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From the outside, life as a digital nomad looks like a dream: constant travel, a new city every week, and making money from anywhere in the world. Working remotely as a freelancer or small business owner is a great opportunity to take your desk on the road and move without the restrictions of PTO or holiday approval.

However, there is another side to longer backpacking trips – burnout.

Just as burnout can be attributed to the mundanity of an inescapable 9-to-5, it can also stem from months of ongoing travel. That’s why I’m sharing how I’ve personally overcome travel burnout in the past. Just remember that it’s equally as important to keep yourself externally protected with something like SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance Complete Plan, which not only covers long-term travellers for emergency medical costs, but also ongoing checkups, mental health support, and trip interruptions.

What is Travel Burnout?

Travel burnout refers to feelings of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion as a result of a long or intense travel experience. It’s like hitting a wall after pushing yourself too hard for too long.

Often travel burnout appears several months into a trip when the things that first excited you like new destinations, activities, or friendships suddenly feel insurmountably hard. The initial energy from travelling subsides to leave a deep tiredness in your bones to stop and take a break.

But your trip isn’t over. And you’re so far from home.

What can make travel burnout even more difficult is the guilt typically assigned to it. You are on the trip of a lifetime, doing things others can only dream of, and yet you feel…sad. It’s easy to hear the voice inside you that says “You’re ungrateful” and “You don’t deserve to be here”.

Don’t listen to them.

It is not a normal experience to be constantly on the road. Travelling is exhausting. Every other day you are researching, making new plans, and figuring out where you’re going to stay. Moving all the time can be amazing, but it can also be hard.

Yes, we are so privileged to be able to take these trips, especially to have the digital nomad lifestyle, but, that doesn’t mean you can’t have bad days.

What Does Travel Burnout Look Like?

The first step in recovering from travel burnout is recognising it in yourself and validating those feelings. If you’re experiencing travel fatigue or ignoring feelings of mid-trip sadness, know that you are not alone. Read through the following list of travel burnout symptoms and learn how to recognise travel burnout in yourself.

Symptoms of Travel Burnout

• Physical Exhaustion: Constantly being on the move, dealing with different time zones, uncomfortable beds, and carrying heavy luggage can take a toll on your body. You need proper rest and real sleep to recover from the physical drain of travel.
• Mental Fatigue: Planning itineraries, navigating unfamiliar environments, and dealing with unexpected challenges all take work. Never feeling settled can be extremely mentally draining and lead to difficulty concentrating and processing thoughts.
• Loneliness and Homesickness: Traveling can be both exhilarating and stressful. Being away from familiar surroundings, friends, and family can trigger feelings of missing out or wishing you could click your fingers and be back home.
• Loss of Enjoyment: Despite being in exciting new places, you might find yourself feeling apathetic or indifferent towards your surroundings. Activities that once brought joy may start to feel like chores, as you start struggling to muster enthusiasm for new experiences.
• Social Battery Dead: Particularly when travelling alone, there is a need to be always meeting new people and making new friends. In many cases, you’re staying in dorms or have a jammed-pack schedule that doesn’t leave much room to be alone. This can cause people, particularly introverts, to feel empty of all energy without a chance to recharge.

How To Recover from Travel Burnout

You realise you’re burned out from travelling, but your trip is far from over, now what? The good news is that almost every digital nomad or backpacker has had this experience, and most of them recover without going home. If you have work to do and flights booked to take, then taking a break might not be an option.

Luckily there are other options.

Here are the five steps I took when I burnt out mid-trip. I went on to have some of the best experiences of my life, I know you can do the same.

1. Let go of the guilt. To start the journey of recovering, you first have to accept that you have travel burnout. This is a temporary state that isn’t going to last forever and that you are allowed to feel. Remind yourself that this isn’t a vacation but an extended trip that involves work, deadlines, and never-ending planning. If you’re away from home for more than a few weeks, you’ll inevitably have times when you just want to sit alone and scroll on your phone. No one is at 100% all the time, especially doing as much as you are. Give yourself a break from the negative talk and accept that this is a rough few days.
2. Cancel something. Wherever you are or whatever the situation, I know you have a long list of ‘must-dos’ in this new location. Look over your schedule and cancel at least one of those activities. You might not be able to push your project deadlines, but the truth is that travel experiences are not essential. You will do so much in the next few weeks or months that skipping one day to relax and do nothing is going to refuel you rather than waste your time. Try and make at least half a day of free time intentionally left blank for social media scrolling, watching a movie, or literally just taking a long and well-deserved nap.
3. Phone home. It might sound simple, but sometimes all we need is to hear the voice of a loved one to get us through the day. Call someone that you feel you can speak honestly to about how you’re feeling without worrying about their judgment. I’m guessing you’ve been keeping your exhaustion to yourself? Never underestimate the power of sharing your feelings with someone else. Tell them how awful things feel, cry if you need to, and let it all out to that close and trusted person.
4. Push yourself to make a new friend. For introverted digital nomads, it can be all too easy to withdraw inside yourself when you feel tired or overwhelmed. Whilst it is important to find those moments of solitude and quiet, this can also result in amplified feelings of loneliness and negative talk. Consider how long it has been since you felt you made a new friend. If it’s more than 3 days, it’s time to force yourself to socialise. Go to an event, reach out on a digital nomad forum, or try and look out for other solo travellers over breakfast. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to meet someone to connect with can reinvigorate that love for new adventures.
5. Revaluate your itinerary. Look over your plans for the next few weeks. Is there anything that you are particularly excited about or dreading? You’re allowed to change your plans to get rid of the destinations you’re not looking forward to and instead go straight to the locations that make you smile. If you’re tired of people then leave the city and head to the beach. If you’re desperate for familiarity look for somewhere with a lot of other tourists or that you’ve even visited before. Remember that this is your trip. There are no rules and you are in complete control. If there’s somewhere you’d rather be, then go there!

Home Isn’t Going Anywhere

Beyond all of this, it’s important to remind yourself that home is always an option. You can return at any time, however, it will also be there waiting for you. It can be comforting to know that no matter how out of your depth or alone you feel right now, the familiarity of home isn’t going anywhere.

Burnout does not and will not last forever. Even as you read this article, your mind is working hard in the background to rebuild those energy supplies and heal itself. You are on the growth path, even if you cannot see it right now.

If you want to learn more about burnout and burnout recovery work with a creative coach, you can reach out to me directly for advice and further reading.