Categories: HumourTravel Thoughts

5 Most Dreaded Things to Come Home to After a Long Trip

Going on a long-awaited vacation is one of the best things to reward yourself with nowadays. You work hard and put in the extra hours because you have something to look forward to. When you’re finally on your vacation though, the closer you get to the last day of your trip, you start dreading. You start dreading because you know that when you’re back home, the aftermath of a long holiday will hit you hard. Don’t worry, everyone dreads these very same things.

1. Jetlag

There’s always great costs when you travel to countries with different time zones, and the most notorious one is jetlag. You may have had the best vacation in Europe, USA, Japan, or Australia but going home with a different sleeping pattern will take you at least a few days to recover. Think you can cure it with coffee? Well, that still depends. You have to experience jetlag to realise just how much of a hassle it can be. But they say people who are used to jetlag may handle it better over time.

Also read: 5 Simple Tips to Beat Jetlag While Travelling

2. Aching muscles

You spend so many hours on outdoor activities, then you have to make the return trip home. That usually means you’re either stuck in an airport and aeroplane for a number of hours, or you’re in for a bumpy bus ride. On top of that, you have to carry and guard your luggage. When you finally get home, your whole body already seems to need another vacation, or at least a massage. Let’s hope you have enough energy to get one. If not, slap on that Salonpas and bring some to work.

3. A flooded email

When you’re back at your office desk, your heart starts beating fast because you already know that once you open your email, a ton of unanswered messages is already lined up. Although your officemates probably covered for you, you still want to go through each and every single email to know exactly what went up while you were away. Besides, your conscience won’t let you rest if you mark those emails read without actually reading or skimming through them. It’s an excruciating task, but you don’t want to be an irresponsible employee, do you?

4. Catching up on work

Now that you’ve read through your email, it’s time to actually catch up on the paperwork, reports, and meetings. Just thinking about your deadlines is already stressful, but you also have colleagues to coordinate with for updates and possible changes made to an impending project. Before you know it, you’re only one week in and craving for another vacation.   

5. Unpacking

And how can we forget about unpacking? Actually, some of us do. Some of us will leave our souvenirs, medicine kits, and even laundry in our luggage for a number of days after coming home until we force ourselves to finally sort out our belongings. This tendency to slack off and forget to unpack comes with our aching muscles and tired bodies when we finally flop down on our beds after hours of travel. But we know sooner or later we have to do it. We just need to mentally prepare ourselves, that’s all.

Also read: Suitcase Packing: 8 Ways To Do It Better

There are a couple of things everyone dreads after being gone from work and home for so long. But never let it dampen your mood when you’re actually still on your vacation. Besides, there are hacks one develops in overcoming these dreaded things. You just have to know what works for you.

 

Therese Sta. Maria

Therese's close friends know that if they haven’t seen her around, then she’s probably having an adventure with her luggage and camera in hand. Though she loves staying at home and spending lazy afternoons with friends, there are times when she has to be "away from home to feel at home," — that’s when she’s bitten by the travel bug. See her travels on Instagram @reesstamaria.