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(Weekly Travel Question) How Do We Travel Continuously Without Getting Burnt Out?

Posted by on May 20, 2010 .

Recently we received a question from Steph @Twenty-Something Travel, asking how we manage to travel continuously without getting burnt out.

To answer this question I just have to begin with saying that I DO get burned out, although maybe not as quickly as many people. Nathan never seems to get burnt out or stressed and has never really settled down in one place for more than 6months since 2004, but we are all different! :p

I think a lot of it comes down to how attached you are to having a home. It’s about finding out how much certainty you need in your life. It seems like the less certainty you need (the more uncertainty you can handle), the longer you can travel and stay happy.

One way we found helped a lot when traveling was to create daily routines.

What people really want isn’t a house to call home, but the feeling of structure which that gives them. If your life has some kind of structure, you will feel safer and more certain no matter where in the world you are.

It doesn’t have to be something big, it could be something as small as having a morning routine. To wake up every day at the same time and go for a walk before breakfast, or having your meals at specific times of the day.

It also comes down to how you as an individual handle stress and new situations.

If you don’t take the time everyday to stress down and get into a relaxed state, traveling will burn you out before you know it. We put A LOT of focus on making sure we do this when we travel, if you want to read about how to handle stress, check out this post – 10 Ways To Stop Stress When Traveling

Another important factor is to try and be in the moment and actively be grateful for your life and everything around you.

Maybe on a walk you can take five minutes to think about all the things in your life that you’re grateful for. This usually put things straight if you start to question what the heck you’re doing.

Always worrying about the future can create a lot of stress in your head. It’s good to think methodically, but not getting attached to the future and what MIGHT happen.

Another thing we tend to do when we start feeling a bit stressed and uneasy, is to slow down and settle somewhere quiet for a while. Rushing through countries and seeing everything doesn’t make the trip any better than staying a bit longer at a place until you feel ready to continue – sit back and relax, nothing really is more important than your own personal mental health – take the world one step at a time and you will find you can travel for a very long time and STILL enjoy it as much as your first day away.

If you would like to share any of your personal tips for relaxing and dealing with stress, you can share them below!

Also this Weekly Travel Question – is going to be come a new feature on our site – so if you have any other questions about travel which you would like answered – just ask below and we will post our answers as a blog here in a few weeks.

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  • http://www.backpackingmatt.com Matt

    Excellent post, Sofia – really well said. I agree that sometimes it's simply a mater of stepping back and thinking about where you are and what you're doing. Ideally, if you're traveling long-term, you're doing it because YOU want to do it. Live in the moment and take one day at a time.

  • http://www.OnOurOwnPath.com bessiejulia

    Great post. I totally agree – living in the moment is key. On the road you have to embrace the small opportunities you see to engage with something totally unexpected, or else why are traveling?

    Like your tip on setting a daily routine – I figured this one out the hard way. :)

  • Angelo

    write yourself a letter with expectations/goals you have of the trip prior to leaving and read that letter when you are stressed on the trip to recenter yourself and create a new beginning!

  • magicant

    Thanks for this post – it definitely confirms some of the thoughts I've had. Routine is something I need (as do most people, I think) – even if it's only a couple of consistent daily rituals. That, and settling somewhere once in a while both bring in a feeling of connection to the world that can be tough to maintain when you're traveling.

    On the same note, I would think that maintaining regular contact with friends and family -via e-mail, twitter or a blog would help when you're feeling run down.

  • http://twenty-somethingtravel.com Stephanie

    I totally forgot I asked this question- but thanks for the great answer! It's something I worry about a lot as I plan my RTW trip. I think going at my own pace and taking time to relax and decompress are going to be big factors.

  • http://www.neverendingvoyage.com Erin

    I agree with all of you advice. I think the biggest cause of burn out is when people plan too much, try to cram too much in and then just get tired. Having really flexible plans is so important. Our philosophy is not to leave a place until we are ready – we just spent two months in Buenos Aires.

  • http://www.overyonderlust.com Erica

    I think its definitely important to keep yourself flexible. So what if you didn't see the Nth castle that day. There is always tomorrow and hell, make sure you are enjoying yourself. :)

  • http://www.livingintransit.com Eli

    I think it's a good idea to sometimes just relax and take it slow. There really is no rush. Spend some time doing things you would normally do at home, read a book, watch a little television, or something like that. But I do think that some people aren't really cut out for travelling for long periods of time.

  • http://www.baconismagic.ca Ayngelina

    I'm always jealous of people who run. I think it really centers them. I've just never been one to run but I definitely need to find my morning routine.

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    thanks Matt – yeah it's always meant to be fun, like you say that's why we do it :) but stepping back and seeing honestly what your really doing, and how awesome it is – calms the mind and re-motivates you to explore some more ;) for me anyways. hehe

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    wow THAT is a great tip Angelo – I will make sure to do this task soon!

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    yeah isn't that how it always seems to be… always learning the hard way :p but for some reason I love that about traveling – you never know what you are going to learn on the road, and that is such a motivation for me to travel more – growth as a person.

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    haha yeah we planned to post it earlier but had a massive backlog of scheduled posts :p your mindset sounds great – at your own pace, and relaxing – the *best* way to travel ;)

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    Hey Joel, routine is so important for keeping mental sanity in general – and thanks for adding the tip for staying in touch with family and friends via email & twitter. :)

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    haha yeah I also HATE running, even though I know it is good for me – I still struggle to get myself out of the house and RUN – give me a bike any day of the week!

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    some of the BEST advice! I agree most ppl plan way too much, and try to see the whole world as fast as they can – then wonder why they are stressed, and burnt out :p I love your mindset: not to leave a place until you feel ready – really great stuff, thanks for stopping by and sharing!

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    I agree Erica – nothing is more important than living in the moment & enjoyment of those magic moments, one step at a time :)

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    yeah for some people 2 months is considered a long trip, for other 6 years is normal – each to their own and as long as that person is honest about what they can handle then nothing should really bother them – it's when people start having competitions with each other about who has been to more places, more passport stamps etc. when stress takes over and messes with you…

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  • http://www.journeyofatravelwriter.com Adam

    Great post. It's always interesting to see how others deal with travel burnout. Having never traveled long term until our year long RTW, I was astounded when I reached the burnout phase. I even felt quite guilty. How can I be stressed and yearning for home when all my family and friends are there working every day and going through daily routines while I am visiting places many only dream about? I think a big thing for first time long term travelers is to realize that travel burnout happens and there's nothing to feel guilty about. Developing a routine is huge. For us, when we were really feeling it, we changed gears and plans and made our way down to a Thai island. How can you possibly be stressed there?

  • http://www.aswetravel.com/ As We Travel

    haha yeah great stuff Adam – you do feel weird cos you know you are doing something which you love, its not work and you are free – but sometimes these things just creep up on you – and like you say – get honest, not guilty and slow down – Thailand, Malaysia – perfect places to just sit still and do nothing :)

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