Tumbrella

Travelling is not always about sunshine, swimming and naked dancing on the beach. Sometimes it’s shitty accommodation, shitty food and shitty on the loo seat.

The fact that you’re travelling and still feel miserable doesn’t mean you’re a weirdo. Just human. And you are not alone…

“I was tired and fed-up; of the constant waiting for buses, internet, buses, internet, and the occasional tour,” my mate Ellen told me recently. “I was fed-up of living out of a bag the size of my thumb. I was hit by the realisation that perhaps travelling was hard. No more than hard it was bloody difficult!”

Oh dear… there’s only one solution to all this sorrow. Some tips for dealing with homesickness:

1. Whether it’s by using a mobile, Facebook, Skype, msn, a time-travel machine your nearest and dearest are just seconds away. If you’re feeling lonely, contact someone you love and soak in their love for you. If you carry it around with you in your backpack people are more likely to love you.

2. Try to travel to places where you already have friends or family or both. Even if you cannot stay with them it makes a huge difference having someone who’s willing to take you out for a coffee or invite you round for a meal. And don’t worry about intruding on people. If they don’t want to see you they won’t. Intrude away.

3. Keep a diary and write about how miserable you are. It’ll hopefully be an entertaining read in a couple of years and a written rant always makes you feel better about the world.

4. Travel to a location where there are many English-speaking tourists. Travelling on your own in a foreign speaking country can be very lonely. Australia and New Zealand are very good places to travel (wink wink nudge nudge).

5. Keep yourself busy. Things are not going to get better if you wallow away in your dorm. Get your hiking boots and ramble through some forest, rent a surfboard and learn how to fall off or go on one of the organised tours – they are a great way to meet people.

6. If all else fails – Book a flight and get the hell out of there. But don’t make a decision you might regret. How would you know? Hmmm… Just don’t be too hasty okay.

Got any more tips… just let us know below.