Need a Vacation After Your Vacation? Tips for Beating the Post Travel Blues

Family vacations are so much fun; but, as we all know, post travel depression can set in quickly. As moms, we look around at the unpacked suitcases which we know are filled with dirty laundry. We try to figure out what we can possibly feed our families without having to make a trip to the grocery store. That long list of to-dos sneaks into our heads and post travel depression starts to set in.

The Majority of Moms Need a Post-Vacation Vacation

Alamo Rent A Car conducted its annual Family Vacation Survey in January of 2018 and found that 93% of moms have felt the need for additional time off to recover from family vacation. Dads weren’t left out either. 88% of them feel the same. In fact, 26% of parents find vacationing exhausting rather than relaxing.

What can we do to make our vacations more relaxing, and how can we stop that overwhelming post travel depression when we get home?

I’ve got some tips for you that might just help.

Beat Post Travel Depression with these Tips

1. Plan an “off” day during your trip. I know when we’re on vacation, sometimes we want to pack as much as possible into our trip to make it worthwhile. It might sound like a good idea, but it’s not very realistic. We can’t always be on the go. I’d recommend taking either your last day or next to last day to just rest and re-group. If your hotel or condo has laundry facilities, get that done, so you’re taking home clean clothes and not facing mounds of laundry at home.
2. Before your trip, make 5 freezer-to-slow cooker meals that you can throw in the slow cooker for the next 5 dinners. It’ll make life so much easier.
3. Have realistic expectations of your family. I know you’re tired and cranky. Chances are, they are too. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been “relaxing” for a week. You’ve either just been in the car or a plane together for hours, and we all know how that can be. Make sure you’ve got snacks at home, and plop the kids in front of a movie for a little while if you need to. Who knows? They may fall asleep!
4. Take advantage of your grocery store’s online ordering if it’s available in your area. It’s worth that extra few bucks to have someone else do your shopping. That way, you can just pop to the curbside pickup area, and they’ll be ready for you when you get there.
5. Don’t expect everything to be done right away. Give yourself time to relax. Schedule that in! Take a nap if you need it.

The main thing is to be realistic about coming home from traveling. You’ve been there, done that. Be gentle on yourself and your family. Things will get done in due time. Life is short. Enjoy the getting away AND coming home safe and sound.

You can learn more about the findings from Alamo’s Family Vacation Survey here.