Traveling abroad for a year could mean forever memories, life-changing experiences, increased understanding of foreign cultures, and, perhaps, the ability to speak a new language. However, no matter what your country of origin or where you traveled, there will be significant adjustments necessary when returning home. It’s totally normal for it to take a few weeks to a month to adjust to life in your country of origin. Following are a few helpful tips to making that transition.
1. Find a temporary cell-phone plan
If you cancelled your cell-phone plan before traveling abroad, one of the first tasks you will want to take care of upon your return home is to either reactive your cell-phone or purchase a new plan. Sometimes, a pay-as-you-go plans are a great option for a few months, just until you are able to replenish your funds. Best Buy offers great options to get you started.
2. Make Time for Old Friends
Spending time abroad means that you might not have had a lot of connection with your friends back home. This could mean that you missed many of the important milestones in their life, and it will be important to make the time to visit, call, Skype them, e-mail, or write them. Showing that you are still very much interested in their life will cultivate those previous relationship that may have been lacking for the past little while.
3. Follow up with Connections Made Abroad
Often times, international travel means an abundance of new opportunities. Depending on what you traveled abroad for, you may have met some potential business partners. Due to the fact that starting the business in your home-country may be the best option, you may wish to bring your new business partner to your home country. This means applying helping him or her apply for a work visa. The sooner you start this process, the sooner you can get your business off the ground. Another common issue with doing business abroad is being away from your loved ones. However, there are options to get your fiancé a green card if you plan to do business back in your home country after developing a relationship in a foreign country.
4. Enjoy the Comforts of Home
While there is no denying that traveling to new and foreign lands can be exhilarating and memorable, there are always certain comforts from home that you miss while away. During your first week or two at home, indulge in these things. Perhaps you missed long, hot showers while abroad or hours on the phone with your best friend. No matter how seemingly small, take the time to enjoy these little moments.
Arguably, the greatest gift that you receive while traveling away from home for a year is gratitude. This could mean gratitude for different cultures, ways of life, and the people you met while abroad. It can also mean gratitude for home. Those people, places, foods, and comforts that you did not think much about before you left take on a whole new meaning upon your return home. You may have a friend that you spoke to every day on the phone before you left, and now, a year has passed since you have gotten a good catch-up session with them. When you return home, you now understand how valuable and important that friend is. You also understand that not everybody gets to enjoy the life that you lead, so you are now more thankful for everything that you do have, and you understand that your life is truly a blessing.