My 5 Emotions Going From Paradise to Reality: The Whiplash of Returning Home After a Dream Life Abroad

Coming home after living abroad can be a bittersweet experience, especially for a solo male traveler who found his ideal life in foreign lands. That was me multiple times in 2023. After spending 2 months travelling through year and another month solo in Vietnam the emotional whiplash was unexpected and has caused me to rethink how I manage my reintergration back into family ‘normality’ after being me. While my journey abroad was often filled with adventure, excitement, and growth, returning home evoked in more a complex mix of emotions. To me though 5 overwhelming emotions stood out amongst the rest and by unpacking my experiences with these feelings I hope to both illuminate and prepare fellow solo travellers when it comes to those home time blues.

The Silver Linings of Coming Home

Before I drift into the realm of a 20 something male feeling sorry for himself that he can’t just jet set around the globe constantly, I do want to acknowledge the silver linings of returning home. Despite the emotions that I felt as I zipped up my luggage and sat in my airplane seat on the journey home of sadness on an ending adventure the anticipation to reconnect with loved ones was definitely brewing. That moment when you land and hug the one…