5 Mistakes People Accidentally Make When They Return Home From Traveling

Updated March 2025

You’ve just made your return home from traveling, and instead of feeling at ease, you find yourself struggling to readjust.

After experiencing new cultures, routines, and perspectives, the transition back to familiar surroundings can feel unexpectedly disorienting—both mentally and physically. I would know, because I’ve been there quite a few times!

The first time I experienced reverse culture shock was after returning home from studying abroad in Greece, and then after returning from living abroad in Madrid.

It’s a wild ride of emotions that really just require a moment or two to sit down with, and disentangle a bit. I like to think of it as unpacking the mind, instead of letting it all stay inside without making room for it in your space.

In this post, I’ll share 5 common mistakes people make when they return home and how to avoid them, so you can navigate this shift with more ease and self-awareness.

Let’s get started.

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5 Mistakes People Accidentally Make When They Return Home From Traveling

1. Rushing into obligations and routines

It’s tempting to dive right back into work, chores, and social obligations as soon as you return home.

In cultures like the U.S., where productivity is glorified, you might feel pressured to be “back to normal” immediately.

But here’s the thing: You don’t have to.

Give yourself permission to ease back in. Instead of overloading your calendar with meetings, errands, and social gatherings, create space to transition at your own pace.

The shift from travel mode to daily life is an adjustment – mentally, physically, and emotionally.

This means giving yourself grace as you navigate small but noticeable changes, like driving again after using public transportation abroad or shopping in massive grocery stores when you got used to small, local markets.

You don’t have to jump right back into everything – take it slow.

>> Read More: The Reverse Culture Shock Post You Need To Read

2. Avoid talking about the struggles of returning home after being abroad

Not honoring yourself and how you feel – mentally and physically – will lead you into an inner fight within yourself of tossing between what you should feel and what you may actually feel. 

Feeling the post-travel blues/ reverse culture shock and misalignment with your home culture is normal.

Why?

For many, returning home after being abroad is not just about physically going home.

It may also feel like going home to what may feel like a previous version of yourself that you’ve outgrown.

You’re returning to a version that others remember, but you’ve changed in ways they might not understand. It’s frustrating when your friends and family are happy to have you back, but you feel…disconnected.

It can also be hard to see your hometown as you did before.

For example, dealing with how fast-paced life seems to feel back home and finding third spaces without the need to consume is harder than you thought.

Whatever changes you experienced, it is important to talk about the shifts in thoughts and emotions during this transition of returning home.

Whether you talk about it with family or your closest friend, you can also journal about it to let out frustrations, challenges, and whatever else may come up.

Avoiding expressing how you feel is a big no-no.

>> Read More: How To Turn Reverse Culture Shock Into A Propeller For More Travel

3. Neglecting personal reflection and integration

Beyond just physical reintegration, one of the biggest mistakes travelers make is not giving themselves time to mentally process their experience.

Your time abroad wasn’t just a vacation, at least it didn’t end up being like that because it likely changed you.

Maybe you unlearned old habits, developed new perspectives, or realized things about yourself that felt liberating. Before slipping back into your old ways, take time to sit with these changes.

• What did you learn?
• How did travel shift your perspective?
• How do you want to integrate those changes into your daily life?

Even if you can’t keep up the exact lifestyle you had abroad, you can choose to carry forward parts of it.

Whether it’s a slower morning routine, a new way of socializing, or a fresh mindset towards your goals.

If you’re feeling lost in this transition, my FREE Transformative Travel Journal will help. With guided prompts designed to help you unpack your emotions and integrate your experiences, you’ll gain clarity on what travel has taught you, and how to carry it forward into daily life. Grab your copy below!

4. Going back to your usual eating habits and routines

You always hear tips from other travelers to take it easy on the food when you first arrive at a new city, especially when it comes to street food and foods with different ingredients from what you’re used to.

I would strongly argue that the same goes for returning home. 

According to doctors, there may be 2 reasons why travelers deal with unpleasant stomach issues while traveling (and even when returning home after being abroad):

• A change of schedule
• Dehydration

When you’re in a different country, you’re eating different types of foods that may be higher in carbs, fattier, or have different portion sizes.

Not to mention, you’re eating at different times, sleeping at different times, and engaging in different activities, which all lead to shifts in the body and digestion.

So when you return home, to your home country, don’t overindulge in foods that you may not have consumed abroad.

Let your body breathe a bit, physically reset itself to the different time zones, to help avoid stomach issues. 

>> Read More: How To Continue Finding Clarity From Travel At Home- The Practical Way

5. Thinking that your travels and the learning are over

Spoiler alert: it’s not. 

Here’s the thing: when we travel, we learn something new, or a few things.

Whether it’s interesting facts about the destination you traveled to or the city you called home while living that expat life abroad – you also learned things about yourself that maybe you never really had the opportunity to explore any other time, other than when you were away from your home country. 

The deep learning experiences, the inspiration of beautiful new surroundings in nature and architecture, the variety and choices of different ingredients and foods, and the amazing people you meet while living or traveling abroad, all change something in you.

It expands your awareness.

When you are suddenly in a different environment, you question things, which becomes apparent especially when you move back home.

When you give yourself the time to think back, as you allow your mind to catch up to where you physically are (hello jetlag), you uncover some pretty amazing things, and questions you never thought of before.

How do you feel now that you’re back home, and what does that mean going forward?

The truth is, your travels are full of teachings for you to uncover, and in my humble opinion, that’s the best souvenir type of gift there is. The one that keeps on giving.

Concluding thoughts on returning home after traveling

Returning home after travel isn’t about “going back” – it’s about moving forward with everything you’ve gained. Let your transition be as intentional as your travels were.

I hope these points help you if you find yourself in a similar situation when you return home after traveling or returning home after living abroad.

You’re not alone; your feelings are valid. It’s time to determine their root cause.

To more travel moments like these,

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