How To Beat Post-Holiday Blues


Elderly woman standing on beach facing the sea with arms raised towards the sunset

We’re winding down from peak holiday time and starting to feel that familiar chill in the air. If you’re feeling deflated from your holiday, Health and Wellbeing expert, Stephanie Taylor of StressNoMore, has some tips on how to beat post-holiday blues!

Unpack Straight Away

After getting home from travelling, you just want to put your feet up and switch off. That usually means ditching your suitcase and leaving it sitting for days.

Instead, try to unpack when you get home. Sort through the piles of dirty washing and put your suitcase away. Leaving it there will only make you feel worse!

Allow Yourself A Few Days

Don’t arrange your holiday so you go straight back into work or responsibilities you may have. Book a few days off after you get back to allow yourself to readjust and get back into a routine.

If you got into a pattern of sleeping in, start setting your alarm a little earlier so it’s not as much of a shock to the system. You can use the time to get the house back to normal and stock up on food, chores and anything else you need to do.

Keep Some Money Aside

Ensure you over-budget ahead of your trip so you can have a luxurious holiday and still return home with some left over for essentials. Nothing spells being downcast like wishing you were back on holiday and then not being able to afford anything.

Bring Elements Home

Bring a bit of the holiday home with you! If there was something you particularly enjoyed while you were away, such as learning language or different cuisines, consider introducing it to your day-to-day life.

Joining a club or taking lessons will make coming home more exciting. Plus, these new things will help you grow your sense of identity and culture, which you can share with others and broaden your horizons.

Plan Your Next Trip

You might not be able to book another trip straight away, but there’s no harm in planning one. A study found that 80% of respondents felt exciting just by looking at a map and choosing places they’d like to visit.

So, map out where you want to go next and any finer details. If you’d like to revisit the same place, there’s no harm in sending the hotel or accommodation an email to thank them for your stay. You never know, they might offer a returners discount.


Read more Travels from the “Friend” team.

Jacqueline Munro

Jacqueline is the Digital Content Editor at "The People's Friend", looking after our website, social media channels and podcast.