The Globetrotters Nemesis: Travel Burnout

When planning an exciting round-the-world trip you will probably imagine yourself on the beach, meeting new friends and partying. You may worry about potential problems like getting ripped off or loosing your passport but you are unlikely to imagine getting sick and tired of the whole travel experience, but getting tired of travel on a long trip is actually quite a normal (even inevitable) part of the experience, so here's my guide to dealing with the dreaded travel burnout.

What is travel burnout?

Travel burnout is the point during your trip where you get fed-up. You're not enjoying experiences the way you once were; a beautiful sunset is now just another sunset, a bustling city is now overcrowded and meeting new friends feels like a chore. But when you take a long trip on your own, on a budget, you will be putting yourself under quite a lot of pressure; transport will be hot, overcrowded and unreliable, budget accommodation will be uncomfortable, haggling can be difficult and travelling solo can be lonely, so at some point during your trip it's quite likely you will snap.

Personal Experience

My worst episode of travel burnout happened 4 months into my trip in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I'd had quite a difficult few days travelling across the Laos border spending hours on buses, so I was tired, jaded and primed for burnout.

There were no seats left on the bus, so I'm sitting on the engine casing at the back... it was so HOT, there was nothing to sit back against and the journey took hours.

I decided to get my laundry done when I arrived in Siem Reap and took advantage of my hostel's laundry service. I got my clothes back the next day and although on first appearances they looked clean and pressed when I got them out of the bag they were still fairly dirty and four pairs of my knickers had big holes in the crotch.

Normally I would have been a bit annoyed or disappointed about this, but I was on the edge of travel burnout and the knickers were the final straw... I became inconsolable. I started crying and couldn't stop myself, I felt like I had looked after my possessions for months and suddenly they had been ruined, I felt like my knickers were irreplaceable and I felt fed up of travelling. My poor roommate came in during my melt down and although she sympathised with my situation I think she was very confused by my reaction. I complained to the management and despite trying to remain composed I was very teary, again the poor guy looked a little taken aback, but they re-washed my clothes and he was quite apologetic about the knickers.

At the time I knew I was being fairly ridiculous but I couldn't help my reaction, I was exhausted and feeling lonely and needed some time-out. I spent a few days being miserable but luckily for me I happened to meet up with some friends who were also in Siem Reap. I spent the next few weeks travelling with them which resolved my burnout, for the rest of my time in Cambodia I had two friends to share the fun experiences with but I also had someone else do the planning, organising and haggling for a bit!

How to fix travel burnout:

Slow down- trying to visit a long list of destinations and attractions in a short space of time is exhausting. Take a few days to chill out, have a lie-in and just enjoy where you are. Don't think of this break as a waste of time, this is time well spent if it helps to shake off the burnout.

Upgrade- Travelling on a budget is hard work, so give yourself a break. Stay in a nice (air-con) room for a few nights, eat at a restaurant rather than eating street food, or take the tourist bus rather than the local bus. You don't have to blow your budget, but a little treat is a good investment.

Have a dose of normality- Sometimes a trip to the cinema is all you need to beat the blues, it will feel like you're at home again for a few hours!

Change your itinerary- Don't be afraid to change your plans, if you don't like a destination just leave. Similarly if you have made friends somewhere and you're having fun stay a bit longer. I did exactly that in Koh Tao. Also, if you are travelling solo, it is definitely worth adjusting your itinerary to travel with new friends for a bit.

Change continent- It may not be enough to change city or country, it might be time to change the continent you are travelling! After 5 months in South East Asia I was ready for a change; although each country was different with it's own attractions, food and culture I was feeling fed-up. When I arrived in New Zealand  the change of culture and scenery left me feeling re-energised and motivated.

But if you really can't shake the blues, it may also be time to just go home...

How to save for long-term travel

Travelling for months at a time is expensive, realistically you will need a few thousand pounds in the bank plus the cost of flights, insurance, immunizations etc. So how do you do it?

I find saving for travel fairly easy because I would much rather spend my money on experiences than new possessions. I've never been a fan of designer labels, owning the newest technology or pay-day shopping sprees, I would rather squirrel away my money with plans for the next big adventure in mind. If you want to save enough money to travel you need to make your trip a priority and get a tight hold of the purse strings.

Work out a budget

Sit down with a pen and paper and work out your income vs your expenditure to see in black an white how much disposable income you actually have, you will probably be amazed at how much cash you fritter away. Set yourself a realistic sum to save each month leaving enough for a few treats, but be tough.. the sooner you save the sooner you will be on an exotic island topping up your tan! I would recommend setting up a direct debit into your savings account each month, this way your money will go out of your bank account like a bill and you will be more likely to treat it like money you never had, if you move it manually each month you may be tempted to put it off or save less than you had intended. Set up the direct debit to go out on pay-day and it will be like the money was never there. Track your progress by checking the balance of your savings account occasionally, watching your savings grow is so satisfying.

Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia

Get a second job

If you've drawn up a budget and discovered that it will take years to save up enough to travel, you may need to take on a second job... (I can hear the groaning already) I know you don't want to work more than you already do, nobody does, but how much do you want to travel? You need to keep your goal in mind and remember that it will only be for a while. Sacrificing your life style for a few months isn't so difficult when you have an end-date and when you know you have a huge adventure on the cards. The other advantage to working evenings/ weekends is that you will actually have less opportunity to spend money which means you will save quicker and stay motivated.

Don't spend money

Speaking of spending, the easiest way to save money is to not spend it!  You will have your fixed expenditure like rent, phone bills, car insurance etc. but the rest is fair-game and you need to try not to spend it. I have found the best way to stop wanting new clothes, handbags, make-up etc is to avoid shops and magazines... how can you covet that amazing new dress in Top Shop if you don't know it exists?.. ignorance is saving bliss! Of course there will be occasions where nothing you currently own will do, but make sure it's the odd occasion and remember that clothes are much cheaper when you are travelling.

Also try not to be tempted to buy a beautiful new wardrobe to go travelling with, it's not necessary and depending on where you go you won't be able to wash clothes yourself so you may find that your favorite top goes missing or has been damaged when you get your laundry back. 

This is what my knickers looked like after a stint at the local Cambodian laundry!

You will also need to curb those Friday night blow-outs, it can be easy to spend upwards of £50 on a night out especially when jager bombs are involved, but remind yourself how much more satisfying that drink will taste on a Thai beach.

Koh Lipe, Thailand.

Move in with your parents 

This won't be an option for everyone, but if you still find yourself struggling to save you might want to consider moving back in with Mum and Dad. If you are planning to travel for 6+ months you will probably move out of rented accommodation while you are travelling anyway, so why not do it a little earlier than planned and save on the cost of rent and bills? You may need to contribute towards the food bill and do the washing up a bit more often but that's not a big ask if it allows you to travel.

Sell your stuff

Lastly you may consider selling some of your 'stuff'. This isn't a tactic I've used because as mentioned I don't have anything worth selling, but if you have recently upgraded your phone, laptop or games console you could sell your old one and save what you make. You could also sell bigger items like cars, sofas and beds if you are planning on travelling for a year or two and don't want to pay for storage fees.

Good luck, and remember that nothing you buy will be better than the feeling of travelling the world and all that hard work will be TOTALLY worth it!

Mui Ne, Vietnam

Koh Tao: Round 2

I was so excited to get back to Koh Tao, but also a bit nervous that my second trip wouldn't be as good as my first, leaving the memory tarnished... but the worry was unnecessary because round two was EVEN BETTER!

Once I had settled into my accommodation I headed straight to 'Siam' in it's new beach-front location and was immediately greeted by lots of familiar faces welcoming me back. I signed up for my advanced diving course, but as I wanted to learn with Lee I had to wait a few days until he finished another course- this was fine by me as it gave me the perfect excuse to extend my stay in Koh Tao and catch up with everyone before the diving started.

I easily fell back into the old routine of sunbathing with the girls (Kelly, Terri and Jen) in the day, dinner with 'the gang' in the evening, then partying the night away in Diza, Lotus and Fishbowl. And did the routine feel old? Never!!

The best thing about going back to Koh Tao was that it gave me the chance to build on the friendships that I'd made during my first visit and turn them into 'friends for life'. I loved getting to know everyone better and spent everyday feeling so incredibly happy.







After 4 days of island fun I began my advanced course. There is a lot less theory involved in the advanced course and a lot more diving with the idea of seeing the range of dives available. During my course I did 5 dives; a night dive, a wreck dive, a deep dive (29.5 m), a navigation dive and a dive to practice buoyancy skills. I had an absolute blast on all the dives but particularly enjoyed the deep dive as I saw an incredible amount of tropical fish and the buoyancy dive as we did a lot of silly skills and underwater gymnastics. After my course finished Lee wangled me two free dives, so the next day I did a second deep dive and wreck dive, and it's so lucky that I did, as on the deep dive we saw a whale shark which was amazing.

I had planned on leaving Koh Tao after my course finished.. but I was caught in the island's spell! I was persuaded to stay another day as it was Jen's birthday and we had planned a big meal out (30 of us) followed by a bar crawl to celebrate (any excuse!) We had an awesome night, full of silly challenges for the birthday girl and everyone had a great time. The next day was spent in the usual sunbathing, playing volleyball, eating Zest baguettes way, and during the course of the day I was persuaded to stay another night to help support 'Team Siam' in the beach Olympics the next night (any excuse!) Us girls decided to be cheerleaders to support 'our boys' in the vaguely diving related (mainly drinking related) games. We went all out for the occasion and dressed up, painted our faces and practiced cheers which ultimately lead to a victory for 'Team Siam', meaning another brilliant night out with 'the gang'.

It was very hard to buy my ferry ticket off the island, but it was time to go. I decided to stay the next day and to get the 11pm night ferry to Chumphon (another excuse to stay a bit longer). I had one last day with everyone, and a final dinner in 'El Gringo's Mexican' before Guy whisked me off to the ferry on the back of his motorbike. It was a very sad goodbye and I had to try really hard not to cry, particularly saying goodbye to Lee and Kelly, but I know I will see them again because as I say, they are now friends for life.

As the night boat pulled away, I stood on the back deck watching the island get further away until the lights of Koh Tao disappeared all together, then I returned to my bunk bed to get as much sleep as is possible on a ferry. Next Stop: BANGKOK.

'Hammer time' at Fullmoon

Sandra and I felt that there was no better way to see in the New Year than to go to one of the infamous full moon parties on Haad Rin beach in Koh Phagnan! Full moon parties are legendary among the backpacking crowd in Thailand, and have almost become a 'right of passage'. The parties happen every month usually coinciding with the full moon, and see tens of thousands of neon-clad revellers pour onto the beach to drink buckets and dance. We arrived in Koh Phagnan a few days before the party to give us an opportunity to see a bit of the island and also to enjoy the 'warm up' parties that were reportedly as good as full moon itself. We mainly spent our days sunbathing close to our hotel, but also took a couple of trips to see the surrounding sights. One particularly nice day was spent on the gorgeous beach of Mae Haad in the north of the island, where we lounged on the beach and got Thai massages on the beach-front platforms. There's nothing quite like a coconut oil massage looking out to sea and listening to the waves lapping the shore. Another nice day trip found up trekking to see a pretty (yet modest) waterfall and a lovely viewpoint hidden in the jungle, followed by a chance meeting with some lively elephants!

Our evenings running up to full moon were spent 'warming up' at various parties and often left us worse for wear the next day (luckily our room had a TV with movie channels!) We had a lot of fun between Christmas and New Year, and almost forgot that 'the big one' was yet to come..!

New Years Eve itself was a very exciting night on Koh Phagnan, with hundreds of people flooding onto the island by ferry. The streets were full of high spirited party-goers and the atmosphere was electric with anticipation for the evenings full moon party!! It is traditional at full moon to dress in neon clothing and paint yourself in glow in the dark paints, so Sandra and I began the evening shopping for the appropriate outfit and set about painting ourselves from head to toe!

Once fully made-up we met up with friends and joined the throngs of people headed towards the beach. When we reached the beach (it took a while) we were overwhelmed by the number of people there (estimated at around 40,000) it was truly a sight to behold!! We grabbed the obligatory buckets and some more neon accessories and joined the party. At midnight fireworks were set off and they were absolutely amazing! I haven't seen fireworks like it before, they were so huge that they completely FILLED the sky and had me mesmerised. I'm not sure when we partied until, but it was late, and the party was still very much in full swing. We had set aside New Years Day as a 'recovery'/ packing day and as the weather was crap we spent most of it watching movies. Early the next day I said my goodbyes to Sandra as I was headed back to Koh Tao, and she was returning to China. The goodbye was sad, but not too bad, as we will be meeting up again in January for more 'hammer time' in Laos.

'Hammer time' with Sandra!

I was very lucky to get to spend Christmas and New Year with a best friend from home, Sandra. Sandra has been working in China for the past two years, so being in my neck of the woods, she got a flight over to Thailand to spend her Christmas holidays with me!!

We met up on the island of Ko Samui in our hotel 'Nora Chewang'. Sandra was in charge of booking our Christmas accommodation and it was obvious! When I arrived at Nora Chewang it was like I had finally gone on 'holiday'! Our room was big with comfy beds, air-conditioning, a TV, a bath(!) and a HOT shower!!! We even got our room cleaned everyday- such a treat! After a nice long shower we went to explore 'Chewang beach' where we were staying. I have to admit that I had no interest in visiting Ko Samui as I was aware of it's 'touristy' reputation and after a walk down the strip it was clear that the reputation is well deserved; Chewang beach is definitely touristy, (and for me) hideous. We spent a day sunbathing on the beach, which was really quite pretty but I couldn't help being irritated by all the hawkers trying to sell me souvenirs and tourist tat while I sunbathed. This beach didn't quite have the quiet charm as some of the beaches on the Andaman coast. In the afternoon we decided tp treat ourselves to some bargain facials and spent an hour being massaged and pampered, (by a lady boy!) which I thoroughly enjoyed! Sandra and I also attempted a night out in Chewang, but were immediately turned off by the huge clubs and blaring music, not quite the fire shows, buckets and dancing on the beach I had become accustomed to. We still gave the night a good go and ended up meeting a few interesting characters that became the butt of our jokes for the rest of the holiday! On Christmas Eve we moved hotels to an even fancier place, Nora Buri, which Sandra had booked as a Christmas treat. If Nora Chewang was fancy, then Nora Buri was just plain posh! We had our bags taken as we got to the entrance and delivered to our room after check in! (Such a treat, my bag is heavy!) We then had complimentary drinks and cold flannels to refresh ourselves while we checked in! Definitely luxury for a backpacker. Our room was so big, with two double beds, a TV with multiple English movie channels, a HOT shower, and a very fancy bathtub!
I realise that this may sound standard in a nice room, but having stayed in some interesting accommodation previously, where toilet paper and towels are a treat, this was another world!

The weather wasn't superb when we checked in so we spent the day lounged on our beds watching movies (Nanny McPhee 2 and Sex and the City 2) and eating cake delivered by room service! It was the best possible way to spend Christmas Eve, and similar to what I would have done if I'd had been at home. In the evening we decided to head to another part of Samui to see if the rest was as awful as Chewang. We caught a bus to Bo Phut fisherman's village and had dinner and drinks there. Both Sandra and I loved Bo Phut and were so relieved to find a nice part of Samui. Bo Phut had a lovely village ambiance with cute shop houses and funky restaurants and bars, it was a world away from Chewang. Quite a few restaurants were advertising Christmas menus, and as we liked Bo Phut so much we decided to book a table there for Christmas dinner. Christmas day got off to a lovely start, with an excitable Sandra waking me up wearing a Christmas hat, and holding a stocking full of little presents for me!! We then headed down to breakfast at the hotel restaurant which again was AMAZNG! It was an all you can eat mass spread of both Asian and Western breakfast foods. I opted for a number of yummy things including a made to order omelet, croissants and nutella on toast! A very apt start to Christmas day! We then spent the rest of the afternoon making the most of the hotels facilities, swimming in the eternity pool, and relaxing in the sauna and steam room. In the evening we went over to Bo Phut for Christmas dinner which was literally AMAZING!! I was sure the Chef must be British because the food was exactly as it would be in the UK, with none of the strangeness you often get with Asian interpretations of Western food. We had breaded brie with caramelised onions to start, roast turkey with all the trimmings for our main, and a chocolate fondant for dessert, all washed down with a gorgeous bottle of white wine! It was by far the best meal I have had all trip!! We then moved onto a Sangsom bucket in Bo Phut before heading back to Chewang to have a rather random but thoroughly enjoyable night dancing in a Thai gay bar with the crazy staff!!

The next day after a lot of negotiation with various travel agents we booked our ferry tickets to Ko Phagnan to begin the next part of our adventure together!!

Koh Tao: Round 1

Koh Tao is a small island on the gulf coast perched on a ledge of coral reefs, making it famous worldwide for both diving and snorkeling. I headed to Koh Tao because I wanted to dive; I had tried diving as a teenager and really enjoyed it so I was keen to do it again in the tropics and see what was going on under the surface of the turquoise waters.

As diving is so big in Koh Tao there are tonnes of dive schools to choose from (96 if you believe the talk), so my first day was spent wandering around Sairee beach talking to different dive centres to work out who offered the best deal.

I bumped into my Swiss friends again while walking around and had lunch with them to catch up. They had already done their diving and advised me to go with a school that taught in small groups as they felt this offered the best experience.Taking their advice on board I decided I would learn with 'Siam' dive school, as they teach in very small groups and also do all their skills in the sea rather than the pool. This decision led to the best few weeks of my trip so far!

I ended up learning on my own and having an instructor to myself, which was perfect. My instructor, Lee, is from Wales and is absolutely full of beans! He made learning to dive so much fun and we really bonded during my 4-day course, so I ended up making a great friend as well as gaining my open water certification.

The course itself was awesome, we started with some theory work and a day practicing dive skills, then spent two days out on the dive boat doing 4 dives in the ocean. It was inexplicably cool swimming around the colourful coral and among the various tropical fish, and I was immediately hooked.






The other great thing about learning to dive with Siam is that they are such a social dive school, and so every night students and instructors get together for dinner followed by drinks in their favourite haunts, Diza bar then Lotus then Fishbowl -always-

I got to know so many other people through the dive school that by the end of my week I had made a whole group of  friends, most of whom actually live and work on Koh Tao. It was really nice to make friends with 'locals' rather than tourists as they know the best places to eat/drink, the best things to do, and I knew that if I came back they would still be here ... and at the end of my week in Koh Tao I knew I would be coming back! It wasn't in my initial plans, but I had enjoyed diving so much that I was keen to do a further advanced certification. So I left the island for Christmas and New Year promising everyone that I would be back at the beginning of January.








Koh Tao soundtrack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRsxpoAc5w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OnnDqH6Wj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GchEVSx9XEA

Krabi: Railay and Ao Nang

As the speedboat approached Railay I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful the scenery was! Railay beach is framed by large, looming limestone cliffs that make it by far the most beautiful beach around.

Due to the abundance of rugged cliffs, Railay is a world-famous spot for rock climbing and so I thought I should probably get stuck in!
I decided to take the steep climb up to the islands viewpoint, and also visit the lagoon which is hidden amongst the craggy peaks. The climb was hard work, and quite scary at points, as it was a matter of scrambling up the rocks without any ropes, but it was fun and well worth the effort as the viewpoint provided a gorgeous view of the twin bays!





After finding the viewpoint I wandered around a bit trying to find the trail that led to the lagoon. I bumped into a group of young Aussie boys (Dan, Tom, Sam and Hayden) who were also headed to the lagoon and so I joined them to find the elusive sight. We eventually found the correct path, and started the very scary descent down the cliffs into the cavernous lagoon. It was so much scarier climbing down that up as it was much harder to find hand/foot holds, but after a few scary moments, and some dramatic suggestions by the boys that we might die, we made it to the hidden lagoon, elated by our successful climb! The lagoon was so pretty sitting still amongst the cliffs, and we had it all to ourselves! We stripped off and jumped in for a swim, before we attempted the steep climb out again. That evening I met back up with the Aussie guys to celebrate our success with a few Changs and a few buckets! The rest of my time in Railay was quite lazy in comparison, I did check out 'diamond caves' which were bat-filled and pretty, but otherwise my time was spent lounging on the beach, watching pretty sunsets and eating yummy Thai food!






After a couple of days I left Railay and took a short boat ride across to the beach of Ao Nang. Ao Nang is not blessed with the same beauty as Railay, but it is connected to the mainland and so had facilities (and prices!) that I had missed! The main reason for stopping in Ao Nang was to do a tour of 'The Emerald Pool' and hot springs that are located in a near by national park. The trip I chose to do also included a trip to Tiger Temple, and so I had a nice day exploring the local area.

The first stop was 'Tiger Temple' which is a temple complex located in caves which used to be home to a tiger. It is a pretty complex, with the main temple a top a hill, accessible by 1,237 steps! It was a very hot and sweaty climb, but I made it to the top and saw the giant Buddha statue and the surrounding countryside views! I also bumped into a few groups of school children in the complex who were on a school trip to practice their English by interviewing westerners, and so I ended up being interviewed by two groups of kids (very cute!) which was just as enjoyable as the temples!





The trip then took us to see the 'Emerald Pool' and the hot springs. The pool is a pretty, clear water pool, which is emerald in colour. We spent a bit of time there swimming and enjoying the water before heading to the hot springs which were the highlight of the trip for me! The springs are 38-42 degrees celsius, and run in a waterfall. There were lots of little ledges to perch on and enjoy the waters warmth, like a natural jacuzzi!





I spent one other day in Ao Nang and took a bus to check out Krabi town. The town hasn't got a whole lot going on, a few markets and a BOOTS!! I then made the journey across peninsular Thailand, to the gulf coast, and jumped on a ferry to the island of Koh Tao!!!