Hello all,
I was wondering if anyone has gone through the post travel depression problems. I had my last trips in mid 2019 to SEA countries and later due to Covid, travel became a day dream!
It has been almost a year and half and I still can't get through the post travel blues 
Any suggestions/advices to overcome this problem?
Cheers!
[ Edit: Edited on 31 Mar 2021, 05:59 GMT by tour_guy ]
The regular members of this site travel frequently (some for months at a time, some without a regular base) and have often done so for many years. There are hundreds of thousands...millions?...of people who have been unable to visit loved ones abroad. There are travellers who have been unable to return to their home bases because those homes are not in the country of their citizenship. I personally know someone who has been unable to return to his home (and his animals) since March 2020 and who is still unable to do so.
I'm sad and frustrated about not being able to travel but I'm certainly not 'depressed'. Depression is a serious mental illness which needs medical help. If you truly are depressed I urge you to seek that help as soon as possible.
But I suspect you're not truly depressed: you're just feeling the same frustration and sadness that millions of us are feeling.
>Any suggestions/advices to overcome this problem?
The root cause of your frustration and sadness is that you, like most of us, are used to doing what you want to do when you want to do it.
But, like the rest of us (and hundreds of millions of people elsewhere in the world), you simply have to accept that you are living through a pandemic. Hard though it may be you can no longer do everything you want to do exactly when you want to do it. That acceptance is called 'acting for the greater good'.
Suggestions:
Walk your neighbourhood with 'visitors' eyes'. Look for the small things and look up: you will see things you've never seen before.
Even if you live in a city, start noticing nature (birds, plants, trees, clouds) and its daily changes. Maybe start photographing it too.
If you can, take daytrips to other places and do the same things.
Start writing about your past trips on this site or set up your own travel blog.
Organise your travel photos and be certain they're backed-up. Maybe make a travel photo book for each trip. With luck, eventually you'll be too old to travel and you'll need the names and dates of those photos so you can talk about them to family & friends.
Plan for future travels and start saving up even more so that you can fund them.
Be grateful for simple facts: you are healthy and safe, have enough food, have a roof over your head, have access to medical treatment...and, in normal times, you have the means and ability to travel. Millions...billions...of others are not that lucky.
Be patient, accept that the world doesn't dance to your tune and make the best of what you have. Eventually, travel restrictions will be lifted and we will all be able to return to something nearer to our normal travelling life.
[ Edit: Edited on 31 Mar 2021, 06:53 GMT by leics2 ]
Quoting leics2
The regular members of this site travel frequently (some for months at a time, some without a regular base) and have often done so for many years. There are hundreds of thousands...millions?...of people who have been unable to visit loved ones abroad. There are travellers who have been unable to return to their home bases because those homes are not in the country of their citizenship. I personally know someone who has been unable to return to his home (and his animals) since March 2020 and who is still unable to do so.
I'm sad and frustrated about not being able to travel but I'm certainly not 'depressed'. Depression is a serious mental illness which needs medical help. If you truly are depressed I urge you to seek that help as soon as possible.
But I suspect you're not truly depressed: you're just feeling the same frustration and sadness that millions of us are feeling.
>Any suggestions/advices to overcome this problem?
The root cause of your frustration and sadness is that you, like most of us, are used to doing what you want to do when you want to do it.
But, like the rest of us (and hundreds of millions of people elsewhere in the world), you simply have to accept that you are living through a pandemic. Hard though it may be you can no longer do everything you want to do exactly when you want to do it. That acceptance is called 'acting for the greater good'.
Suggestions:
Walk your neighbourhood with 'visitors' eyes'. Look for the small things and look up: you will see things you've never seen before.
Even if you live in a city, start noticing nature (birds, plants, trees, clouds) and its daily changes. Maybe start photographing it too.
If you can, take daytrips to other places and do the same things.
Start writing about your past trips on this site or set up your own travel blog.
Organise your travel photos and be certain they're backed-up. Maybe make a travel photo book for each trip. With luck, eventually you'll be too old to travel and you'll need the names and dates of those photos so you can talk about them to family & friends.
Plan for future travels and start saving up even more so that you can fund them.
Be grateful for simple facts: you are healthy and safe, have enough food, have a roof over your head, have access to medical treatment...and, in normal times, you have the means and ability to travel. Millions...billions...of others are not that lucky.
Be patient, accept that the world doesn't dance to your tune and make the best of what you have. Eventually, travel restrictions will be lifted and we will all be able to return to something nearer to our normal travelling life.
Thanks for your feedback and suggestions! 
I too felt the same up until a few months ago. I wouldn't say I felt depressed but I did feel as if I was trapped in my apartment like a bird in a cage since the whole world had so many restrictions on US citizens trying to travel abroad. In other words, I wasn't allowed to travel to my favorite countries because the US didn't handle the pandemic as well as it could have.
In any case, what helped me was reaching out to family and friends even if it was just a phone call once a week. The more people I reached out to, the more I realized that they were feeling the same way I was. Knowing that we were all in the same predicament kept me calm and helped me understand that the whole world is in fact going through a lot of changes. But what helped me the most was visiting said family and friends. Getting out of the house makes a huge difference to your overall state of mind and health. Sharing basic experiences with your friends and family like having a meal or playing a board game would lift my spirits every time. And that's coming from me, a mainly solo traveler.
I agree with everything that leics2 recommended but this was what personally helped me while I was going through that faze. Connect with other human beings and share your emotions with the people you love. It help me and I hope it helps anyone else feeling the same.
P.S. consider getting your vaccine as soon as if it's available to you. Most countries are lifting quarantine restrictions and are now permitting entry to travelers that have done the vaccine. Good luck!
Quoting leics2
Suggestions:
Thanks a lot for your wonderful advice!
I agree 100%!
Thank you, Victor! :-)
Quoting GeorgeRodriguez
I too felt the same up until a few months ago. I wouldn't say I felt depressed but I did feel as if I was trapped in my apartment like a bird in a cage since the whole world had so many restrictions on US citizens trying to travel abroad. In other words, I wasn't allowed to travel to my favorite countries because the US didn't handle the pandemic as well as it could have.
In any case, what helped me was reaching out to family and friends even if it was just a phone call once a week. The more people I reached out to, the more I realized that they were feeling the same way I was. Knowing that we were all in the same predicament kept me calm and helped me understand that the whole world is in fact going through a lot of changes. But what helped me the most was visiting said family and friends. Getting out of the house makes a huge difference to your overall state of mind and health. Sharing basic experiences with your friends and family like having a meal or playing a board game would lift my spirits every time. And that's coming from me, a mainly solo traveler.
I agree with everything that leics2 recommended but this was what personally helped me while I was going through that faze. Connect with other human beings and share your emotions with the people you love. It help me and I hope it helps anyone else feeling the same.
P.S. consider getting your vaccine as soon as if it's available to you. Most countries are lifting quarantine restrictions and are now permitting entry to travelers that have done the vaccine. Good luck!
Thanks for the insights!
The same all over the world. COVID stopped us from travelling to Antigua and kicked our daughter out of her Englisch school. So vacation time was spent in the garden and on bike riding. We have been living in our house for 16 years and never knew that there is a place called Egypt about 7 miles from us. We need to adjust what live throws at us. I tell myself that not being able to travel is kind of a luxury problem, is it not? But I have to admit: I miss the sun and the time off..at home it’s all about work, even in the garden.
I completely understand your feelings. I think everyone here on this site has similar feelings and are missing travel. I have spent a lot of time this past year editing old travel photos. Reviewing notes I had written on past travel experiences. And even writing a few blogs here about past travel. Remembering those moments has helped a lot.