By Beth Rush
Digital nomads get the best of both worlds. You get to indulge your adventurous spirit while traveling the world and paying your bills with a career that matches your lifestyle. However, traveling so often can also become a source of stress.
Learn how to deal with travel exhaustion by exploring the concept of burnout and using tips to keep stress to a minimum during your next adventure.
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is a condition in which a person feels physically and mentally exhausted due to external, intense stressors. Stressful factors in a person’s job or personal life can last months or years. When you can’t change your career, lifestyle, or interpersonal relationships, lasting burnout causes side effects like fatigue, low productivity, indifference, and irritability.
Although you might love traveling, it can still add many stressors to your virtual workplace responsibilities. Accepting your burnout is the first step in preventing it during future work adventures.
The Ultimate Travel Cheat Sheet for Avoiding Burnout
You can learn how to not burn out while traveling. These tips can significantly improve your quality of life so you can return to loving your digital nomad lifestyle.
1. Investigate your insurance options
Insurance isn’t just for cars and homes. It can also protect you when you travel for work. Look into insurance that covers things like lost luggage and canceled flights. You could also explore personal property insurance so you never have to worry about your belongings going missing after arriving at your destination.
Traveling is exciting, but many elements are out of your control. Whether you’re part of the roughly 1/3 of North Americans who purchased travel insurance due to worries about needing to cancel a trip for an unforeseen reason or you’re nervous about your flight getting delayed, insurance can provide reassurance that puts your mind at ease.
2. Make a packing list
Travel burnout sometimes starts building while you’re throwing clothes in your suitcase. It’s common to worry about whether you’ve brought enough things to keep you comfortable during your next trip. As you learn how to deal with travel exhaustion, remember that improving your preparation strategies can prevent burnout from becoming a significant problem.
You could make a packing list with one outfit for each day, reuse your jeans, or wear one pair of pajamas during your stay. If you feel like you’re still not packing enough, put your mind at ease by looking up laundromats near where you’ll stay. You can always reserve some of your travel budget for laundry if you can’t get everything you need in one suitcase.
If you’re worried about not fitting enough supplies in your bag — like toiletries or chargers — look up which stores sell your preferred goods at your destination. You could walk to those stores once a week to relieve stress. Plus, you’ll get 30 minutes of exercise, which can boost your mood.
3. Exchange your currency at optimal locations
Another common form of travel stress is needing to exchange dollars for international currency. If you don’t consider this step before leaving home, you might have to pay surprise exchange fees. Banks and credit unions often have the best exchange rates and the lowest fees.
Try exchanging your savings for your upcoming adventure before getting on your plane. Your bank might also help you open a checking account for your international currency with minimal ATM fees to save even more money abroad.
You could also exchange currency at your bank’s international ATMs or online currency converters. Compare their fees to feel more at ease with what you pay. You won’t stress about paying for things abroad, which can help you reduce burnout when you travel for work.
4. Consider attending virtual therapy sessions
Therapy is an excellent tool for relieving stress and keeping it at bay. If your trip will likely cause anxiety, try attending virtual therapy sessions while you travel. A therapist could help you manage how you view stressors so they aren’t as intimidating in the future.
A long-term habit of going to therapy could improve other aspects of your mental health over time as well.
5. Plan a few meals to stay healthy and avoid burnout
Your diet is another factor to consider as you learn how to deal with travel exhaustion. It’s easy to opt for fast food or processed meals while you’re away from home. However, not getting enough nutrients can make it easier for burnout to impact your trip.
Research shows that getting more nutrients in your diet decreases your overall fatigue and improves your executive functioning. If your body has the fuel it needs to thrive, you’ll feel better. During your adventure, try eating whole foods or adding vitamin packets to your water bottles. Burnout won’t affect your digital nomad lifestyle as intensely if your body has everything it needs for optimal stressor processing.
6. Stay where you feel most relaxed
Digital nomads can choose where they stay most of the time. If you feel more relaxed working in an apartment overlooking the ocean than a downtown condo, try staying there during your upcoming trip. A simple change in scenery might be exactly what you need to enjoy your adventure more.
If you’re not sure what location is best for your mental health, try taking notes on your burnout levels during future trips and comparing them to discover where you felt most at ease.
Learn How to Deal with Travel Exhaustion and Feel Rested
Anyone can learn how to avoid burnout while traveling. Simple strategies like protecting your belongings with insurance, handling your currency exchange at home, and adding healthy meals to your travel plans will effectively support your mental health. You may not experience burnout as intensely if you feel calm and prepared throughout your trip.