10 Tips To Help You Overcome Homesickness Abroad

Updated July 2024

Traveling solo or moving to a new city can stir a storm of emotions, AKA a feeling of homesickness abroad.

This not only dampens your mood but also your experience of traveling if you don’t learn ways to work through it.

Whether it’s the nostalgia of family vacations or hanging out with your close friends, finding yourself in a city where no one knows you and you don’t know anyone can be difficult, to say the least!

In my 10+ of travel and living in a few different countries, I’ve definitely experienced some feelings of loneliness and anxiety if I really thought about how far away my family was from me from time to time.

But over the years, I’ve realized that it’s not just missing my family or favorite food that made me feel this way, but also the fear of the unknown that made the homesickness go into anxiety.

Once I understood that, it changed how I saw where these emotions were truly coming from, and I learned ways to better manage homesickness abroad.

In this post, I have created a list of tips that have helped me ease homesickness abroad when I’ve traveled solo or moved to a city alone. I hope these tips can also help you ease into the new culture, enjoy your new surroundings, and more!

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1. Take a walk around the neighborhood

Many times, whether you are studying abroad in a big and bustling city like London or teaching English in a suburb town on the outskirts of Madrid, taking that first step in getting to know your surroundings, your neighbors, and the street names is a good step in getting acclimated to your new surroundings.

Those first few walks around your Airbnb are the initial moments in which your new reality and life sink in and you think, wow I really did come to_______this is my neighborhood. 

Walking around your neighborhood is a good place to begin slowly, allowing your mind to catch up with what is happening in the moment.

Plus, it’s a great way to spot places to eat nearby, grocery shops, and even interact with a few locals!

2. People watching

There’s a saying in Spanish that says:

“Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres“

In English, the equivalent would be When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  

Observing the locals and their customs, from their talking expressions to how they dress, how they walk, and everything else displayed right in front of you, is a good way of helping you settle into your new surroundings. 

Go to a park, a restaurant, a café, or a shop and spend an hour or so watching people’s manners and behaviors. It’s fascinating, and it teaches you about the local social norms. It also helps you become more invested in the moment and less focused on the feeling of missing home. 

3. Watch a little local television or listen to the radio

Another way of settling into your surroundings and becoming present is to listen to local media, whether it’s TV, the radio, or other forms of media.

Much like the fascination of Grocery Store Tourism, watching local TV is also a fascinating look into the culture of the city and country you’re visiting. Think about it.

The commercials you see when you are abroad are created specifically for that culture and target audiences; their news clips on TV display specific issues not only within the country but also directly within the local area in which you may be residing.

You learn about local issues, the products advertised, and the topics that are of interest to the society you’re living in, which can allow you to have a better understanding of the culture and what interests and concerns people.

It’s not only fascinating but also helps with easing homesickness abroad by giving your mind something else to focus on.

4. Learn the language (or enough to get by with to begin)

If you can, dedicate a little portion of your day to learning practical, everyday vocabulary in the native language.

Don’t worry about the grammar or sentence structures just yet, focus on learning keywords like help, please, thank you, coffee…you get the idea.

You’ll feel more confident and proud of yourself for doing this, at least a little bit, while you listen to how the words are pronounced, the different tones of voice, and so on. Just like with people watching, the more you observe and learn keywords, the more you use them and the more you add to your vocabulary.  

5. Try the local food

Aside from family, food is always the next thing on most people’s list of things they miss from home.

Depending on where you are, your choices may not be as expansive as they would be at home. Rather than seeing this as bad, see it as an opportunity to try new foods.

You never know, you may possibly try your new favorite dish!

Ask for recommendations, be open to trying different ingredients, and gain even more insight into the local culture by asking questions about the menu, flavors, and traditional dishes.

In many cultures, food is not just food; it’s an art and a way of life and another window into the local culture.

Food and drink are huge facilitators of getting to know people and for people to get to know you better.  

The more you know about their culture, including food and ingredients, the more you get a sense and understanding of the culture.  

6. Learn the transportation maps and system of your city

Relying on yourself to get around can be scary or exciting. Let’s focus on it being exciting, so you can go out, explore, and learn more about your surroundings.

Learn the metro map, the names of a few places in the city you want to see, and the nearest metro stop/bus stop, and all the different types of public transport available.

There’s quite nothing like the high of getting from Point A to Point B by yourself. It’s such a confidence booster, and it helps you believe in yourself a little bit more. If you can do this, you can also reduce your homesickness abroad.

The more you hop on the bus or train and move around the city, the more your confidence gets boosted and the less afraid you’ll feel if you get a bit lost.

You’ll figure it out, and that’s what travel is all about—figuring it out as you go and being okay with that.

Plus, riding the metro and taking the bus will help you ease into your neighborhood and other surroundings, making everything much more interesting as you start to make sense of your surroundings.

7. Go on day trips

After a few trips around using public transport, why not take the leap and go on a day trip to ease even more into your surroundings?

Look at a map or search online for towns or points of interest that are near your location.  

Search blogs, travel and tourism Instagram accounts, TikTok, YouTube, etc., and browse to see what day trips catch your eye.  

Plan a route using Google Maps, download any city transit tracker available in your area, and you’ll be on your way to discovering more beautiful places nearby.

8. Talk to your friends and family back home

As you start getting acclimated and settled into your new surroundings, it’s healthy to share these fun updates with family and friends back home!

Talk to them, let them know your progress, and tell them each milestone.  

Soon enough, whenever you end the conversation with them, you’ll feel the pang of homesickness less and less because you’re starting to feel more comfortable about your area and the culture.  

As much as this helps you, it also helps your family to see how you’re doing and how much you’re enjoying the experience.

You’ll be like a teacher to them, letting them know how you’ve adjusted, what you like about X country, what you’ve eaten, and where you’ve gone.

This will even make you realize just how much you already know about your host country.

9. Say YES

Be open to different experiences, possibilities, and exploration.  

You’re abroad!!

You already said yes to leaving your comfort zone, which is a big accomplishment, so keep that mentality going.  

If friends ask you if you want to hang out next weekend, say yes!

If you get offered to try a new food item, say yes!

If you get invited by a local friend to visit their village for the weekend, say yes!

Use your best sense of judgment and take the opportunities as they come from the people you start to get to know.  

10. Remember why you’re there in the first place

Why did you go abroad, to begin with?

To discover a new culture?

To meet new people?

To get out of your comfort zone?

Then do that. Keep doing that.

Give yourself that opportunity to become challenged more once you’re there by setting small, manageable goals.  

Start comfortably, and then work your way up.  

Accept invitations from your friends to meet up for coffee and a pastry, put yourself out there, and go to events in your town/city to meet more locals and people who are also abroad and discover more of what this beautiful world offers.  

Find things to and places to go, ask questions, keep an open mind, and appreciate where you’re at, at that moment. Travel is a beautiful thing, my friends.

Concluding Thoughts on 10 Tips To Help You Overcome Homesickness Abroad

One of the important things to keep in mind is the fact that you, as the traveler experiencing the change, must want to actually adapt to the new culture. 

Openness is key here, as it is in everything else that you do in life. 

I am confident that by having a positive and open attitude, trying new things, and considering the above suggestions, you will be on your way to not only enjoying your experience abroad but also integrating and picking up new routines and words into your life that you will be using even beyond your time abroad.   

What are some of your best ways to manage homesickness abroad? Feel free to share your knowledge in the comments below!

To more travel moments like these ✨

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