Memorial Day weekend has come and passed—ushering in the ritual advent of white pants, swimsuit angst, and, more exciting for all involved, the summer vacation season. (Excuse our brief pause to cue a collective “yippee!”) Exhilarating for those with upcoming adventures to anticipate; utterly depressing for the rest of us. And second worse to not having travel plans? The inevitable return to the daily grind after vacation.
Not that I'm asking for pity: I’m still reveling in my sun-kissed glow from a six-day jaunt to the Mexican Riviera, and scarcely expect sympathy for my current inability to face reality. (But come on, it’s hard to maintain a tan under the emphatically less pleasing glow of our office’s fluorescent lights. And where’s my afternoon cerveza and nap? …you get the idea.)
Lucky for me, I work at a travel magazine and am allowed to entertain these notions, all in the name of “work.” My mind wanders to the beach mid-morning, so I pen a blog entry about the Mexican bungalow where I relaxed last week. My stomach pangs for a tasty sope (a bean-and-crudités-topped puffy tortilla), my new favorite Mexican antojito, rather than the humdrum salad I mechanically packed for lunch this morning. So I Google "traditional Mexican recipes," telling myself I’m doing invaluable research for IT readers.
But even for me, it’s a stretch, so I resign myself to do real work, trying to channel my refreshed state of being into productivity and efficiency on the job. (That, and shifting my attention to where my next trip will take me.)
As you can likely relate, it turns out I’m not alone in my post-vacation doldrums. Vacation lag is hardly new, and plenty of travelers have unique ways to deal (my favorite: read travel blogs). Even the Pope has chimed in on the phenomenon, advising travelers to "[k]eep in your heart a great ideal of authentic values, which give sense to your own life."
It’s an uphill battle, but slowly the salt water and Dos Equis are draining from my zoned-out brain.
So tell us: How do you deal with the unpleasant task of re-entering the real world after your travels? Share your tips in the comments below.
Photo: Katie Knorovsky
I like to ease back in by sorting out the photos that I took while away. It used to be a matter of dropping off the rolls at the local lab, but now I can spend hours going through each individual photo in Photoshop. This stretches the homecoming out for days.
Posted by: Jonathan Hall | June 11, 2008 at 05:22 PM
Dealing with it right now - and it is hard. I think I handle it the same way the first commenter said. I spend hours looking at my photos and sharing them with friends and family.
Posted by: lolly | June 12, 2008 at 07:34 AM
Hm, the eternal re-entry question. I don't think there's an easy way back in. A step at a time, I guess. I bring back foods of foreign countries and make those last. Cookies, chocolate, nougat. I look forward to giving out gifts to family and friends and explaining the story behind them. I upload my photos.
I try not to dive into my full-scale busy, crazy life, at least for a little while. I only open the fun mail for a few days, not the bills. Luckily, I also have a blog where I can write down bits and pieces and let my mind wander down exotic streets I recently walked. Then, when memories fade, I start to daydream about where I'm going next and start the anticipation cycle all over again...
Posted by: boldlygosolo | June 12, 2008 at 05:15 PM
It's really hard to forget a wonderful vacation, i toke one last year to the Caribbean at an escort resort in the DR, and i have to admit it's really a great place to be on vacation. The escorts resort also has golf court, fishing, casino and much more at an all inclusive package.
Posted by: Jason57 | June 18, 2008 at 06:28 PM