping you busy and distracted from feeling homesick.
Send Postcards Back Home
- Send postcards back home to friends and family.
- Send postcards back home to remind you of your home, your friends and family, and your culture.
- Send postcards back home to remind you of your language.
Plan Trips To Your Home Country
If you can, plan a trip home as soon as you’re settled in. It will help keep your mind occupied and give you something to look forward to. But if that’s not possible, don’t wait too long or else the thought of going back will become overwhelming and stress-inducing.
22 Quotes About Homesickness
If youโre feeling homesick, these are some of my favourite homesickness quotes that might help you feel better.
“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” โ Winnie the Pooh
“The ache for home lives in all of us. The place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
โ Maya Angel
“Thereโs no shame in feeling homesick. It means you come from a happy home.” โ Mrs Hughes (Downton Abbey)
“There is no place more delightful than oneโs fireplace.”โ Cicero
“Homesickness is not always a vague, nostalgic, almost beautiful emotion, although that is somehow the way we always seem to picture it in our mind. It can be a keen bladeโฆIt can change the way one looks at the world.”โ Stephen King (The Body)
“One never reaches home, but wherever friendly paths intersect the whole world looks like home for a time.” โ Hermann Hesse
“Homesickness: when you miss where you’re from and then realize that’s what makes it special, to begin with”
โ anon
“Home is where our story begins.” โ A. N. Onymous
“If youโve ever been homesick or felt exiled from all the things and people that once defined you, youโll know how important welcoming words and friendly smiles can be.” โ Stephen King
“When you feel homesick,โ he said, โlookup. Because the moon is the same wherever you go.”โ Donna Tartt (The Goldfinch
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” โ Terry Pratchett (A Hat Full of Sky)
“We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.”
โ Carson McCullen
“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.” โ John Ed Pearce
“Home is wherever you leave everything you love and never question that it will be there when you return.” โ Leo Christopher
“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.” โ Wendy Wunder
“Maybe home is nothing but two arms holding you tight when youโre at your worst.” โ Yara Bashrahee
“Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.”โ J.R.R. Tolkien
“I suspected, however, that I wasnโt homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. The longing was for what I wouldnโt find: the past and all the people and places there were lost to me.”
โ Alice Steinbach
“Every traveller has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering.” โ Charles Dickens
“I am homesick for a place I am not sure even exists. One where my heart is full. My body loved. And my soul understood.” โ Melissa Cox
“Maybe you had to leave to really miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was.” โ Jodi Picoult
“Life takes you to unexpected places. Love brings you home.” โ A. N. Onymous
Final Thoughts On Dealing With Homesickness While Abroad
If you take anything from this post I hope it brings you comfort that homesickness while abroad is normal. Don’t let it stop you from making the most of your travels. By immersing yourself in activities and cultures, you will feel less homesick in time.
After all, homesickness is usually a temporary feeling. There are also lots of things that you can do to overcome these feelings. The most important thing to do is just to acknowledge your feelings so that you can work through them quickly.
In time, feeling homesick will be a thing of the past, it just takes patience and self-love.
Learn More About Living Abroad
- Lessons Learned From Living Abroad In Canada
- How To Deal With Homesickness While Abroad
- How To Move to A New City Alone Successfully
- Important Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Move Abroad
- 25 Ways To Meet People & Make Friends When You Move To A New Place
- 9 Personality Traits Expats Need To Live Overseas Successfully
- How To Effectively Network On Social Media
- 6 Reasons To Join A Professional Association
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Gemma Lawrence is the creator of This Brits Life. Born and raised in England, she has been living in British Columbia, Canada as a permanent resident since 2016. A solo traveler for the past 9 years, she hopes to inspire and help others to enjoy solo adventures too. As someone who has always struggled with her self-confidence and mental health, she also shares tips and inspirational stories relating to self-love, self-care, and mental health.
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