What to do when you've got travel limbo - 5 tips to get you on the next flight out of here!

Perhaps it’s only the truly travel bug infected souls who can relate to the feeling of travel limbo. You have just returned from an overseas adventure, where each day, each moment incited the feeling that you were living your life in technicolour...even if you did nothing more in an entire day than wander outside your lodgings to sample an indulgent local delicacy at the closest store.

Now that you have returned home to “real” life, to your routine and responsibilities, you question how the freedoms you felt whilst you were travelling… can now feel so unreachable. A faint memory.

I suffer from travel limbo, although the cure is quite obvious. I walked into the travel agent’s. With a few signatures and my credit card swiped, I had officially booked in my next trip. Goodbye travel limbo.

Here are some tips to keep you focussed in the limbo from one adventure to another:

1.       Have a dream list of places to go – Don’t worry about practicality, finances or baby-sitting for now. Just think…”One day I’d like to explore…Thailand, Canada, Peru [insert awesome destination here].”

Every action starts first with a thought – so get those thinking gears turning – if it’s not on your mind you might miss an opportunity to make it happen!

2.       Physical Reminders - Place a picture of your dream destination on your bathroom/bedroom mirror, in the car, on the fridge. You get the idea…..somewhere it will filter into your sub-conscious. You will be surprised by how hyper-aware you will become of the travel agents window you walk past to do your weekly grocery shop. Believe me, you will be glad you put that photo up when your eye catches the sign advertising 50% off Fijian cruises…it’s the same ship as the one on your fridge!

3.       Save money! - Whether it’s a set amount or a percentage of your income. Open a separate high-interest savings account and determine that any money that goes in, only comes out for plane tickets or accommodation bookings.

It’s much easier to say no to that third pair of sequined sandals when you know that the next time there’s a 24 hour sale offer on 2-for-1 return tickets to Japan. You will already have the cash to book your seat and say sayonara to staying-at-home!

4.       Learn a language - If your dream country of destination has a national tongue different to your own – why not get a head start! You might be able to manage the basics of French in the few weeks or months before your trip, but don’t forget you’ll also be busy securing tours, researching cultural experiences, investigating accommodation as well as organizing time off work, house/baby-sitters and packing. So spend some time perfecting your pronunciation and widening your vocabulary. When compared to the usual tourist butchering – your efforts will definitely impress the locals. Breaking down the language barrier is a sure way to have a more engaging and interesting journey.

5.       Reminisce old travel memories - Put your photographs of iconic locations on your wall, perhaps you didn’t have to travel too far to take that picture of your family on the Sydney harbour bridge or the honeymoon snap of you snorkelling along the Great Barrier Reef – but they are still international icons that someone living next to the Eiffel tower or Niagara falls may be dreaming of and hoping to one day visit. Don’t take it for granted!

It can be as simple as a digital photo frame scrolling through your travel pics that can keep adventure fresh in your mind.
Having constant reminders of white-water rafting in Bali, beach hammocks on Maui and the Inca trek to Machu Picchu keeps you hungry for adventure and when you’ve got that, repeat steps 1-4 to get you through travel limbo, into your travel agents office and off to your next exotic location!

My travel photo wall. A constant reminder of the places I have been and determination to see more!