You know the feeling. The last-day dread as an epic trip comes to a close and you face a plane ride home to an overflowing inbox and the lackluster options of your empty fridge. If this all sounds too familiar, you’re not alone. In a survey of Canadian travellers, KAYAK found that nearly half (48%) of Canadians experience the post-vacation blues. But not to worry, there are ways to combat the stress of re-entering reality after a great trip.
Read on for 7 ways to cure the post-vacation blues and ease back into your daily routine.
1. Clean before you take off.
According to a survey of Canadian travellers, 22% clean before going on holiday so that they return to a clean house. While it can be tempting to create even more of a mess in the aftermath of packing a carry-on suitcase for a 10-day vacay, taking the time to neaten up will alleviate stress upon returning. Be sure to schedule this time in advance so that you’re not scrambling to clean at the last minute.
2. Pad your vacation with an extra day or two off.
Nothing can bring on the post-vacation blues like a return flight that lands at 11pm Sunday night when you have to be at the office at 9am on Monday morning. Of travellers surveyed, 31% make sure they have a few extra days off when returning from holiday. While PTO is precious and you may not want to waste a day, flying back on a Friday or Saturday so you can take advantage of the weekend may make the transition easier.
3. Come home to a stocked fridge.
Nearly one-quarter of Canadians say that grocery shopping to fill an empty fridge is a daunting task following a vacation. Thankfully, there are grocery delivery services and meal-kits which you can schedule to avoid being faced with a fridge full of expired produce and questionable leftovers. Setting up a food delivery in advance gives you one less thing to worry about, and allows for more healthy options so you can skip the take-out and get something green into your system after a week-long diet of mozzarella sticks and frozen margaritas.
4. Bring a piece of vacation back with you.
Buy a small souvenir like a mug or magnet that you can take to work with you or see as you get ready in the morning. Having a reminder of the time spent away will bring back those vacation vibes and have you looking forward to your next trip.
5. Plan your next vacation.
One of the best ways to stay in that vacation state-of-mind longer is to start thinking about that next trip, and 12% of Canadians do exactly that. To jumpstart the planning of your next trip, we dug into our data to find the three cheapest round-trip international flights from select Canadian cities for travel from October through December 2019.
Know where you want to go? Set a Price Alert and we’ll let you know when the price goes down, which makes for a welcome addition to the inbox overload of returning to work after vacation.
6. Organize a laundry service.
There is nothing more time consuming than the copious amounts of laundry following a vacation and 41% of Canadians claim to dread this chore the most. We’ve all had the post-vacay internal debate: Laundry or buy a week’s worth of new clothes. Instead, schedule a laundry service to pick up your clothes and have them delivered back fresh and folded, so you can focus on more positive ways to spend your time.
7. Be patient with yourself.
Returning to the daily grind after vacation is no fun. We know you have responsibilities and commitments, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find little ways to make the process a bit easier. Of Canadian travellers surveyed, 20% sleep in longer than usual after vacation, 19% prioritize taking more time for themselves to relax and 14% prioritize having quality time with family and friends. Whether you recharge best with a solo day of sheet masks and binge-watching, or over dinner and drinks with your nearest and dearest, give yourself the chance to ease back in.
Why not get started on #5 now? Start planning your next vacation and keep this list handy for that inevitable return to reality.
Methodology: The cheapest destinations (not including North America) from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg were calculated using round-trip flight searches conducted 1/1/19 – 7/21/19 for travel dates 10/1/19 – 12/31/19.
