5 Ways to Beat the Post-Holiday Travel Blues
Table of Contents:
Explore Your Own Backyard With a Travel Buddy
Host a Travel-Inspired Dinner Party
Get Crafty with Your Travel Memories
Plan Your Next Trip (Even If It’s a Year Away)
Bring the Hotel Experience Home
Ah, the post-holiday travel blues, we’ve all been there. One day, you’re clinking glasses under fairy lights, and the next, it’s you, your laundry pile, and an inbox that somehow tripled overnight. The festive glow? Faded. The magic? Missing. Mariah Carey? Back into hibernation.
But just because the holiday season is over doesn’t mean the adventure has to be. Let’s shake off those post-vacay blues and bring a little travel-inspired joy into everyday life.
No passport required.
Here are five ways to help bring a touch of wonder into your everyday:
5. Explore Your Own Backyard With a Travel Buddy
You know that museum you’ve walked past a hundred times? Or the café with the French bistro chairs you keep meaning to visit? Yeah, now’s the time. Play tourist in your own town, but make it an adventure. Grab a friend, your partner, your dog, and dive into the local spots you’ve overlooked.
Take it up a notch by bringing the world to you. Book a local class, learn the language of the country you got lost in (win-win-win: new hobby, future fluency, and no more wrong turns), take an international cooking workshop, or join a club focused on global reads, and make a new friend. Suddenly, you’re not just killing time; you’re creating mini-adventures.
This will feed your curiosity, keep your wanderlust alive, AND you might just meet your next travel buddy.
4. Host a Travel-Inspired Dinner Party
If one of your New Year’s resolutions involves ordering less takeout or cooking more wholesome meals, why not make it fun? Missing the dreamy meals you had on your last trip? Recreate them! Hosting a dinner party is a great way to bring a slice of your favourite destination home.
Theme it up:
🍷 Paella and sangria for a Spanish night
🍣 Homemade sushi for a Japanese-inspired evening
🍝 That pasta dish that made you happy cry in Rome
Don’t stop at the food, set the vibe with a playlist, mood lighting, and a destination-themed dress code. And your guests? Friends who appreciate good food and don’t mind laughing with (or at) you as you try to pronounce “Schiacciata” like an Italian. Bonus points if you use this as an excuse to finally show off your vacation photos (just maybe keep it to a max 300-slide presentation).
You don’t have to be a pro chef to pull this off, half the fun is in experimenting and sharing the experience.
3. Get Crafty with Your Travel Memories
You’ve got a phone full of photos, a drawer stuffed with ticket stubs, and a heart full of memories. Why not turn those keepsakes into something beautiful? Get crafty and create a travel scrapbook, print your favourite shots, or turn ticket stubs and maps into framed collages.
For an easy, ever-growing display, start a travel Polaroid wall. Whether it’s a perfectly arranged grid or a totally chaotic mix (no judgment), it’s an easy way to relive your best travel moments every day.
If DIY isn’t your thing, plenty of services can transform your photos into sleek coffee-table books, prints for wall art, or even customized calendars. Suddenly, every time you walk past that framed sunset in Bali, it’s like a little boost of serotonin. It’s a creative way to celebrate your adventures and keep them close (literally).
2. Plan Your Next Trip (Even If It’s a Year Away)
Half the joy of travel is in the planning. Start plotting your next getaway, even if it’s just a daydream for now. Whether it’s exploring faraway shores, embarking on a classic road trip, or even indulging in a staycation, the possibilities are endless and the act of planning can keep the spark alive.
🌍 Pin your dream destinations on a map
📖 Dive into travel blogs (hi, glad you’re here!)
✍️ Build your ultimate bucket list
If you’re looking for some fun and unique ideas, why not try a “Culinary Crawl” through Europe, a road trip to America’s best national parks, or a pop culture pilgrimage to visit filming locations from your favourite movies and shows (think Croatia for Game of Thrones). And don’t underestimate the power of a themed road trip: pick your favourite vibe (retro diners and drive-ins, scenic routes, or quirky roadside attractions) and hit the road with a killer playlist.
1. Bring the Hotel Experience Home
Who says you need a plane ticket for five-star vibes? Recreate the luxury of a great hotel at home and watch your mood instantly lift. Picture this: plush robes, candles that smell like the Amalfi Coast, a spa night complete with face masks and fizz, and pancakes in bed, because room service is a state of mind (even if you’re the chef). For the ultimate touch, use those little luxuries you brought back from your last trip (yes, the bath salts that may or may not have “accidentally” made it into your bag).
Add-ons: Treat yourself to a massage, splurge on dinner at that fancy restaurant you’ve been eyeing, or set the scene with soft jazz, dim lighting, and maybe even a few rose petals (romanticizing life is fully encouraged here).
With the right touches, even a spontaneous weekend at home can feel like a much-needed escape.
Wrapping It Up
The post-holiday slump doesn’t mean the adventure has to end, it just looks a little different. Travel isn’t just about new places; it’s a mindset. It’s in the playlist that whisks you to Paris, the candle that smells like your favourite hotel, or the homemade pasta that takes you back to that happy-cry Rome memory. Little moments like these keep the spirit of adventure close, even when you're home.
Missing the thrill of travel? Shift your perspective. Travel blues aren’t a dead end, they’re an invitation to dream bigger and explore closer. Keep channeling your Mr./Mrs./Ms. Worldwide persona, maybe your next escape isn’t across the world but right in your city or in your own kitchen.
Cheers to staying curious and finding inspiration in the every day, one small escape at a time!
