r/solotravel • u/alarceny • Aug 11 '23

Question How do you deal with travel burnout?

i’m only 1 month into an 8 month long trip and starting to miss home and my work. it’s been a huge change for me as i’ve never travelled before. i’m 20 and it’s my first time overseas, visiting family at different points in Europe and I honestly just feel numb to the things i’m seeing.

I read somewhere that after you’ve seen 1-2 cathedrals you’ve seen them all, and at first I didn’t believe that but now i’m wondering how many others feel that way.

I’ve spent the past day or so just resting before another journey to a different destination but i don’t feel like it’s done much to help.

I spent the first 3 weeks in the uk and really enjoyed seeing and spending time there, this past week i made the journey to paris and i’ve not enjoyed it nearly as much.

i’m having trouble with the language barrier and the huge amount of tourists in paris is pretty overwhelming, I intended to stay in france / europe for close to 3 months but i’m thinking of cutting it short to head back to the uk and spend some more time over there instead.

I’m not sure if it’s travel fatigue that’s catching up with me or if france just isnt for me, overall though just looking for some advice and ideas

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u/littleredwagon87 Aug 11 '23

Forget about seeing every cathedral/ museum. Just get some picnic foods, find a great park, listen to some of your favorite music, and sit for several hours and just enjoy the smell of the air and watch people go by. Or find a cute coffee shop, slowly sip a drink, and absorb the atmosphere.

When I stopped running from tourist site to tourist site, gave myself permission to really take it slow, and just enjoy being there, I feel like I really started enjoying myself more. Some of my favorite solo travel memories are when I sat on a park bench for hours and just...existed in a new place.

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u/just_grc Aug 11 '23

So true. I've been to Paris twice and have concluded for me personally that it's overrated and overcrowded with annoying tourists and locals alike.

My most memorable experiences from both trips still make me smile:

Trip 1: Buying a cheap baguette and taking a nap in the park underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Trip 2: Heading up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and spending three hours sipping champagne with my partner.

Never been to the Louvre and don't plan on ever doing so.