TRAVEL | BURNOUT | NOMAD
Avoiding Travel Burnout As a Nomad
Listening to your body is the most important thing.
Traveling full time sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
Taking in the beauty of the world, always seeing new things, and experiencing the excitement and diversity of our planet every day.
While I love this life, and we have no intentions of stopping anytime soon, we also recognize that it is an exhausting lifestyle, and sometimes we experience burnout.
After being on the road now for more than 4 years, we have had our share of moments where we were simply exhausted with it all. Whether it was burnout from just traveling or burnout from trying to constantly make ends meet financially, we have felt it a few different times.
Similar to admitting that you have a problem, like drinking, or gambling, the most important part of dealing with burnout, is to recognize that you have it.
The signs are usually associated with fatigue. You just all of a sudden realize that you are tired.
Really, really tired.
We also start to notice that we get agitated easily, and that little annoyances start to bother us. Sometimes this leads to us being annoyed with each other, and we start nitpicking at each other over the silliest things.
We also don’t make the best decisions when we are in this state. Annoyances lead to irrational choices, which of course, can always turn bad.
It is in these moments that we need to make choices that will help us to recover, because continuing to do the same routine, will just exacerbate the problem and make it bigger.
But what do we do?
Figuring out what to do with ourselves in these situations can sometimes be challenging. We can’t just find another mural painting job because that is actually a lot of work and a lot of mental and physical output. Painting murals doesn’t help these situations at all. In fact, we only sign up for mural jobs now when we feel rested and ready. We listen to our bodies and respect our time because we know that we will then have less time for ourselves and our own personal projects, as we dedicate time to serving others.
Usually what we do is try to find a situation where we aren’t needed by anybody, and where we know that we can stay for a while without having to go anywhere.
You can’t fight burnout by keeping going.
The best solution is to find an apartment to rent for a month or more. Staying in one place allows us time to get into a routine and to feel like life is normal for a little while. We can shop at the markets, make our own food, sleep as much as we need to, and take time to work on our own projects. Quite often, we become hermits in these situations, because a lot of our other traveling involves meeting people and being of service to others.
This becomes a time for us to go inward and nurture ourselves, making sure to rest as much as possible and take care of ourselves. We know that if we don’t do this, other problems may pop up like sickness or mental health issues.
But how do you find an apartment to rent in a foreign place?
Of course, there are online options to do this such as Air BnB. Air BnB is great because the apartments are furnished and usually include wifi and other amenities that are great for travelers, but they are expensive. You are generally paying a tourist rate per night, even if it is reduced for a longer-term.
While we used to take advantage of Air BnB opportunities, we have found that the best solution now is to start talking to people.
After finding a place to stay for a few nights, we then hit the road and start asking the people that we meet. Whether this is in coffee shops, restaurants, or just random people that we talk to on the streets. After a short conversation, we will say, “We are thinking of staying for a while here. Do you know of anywhere that we can rent an apartment?”
Of course, not everyone will know a place, but after a day or two of doing this, we usually find something that suits us. The nice thing about doing it this way is that you get to stay in local places, in local communities, and with the locals. This provides a much richer cultural experience. Plus, these places are generally way cheaper than any other options.
Pro Tip: The concept of a damage deposit is not known in most of the world.
But what about furniture?
Of course in North America, where we come from, it isn’t common to rent a furnished place, we have to bring our furniture with us when we move into a rented place. But in many countries that isn’t the case.
We have found that many apartments and houses are pre-furnished, and are included in the rental price.
In Port Sudan, Sudan, we found a great apartment that came complete with beds, couches, a table, and even a TV (we only watch the movie channel!) for the equivalent of $120/month. We also found a great deal on a furnished 2-bedroom house in Flores, Guatemala for about $220/month.
Compare these prices to standard tourist prices for accommodation, and I’m sure you can see the difference.
Of course, we usually have to pay the electricity bill, and sometimes water, but those never add up to more than $10/month. And we also have to use cell phone data in liu of wifi service. But again, these costs are minimal in comparison to North American prices.
The number one most important thing to pay attention to when you are traveling is how you are feeling.
How am I feeling right now?
If you are feeling tired, or start to feel depressed and not sure about what direction your life has taken, it’s important to just stop.
- Stop and sit with your feelings.
- Take a break.
- Stay in one place for a while.
- Allow yourself a rest.
Sometimes, all we need is a break, and it’s important to recognize this.
Humans are also creatures of habit, and the constant upheaval of full time travel can take it’s toll on us after a while. Sticking to one place, and getting yourself into a bit of a routine for a while, is a great way to just reset yourself.
After a month or two of sitting still, you will feel eager and ready to get back to seeing new and exciting things on a daily basis.
To sum it up: Take care of yourself.
I’ve seen many people on some of the nomad pages on Facebook and on online forums that complain about not finding a direction and feeling lost. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that people are just going to fast. You can’t possibly check in with yourself, and make good decisions when you are constantly running around and on the go.
It’s so important to just stop, once in a while, take a break, and reassess how you are feeling after that. It is then that you will make sound decisions and will feel better about moving forward.
Like I said at the beginning, this life is sometimes very exhausting and difficult. But the rewards far outweigh the challenges! So don’t be too hard on yourself if you are feeling down and lost. It happens to all of us, even those of us who have been doing this for a while!
Life is one big learning journey and nobody has all of the answers. It’s up to each of us to figure out what works for us, while also nurturing ourselves and making sure that at the end of the day, we are making the best decisions for our health and well being.
For further reading on this topic, check out Sah Kilic’s article below.
Do you like my writing? Consider joining the Medium platform for just $5/month. It will give you access to all of my articles, plus millions of others on every subject and by many talented writers. By clicking my referral link below, I will also earn a small commission for your patronage. Thank you for your support and happy reading!
Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We have now been on the African continent for 2 years! Join our adventure by hitting the links below!
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Patreon| YouTube | Medium
