How to deal with emotional rollercoasters while travelling

You’re travelling, but you’re still in the midst of life, right?

I thought that whilst I was on the road everything would be hunky dory, and nothing would get on my nerves – I was wrong.

It’s not difficult to get distracted from things that regularly go on in your life, and any regular stresses that you have, but I have found that life on the road, or in a new destination, throws up all manner of different things to deal with.

Being away from home has made me super sensitive to anything that goes wrong, but you know what? I’ve figured out a few ways to deal with it too.

Whether it’s falling out with your travel buddy, being disappointed with a destination you were really looking forward to visiting, a booking going wrong, or even getting your heart broken by a random stranger who you became close to, dealing with life’s emotional rollercoasters on the road can be done.

I’ll give you an example.

Bear with me.

I am currently living in Turkey, somewhere I’ve been going to for many years. I love the place, it’s my second home and it makes me happy, but despite all this, it has a dark side, and one that I’ve had to learn to deal with.

Everywhere has unscrupulous people, but I’ve come across a few major ones here. Yes, I’ve spent a few nights crying on my balcony but I’ve also learnt a lot from it too.

Keep in touch with home

A lot of the time, upsets on the road come down to feeling out of control, out of your comfort zone, and with a little homesickness thrown in for good measure. The best way to combat this is to phone home regularly, or at least send daily messages on Facebook or WhatsApp, so you have a communication route open.

Keep it in perspective

When you’re feeling a little out of sorts, it’s easy to let things roll into something bigger than they are. Have your moment, stamp your feet if you need to, but keep it in perspective – don’t make mountains out of molehills.

Take it easy on yourself

Be kind to yourself, this is life, so of course you’re going to have ups and downs. Don’t punish yourself for having a minor meltdown.

Talk with friends

If you’re travelling with someone you trust, a friend, or someone likeminded, don’t be afraid to open up and have a chat. I’m not suggesting you offload all your life’s problems, but if you can have a chat with someone, you will probably feel better for it.

Accept that disappointments happen

If you head off to that destination you’ve been dying to see, and it’s not all that, be happy you’ve been, accept that you’ve seen it, take your photos, and put it down to experience. There will be other destinations out there that please you more.

And lastly – don’t force your happiness

If you’re feeling down, experience it, acknowledge it, have your mooch and cry, and then buck your ideas up, give your head a wobble, and move on – life is too short.

coping with up and down emotions when you have lowlights while travelling. mention a couple of examples of feeling down when things disappoint (like a destination you were super looking forward to wasn’t that good) or go wrong.