Key Takeaways
- Readjusting to life back home can be a challenge. I remember my first time coming home:�?I had major culture shock. I remember the supermarkets just f
- In previous reader stories, we’ve talked a lot about people leaving to travel the world. Today we are going to talk about coming home and readjusting
- Nomadic Matt: Hey Erin! Tell everyone about yourself! Erin: Hey everyone! My name is Erin and I’m 45 and I grew up throughout the Pacific Rim: Califor
Readjusting to life back home can be a challenge. I remember my first time coming home: I had major culture shock. I remember the supermarkets just feeling so big. And the stores. And the meal portions. (We have such big meals here in the States!) Plus, most of my friends couldn’t relate to my feeling of unease. It was a challenge going from always being on the move to suddenly doing the opposite. (Clearly, I didn’t cope. My solution was to keep traveling!)
In previous reader stories published by Route for Less, we’ve talked a lot about people leaving to travel the world. Today we’re focusing on what happens after the journey ends — returning home and readjusting to life post-adventure.
Route for Less: Hey Erin! Tell everyone about yourself!
Erin: Hey everyone! My name is Erin and I’m 45 and I grew up throughout the Pacific Rim: California, Washington, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
I’m a former banking executive who decided I’d prefer to spend my time working with nonprofit organizations and traveling the world. I transitioned out of banking, taking an entry-level job at a nonprofit organization. I gradually built a specialty in philanthropic financial products, and about six years ago, I started a consulting firm.
As a consultant, I structured my contracts to allow three months off each year to travel overseas and volunteer. After several years of this arrangement, I decided I wanted to take a longer two-year sabbatical to travel the world volunteering. At the time, I was saving to buy a home, so I had a tidy sum put away. I tapped these savings to finance my trip.
And where did you go on your trip?
During my two years of traveling, I visited all seven continents as well as 62 countries. I started in Fiji on New Year’s Eve and ended in Antarctica, working my way up through Patagonia as I returned home to the States.
Although I had 3–4 highlights I wanted to hit (hiking in the Himalayas, visiting Angkor Wat, and exploring India), I had no set itinerary. I purposely wanted the flexibility to wander the world as I made new friends and learned of exciting places.
As a result, I didn’t travel in a straight line or even one region at a time, but hopscotched across the globe. While my travel trajectory was fluid, I had three clear objectives for my trip: to give myself the time to read, write, and volunteer.
And how did your trip go? Did you have any misadventures?
I had quite a few scary moments on my trip, especially because I prefer to travel overland and take local transportation whenever possible. There are certainly some memories — a bus crash in Ethiopia, jumping out of a moving car in Zambia, political unrest in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa — that still give me pause. I also had some daredevil adventures white-water rafting that I could have done without.
Did you have a plan for when you come back?
I did have a plan: I was trying to orchestrate a move to London. Unfortunately, these plans fell through. Instead of taking temporary consulting assignments before moving across the pond, I now need to ponder a more permanent life.
I’ve been back two months and am still considering which city I should live in, what type of work I want to do, and how I want to rebuild my life. Even simple things like renting an apartment and buying a car and furniture are on hold. For the time being, I am splitting my time between San Francisco, NYC, and my family in Florida. I’m subletting furnished apartments for several weeks at a time and renting a car when I need it. And I’m still living out of a suitcase.
So I guess my nomadic life hasn’t ended just because I came home!
Have you adjusted to life after being away for so long?
I’m a bit blown away by the efficiency of modern American life. I’m also surprised that sometimes I walk down the street and there are no other people around. It’s eerie, like being on a deserted movie set. And I’m dumbfounded by the bounty in our supermarkets — aisles and aisles of food.
Of course, I’ve noticed these differences when I’ve returned from previous travels, but now I can imagine how a visitor might look at the sheer enormousness of American life. To me, this lushness translates from the physical to the psychological. I am very proud of what we have here in America, with the choices we have, and our rights as individuals.
While we never think they are enough, I’ve witnessed other parts of the world where they don’t have any of these freedoms at all. It makes me very appreciative to be American.
What was the hardest part of coming home?
I think the mental transition is the hardest part of returning. As I mentioned, I’m still living life as a nomad, with no great desire to put down roots. Last week I was in line at a store when suddenly I stepped out of line and put down the item I was going to purchase. The reason? It wouldn’t fit in my suitcase!
I’m also struggling a little with being back
