Missing home can ruin a trip, but the right mindset can turn it into motivation.
Homesickness has a sneaky way of creeping in when you least expect it. One minute you’re loving the adventure, and the next, you’re craving the familiar smells of home-cooked meals, your own bed, or just the comfort of routine. It happens to every traveler at some point, no matter how exciting the destination. But what if homesickness wasn’t a reason to feel stuck but a signal to push yourself deeper into the journey?
Instead of letting it hold you back, the best travelers find ways to channel homesickness into something powerful—wanderlust. By shifting perspectives, creating new rituals, and making the unfamiliar feel like home, they turn what could be a trip-ruining feeling into a reason to explore even more.
If you’ve ever struggled with missing home while on the road, these thirteen strange-but-genius tricks can help you transform that longing into a newfound excitement for the world around you.
1. Turn your favorite home-cooked meal into a local adventure.
Craving your go-to comfort meal from home? Instead of feeling frustrated, use it as a mission to explore. Find a local market, track down familiar ingredients, and cook a version of your dish using what’s available, as reported by Dr. Chris Mosunic of Calm. If you don’t have access to a kitchen, challenge yourself to find a restaurant serving something similar—or even better, ask a local where they would go for a meal that reminds them of home.
This turns homesickness into a culinary adventure, making food a bridge between your old comforts and new experiences. You might even stumble upon a new favorite dish that replaces the one you were missing. And if you’re really lucky, you’ll leave with a story about that time you searched an entire city for the perfect bowl of soup or homemade bread.
2. Recreate small routines that make home feel familiar.
One of the biggest triggers of homesickness is losing your daily rhythm. At home, you might start your day with a specific morning routine, a favorite coffee spot, or an evening wind-down ritual, according to Dr. Paul Kim. Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean those habits have to disappear.
Find small ways to bring familiar routines into your trip. If you normally go for a morning run, lace up your shoes and jog through a local park. If you always have tea before bed, carry your favorite brand with you and make it part of your nightly ritual. Keeping small pieces of your routine intact creates a sense of stability, making foreign places feel more like home.
3. Keep a journal to turn homesickness into a story worth remembering.
Feeling homesick is natural, but the way you process it makes all the difference. Instead of letting it sit in your mind and grow heavier, put it down on paper, as reported by Elisabeth Perry of BetterUp. Writing about your experiences—both the struggles and the victories—helps you see your journey from a broader perspective.
Don’t just document what you did each day. Write about how you feel, what challenges you’re facing, and what small moments are making your trip special. Be honest about your homesickness, but also capture the excitement, the funny misadventures, and the unexpected joys. Later, when you reread these entries, you’ll see how temporary the difficult moments were compared to everything you gained. A travel journal becomes more than just a record—it turns your homesickness into a story of resilience, growth, and discovery.
4. Treat homesickness as a signal to dig deeper into the local culture.
Missing home is often a sign that you haven’t fully immersed yourself in your surroundings yet. Instead of withdrawing, use it as a push to engage more. Ask locals for recommendations, join a cooking class, visit a market, or attend a community event.
The more you integrate into the culture, the less distant home will feel. It’s not about replacing home—it’s about expanding your definition of what home can be. The sooner you start creating connections, the faster that feeling of longing shifts into excitement.
5. Make a “new favorite spot” in every city.
At home, you likely have a favorite café, park, or quiet reading nook. When you travel, create that same sense of familiarity by claiming a spot just for you. Maybe it’s a café where you order the same drink each morning or a bench where you watch the sunset.
Having a go-to spot in a foreign place gives you a sense of belonging. Even if you’re constantly moving, knowing that in every destination you have “your place” creates a little pocket of comfort wherever you go.
6. Listen to music that blends home with your destination.
Music has a way of transporting you instantly. If you’re missing home, create a playlist that mixes songs from your hometown with music from the place you’re visiting. It bridges the gap between the familiar and the new, making you feel connected rather than torn between two places.
You might even discover that certain songs start to remind you of your travels more than home itself. Years later, hearing them will bring back memories of where you were when you listened, turning your travels into a soundtrack.
7. Use scents to trick your brain into feeling at home.
Scent is one of the strongest triggers for memory and comfort. Carry a small bottle of your favorite perfume, essential oil, or even a scented lotion that reminds you of home. When homesickness hits, a simple smell can instantly ground you.
You can also explore local scents—buy a candle, incense, or soap from a new place and make it part of your daily routine. Over time, those scents will become tied to positive memories of your travels rather than just home.
8. Make a travel family wherever you go.
One of the best ways to combat homesickness is to surround yourself with people who understand what you’re experiencing. Connect with fellow travelers, expats, or even locals who can become your “travel family.” Shared experiences create strong bonds quickly, turning strangers into temporary family members.
Having people to laugh with, eat with, or simply share the day’s highs and lows makes every place feel a little more like home. Sometimes, the people you meet on the road become lifelong friends, proving that home isn’t just a place—it’s the people you connect with along the way.
9. Send yourself postcards with little reminders of your journey.
Most people send postcards to friends and family, but writing one to yourself adds a personal twist. Instead of just describing what you did that day, write down how you’re feeling—what surprised you, what made you laugh, what challenged you. Address it to your future self and drop it in the mail.
By the time you return home, you’ll have a collection of postcards waiting for you, filled with real-time memories from your trip. It’s a small way to remind yourself that the version of you who was homesick also kept moving forward, embracing the adventure.
10. Pick up a new hobby that makes travel more immersive.
When homesickness strikes, it often means you’re not fully engaged with your surroundings. The easiest way to snap out of it? Find something new to focus on. Learning a skill tied to the culture around you—like cooking a local dish, sketching landscapes, or picking up the basics of a new language—gives you a sense of purpose and connection.
Instead of feeling like an outsider missing home, you start becoming a part of the place you’re in. Photography can turn a simple walk through a city into an artistic exploration. Learning to dance in a new country can help you connect with locals in ways words can’t. The more you immerse yourself in learning, the less space homesickness has to take over. Before you know it, you’ll be too excited about what you’re discovering to dwell on what you left behind.
11. Find humor in your homesickness to turn frustration into fun.
Sometimes, the best way to handle homesickness is to laugh at it. Instead of seeing it as something heavy, treat it like a challenge. Can’t find your favorite comfort food? Try the weirdest local alternative and rate it on a “homesickness cure” scale. Missing your pet? Start naming the stray animals you see and imagine their personalities.
Shifting homesickness from a negative emotion into something amusing makes it easier to handle. Traveling is full of bizarre, frustrating, and unexpected moments—embracing them with humor helps you adapt. Later, the stories that once felt overwhelming will become some of your best memories. Travel is unpredictable, and learning to laugh at the chaos is one of the best ways to enjoy the ride.
12. Keep future travel plans in sight to turn nostalgia into excitement.
Homesickness often comes from a feeling of missing out on familiar experiences, but flipping that mindset can make all the difference. Instead of focusing on what you left behind, focus on what’s ahead. Even if your current trip is full of ups and downs, reminding yourself that this is just one part of a larger journey helps shift your perspective.
Start researching your next destination, make a rough itinerary, or jot down ideas for future adventures. Even if you don’t have solid dates yet, having something to look forward to makes the momentary discomfort of missing home feel smaller in the grand scheme of things. Travel isn’t a single experience—it’s an ongoing journey. Keeping your future travels in sight helps you stay engaged in the present while staying excited about what’s next.
13. Shift your mindset: home will always be there, but this moment won’t.
Homesickness tricks you into believing you’re missing out on something important, but the truth is, home isn’t going anywhere. Your favorite people, places, and routines will still be there when you return. What won’t last forever is the opportunity you have right now—to be in a new place, experiencing things you might never get to again.
Instead of longing for home, remind yourself why you left in the first place. You wanted adventure, new perspectives, and moments that challenge and inspire you. Every time you feel the pull of home, counter it with a deep breath and the realization that this journey—this exact moment—will soon be just a memory. Make it a good one. Keep exploring, keep embracing the unknown, and trust that home will still be there when you’re ready for it.