For many people, going on holiday is a chance to venture into a whole other universe where we hit pause on our daily lives. The regular routines in our monotonous lives are put under suspension and we count the days to those times as they are approaching because we believe we%u2019ll be liberated from the stressful burdens that we put up with everyday. So what happens when it%u2019s time to come back home and %u201Cface reality%u201D? It%u2019s no wonder many travelers suffer from post-holiday blues after an exhilarating vacation.


The transition process may take a toll on you- imagine you%u2019ve just spent a whole relaxing week at a beach resort in Krabi when you have to return to a pile of work that%u2019s been long overdue. Instead of wallowing in post-travel depression and constantly going over the hundreds of photos you%u2019ve taken during your blissful trip, why not fight against it and overcome those post-holiday blues? Here are some strategies you can try out to keep the blues away even after you%u2019re back from holidays:

Send postcards to yourself
While you%u2019re still on holiday, make it a habit to send postcards to yourself. Go old school and pen out what you did that day and how you were feeling- simply write to yourself. Then slap a stamp on it, address it to yourself back home and slip it into a post box. As you can never predict how the postal systems work for each country you visit, you never know when the postcard will arrive you and we%u2019re sure when it does it will definitely give you a pleasant surprise.


Make new friends and stay in touch
It%u2019s one of those things that keep the travel alive. Whether it%u2019s a local or a fellow traveler like yourself, forge a new friendship when you%u2019re on holiday. Perhaps it%u2019s someone you met on the plane, or someone you bunked with in a hostel, if you get along well why not get their contacts and stay in touch even after your trip? It%u2019s a lot easier to stay in touch now with online communications and social networking sites. If they have a blog, follow and read their recently posted entries. Commit yourself to doing some kind of regular communication activity with your friends from all over the world. Bring the local food back home
Tasted one of the best curries you%u2019ve ever had in India? Why not buy some curry powder home and attempt to recreate the dishes from your travels? Although the taste might not be exactly the same, but it might help bring back some memories of that fondly-remembered holiday. So every time you need a little vacation escape, just turn to your kitchen cabinet and whip up that delectable dish!

Forget souvenirs, get something useful instead
Many travellers would think that key chains, T-shirts and magnets are great memorabilia to bring home. But the truth is most of these souvenirs would just be tossed into the drawer and they won%u2019t be noticed after awhile. Instead of buying a polyresin photo frame that screams %u201CAUSTRALIA%u201D, why not bring home inexpensive items from that country which you are more likely to use and incorporate into your daily lives? It%u2019ll be much more practical to bring home a bar of organic virgin coconut soap from Indonesia or bamboo table mats and coasters from Japan. You%u2019ll get a little reminder of that trip every time you wash your hands or just before you place your coffee mug on the coaster.
Share your travel experiences with everyone
This is surely one of the best ways to bring your trip home. Recall details about your trip and create blogs and travel reviews about some of the places you visited. Take the time to go through your photos, edit them, make collages out of them and post them up for the world to see. If you shot some great video footages, unleash your creative side and make fun short movies/ travelogues out of them. These activities help process your travel experiences as you are reliving the moment when you attempt to record details of the holiday. You don%u2019t need to punish yourself by shutting the memories away when you go back to work. Wanna know where to start? Well, this is where Koolred comes in so share your travel experiences today.


Learn a new skill
Perhaps you have just returned from Paris and you fell in love with the French language that you want to try and grasp it? Or maybe you were so intrigued by the Thai boxing sport, Muay Thai after returning from Chiang Mai that you want to sign yourself up for a local class? Travelling is a learning experience, and even after your holiday you can still continue to learn about the country. Enhance your skills and enrich your life even after travelling. You couldn't have picked a better time than after returning from your holiday to teach yourself new skills.
 
Start planning for your next adventure
Are you in need of another escape? Then start saving and building up your holiday fund- give yourself something to look forward to. If you don%u2019t think you have the time or funds to go for an extravagant trip, work on something small and simple. It could be a road trip with your buddies, or a weekend getaway with your partner/ children. Joy can come in the simple pleasures in life so it doesn%u2019t mean you need to overspend to be fully contented. Before you know it, you%u2019ll be off to your next trip once again.

We hope our list of tips can help you travellers conquer those post-travel blues. Some of our Twitter followers also had some tricks up their sleeves to combat post-travel woes:

As frequent travellers, we%u2019re sure many of you have experienced post-travel troubles. Do you have any tips to preserve that post-travel glow?
Share with us some of the ways you beat the post-travel blues.