Travel burnout. I’ve been there before, and that’s where I am again. This is hard for me, as a travel blogger, to admit (and please don’t fire me, Leana!) How did this happen?
Trips Galore
I started the year looking forward to all of our planned trips. We really just had three major vacations planned—a week in Florida at the beach for Spring Break, a Disney Cruise to Alaska and a trip to California over the summer. But then we sprinkled in a night at a treehouse and added onto our California trip with a few nights in San Francisco followed by an overnight train trip and a few days in Denver.
Then, unexpectedly, I had to make a few trips to Denver to see my parents. Add onto those several work trips for my husband, our regularly scheduled trips to see my husband’s family and my recent solo trip to New Orleans, and WE ARE BEAT. Exhausted. Done.
Just this summer alone, I’ve slept in 10 different beds. I can’t even get my suitcase unpacked before it’s time to start packing for the next trip. I just want to curl up in my own bed and sleep for a month.
Even though most of these trips were heavily discounted due to collecting miles and points through credit card bonuses (for which I am very thankful), they are still every bit as time consuming. Somehow, we’ve got to muster the strength for at least two more trips to visit family in Texas in November and December and possibly yet another trip to see family in Colorado. How will we do it?
#firstworldproblem
Making Changes
I am not opposed to changing or canceling travel plans. I don’t want to travel just for the sake of traveling.
My family actually had a short two-night getaway scheduled for Labor Day weekend in just a few weeks. We had planned to stay in a cabin in the Texas Hill Country area for our anniversary (with our kids), but we canceled it in time to get our entire deposit refunded.
We just couldn’t get excited for the trip. The trip would have required us to drive up I35 on a holiday, which is notorious for traffic jams. Our 4-hour drive could easily turn into 6+ hours of highway frustration. Since the holiday weekend is quickly approaching, I couldn’t see us getting over our travel burnout by then.
I would love to cancel one of our fall family visit trips if I thought we could get away with it. Sometimes, less is more, and that applies to travel, too.
Planning Differently for Next Year
I know that we will get over this travel overload soon. We will catch up on sleep and get accustomed to our beds. Maybe it will take weeks or months, but it will happen.
We have a “dry spell” of a few months coming up. Once the routine of school and homework falls into place, we will probably start craving a change of scenery.
But, going through this burnout has forced us to reevaluate our priorities. Which trips are the most beneficial and meaningful?
When we look back at our trips this year, by far our favorites were our Disney Cruise to Alaska and our Spring Break trip on the Florida beaches. What do those two trips have in common?
Both of those trips allowed us to relax. We had downtime and didn’t fill every day with planned activities and schlepping around. We didn’t move from place to place after one or two nights, but had extended time in one bed/location.
So far, we have two major trips planned for next year. We are going to Hawaii over Spring Break and we have a condo booked for a month in the summer. And I can’t forget that I tentatively booked a repeat visit at the treehouse.
But for now, that is where my planning will stop. Sure, I can’t predict if I’ll have to fly to visit family members in the hospital or travel for other unexpected emergencies. But, I can step back and make a conscious decision to plan fewer, more relaxing trips. And maybe I need to say “no” more often to myself and others.
Who else is experiencing a temporary case of travel burnout? Have you been there before, and how long until you were ready to hit the road (or air) again?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I can actually totally relate to this! My husband and I just went on a 5 day trip a day after getting home from a 6 day trip with our kids. Our house is a mess, our schedules are off and we’re both way behind on work!
@val I understand! My house is always a mess after a trip. I hope you had fun on your trips!
I am so much a homebody I think i’d get travel burnout if I went too often. Really too much of anything gets old after a while! Hopefully you’ll feel better after getting some rest!!
@Candice So true! Too much of a good thing is not always good. I think after I get a week of good sleep, I’ll start to get over my burnout.
You will sometimes hear someone that travels for work says it’s overrated while the next person who doesn’t travel much wants that job. I guess it’s all about what feels right for you. We tend to miss our puppy on vacation so I prefer long weekends while my husband prefers longer stays. He says by time he’s on vacating mode it’s time to leave.
@Boonie I sometimes miss my dog while we travel, too. I’m going to be separated from her for 4 weeks next summer! I’m not sure how I’ll handle it.
I find shorter trips are the ones that give me a serious burnout. If a travel for more than 5 days it’s ok, but when it’s just for the weekend and those become quite constant…well, I get cranky. I find all the packing a bit annoying to just enjoy 1 or 1 1/2 days of fun/relaxation. I wouldn’t mind to be constantly traveling as long as the trip is longer than 7 days. Your trip to Hawaii sounds amazing though! 🙂
@Andrea You’re not alone with that opinion on the shorter trips!
Going on any sightseeing vacation with my husband burns me out. He’s a Go Go Go type of guy and wants to see everything because he never knows if he’ll ever return. I have to remind him that he can’t burn the kids out or they’ll hate the trip.
This year may be the most we have traveled: 2 large trips, 1 adult only trip, and 2 weekend trips (1 to visit family).
@Stephanie That’s a lot of travel! Glad you got an adult-only trip. My brother’s family is also the “go go go” type and we just can’t keep up!
Oh man I have done this before. Multiple trips booked back to back. Some were work and some were pleasure, but yet, still tiring to jump from plane to plane.
@certifiedpastryaficionado Sometimes, timing is everything! If I could have spaced out these trips better throughout the year, I’d probably be fine. With my oldest son in middle school, I can’t pull him out of school as much, so I’m cramming all these trips into the summer.
I’ve experienced travel burnout too. It’s so much work sometimes just to go and come back.
@Lindsey Yes, travel can be a lot of work! Usually the rewards outweigh the hassle.
Considering your last trip was in three locations and mostly by yourself with kids, I totally understand your burnout.
@Sarah I hope to improve on this for next year. Being in this state of burnout is no fun!
Travel with kids is A LOT of work! Before, during and after. I completely understand where you’re coming from 🙂
@Family6travels I’m glad you can relate. Travel is so worth it, though. I just need to take a short break from it.
Weekend trips are the source of travel burnout for me. It’s just too much work to pack everything up for a weekend, enjoy 1.5 days of fun, then come home to a ton of laundry. I don’t typically get burnt out by too many longer trips, but the shorter trips kill me. I’m at the point where I don’t want to travel on the weekend anymore unless it’s part of a larger trip.
@Holly Yes, sometimes those short trips require so much planning and packing that it almost doesn’t seem worth it. For me, at the same time, I think 10 days is about the maximum time I want to be gone from home. I like my own bed. 🙂
Nancy, I’m pretty sure I can’t actually fire you! 🙂 You are a partner here, not an employee. Stay as long as you like.
I hear what you are saying. There can be such a thing as too much travel (for me, at least). I could never be on the road indefinitely, I need to come home and get back to a stable routine. I view travel as sort of a spice. Put too much of it in your “meal”, and the food doesn’t taste that great. It all starts to look the same after you’ve been on the road for few years. What is impressive for an occasional traveler, is just “blah” for someone who has seen it all. And then there is tiredness and lack of purpose.
@Leana That’s a great analogy. I’m on spice overload right now. I feel like a bit of a whiner, but at the same time, I want people to know that traveling all the time isn’t always glamorous. I’ve reached my limit for the summer for sure.