OMG—my first blog post! Not just of the year, but ever! 🎉 Welcome, and thank you so much for checking out The California Travel Mom. My name is Liv, and I’m a travel consultant with Dreams Travel Consulting. You can learn more about me on the About page. I truly appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to follow along, and I’m so excited to share my love of travel, food, and shopping with you.

      When thinking about what to write for my very first post, I thought about sharing more about myself, my family, or my passion for travel. But honestly, one topic has been stuck in my mind, and it’s not exactly the “fun” part of traveling. Strange for a first post? Maybe. But that’s just how my mind works—if I don’t write it now, it’ll disappear into the fog of perimenopause brain forever! (that topic might have to be a future blog post😅)

      What I’m feeling right now is something many of us experience but rarely talk about: the struggle to get back into a routine after returning from vacation. That post-travel funk.

      Coming home after a trip can feel like a letdown. My son literally burst into tears when we pulled up in front of our house. It’s been four days since we got back, and honestly, I’m still not fully functioning. I haven’t taken my vitamins or allergy pills. I think I’ve washed my face once. And, yes, I’m wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Don’t even get me started on brushing teeth—has anyone in this house even done that (yes, but how many time’s?)?!

      To make it worse, we’re in that weird “limbo” week between Christmas and New Year’s, where time has no meaning. I’m pretty sure it’s Tuesday? Or is it Saturday? The only thing I know for sure is that today is January 1st because, well, NYE was last night. 🥂

      So, how do we tackle these post-vacation blues and get back to regular life? For me, I usually start by unpacking as soon as I get home. Depending on the time, I’ll also wash the dirty laundry and put the suitcases away. This time, we were home by mid-afternoon, so everything was cleaned and away by happy hour. Yet even with that head start, the “back home blues” have hit hard.

      Travel is amazing, and the real icing on the cake of life, but the “after” part can be tough. With the except of this limbo week, there’s no more sleeping in, no more meals magically appearing on a plate. Instead, you’re back to alarms, planning every meal, walking the dog, and heading to work. Ugh. But here’s the thing: the got home blues wont stop me from dreaming about or planning our next getaway. In fact, we’re off again in four weeks—counting down the days already!

      Thanks for reading this and I promise not all my posts will be about the downside of travel! I’d love to hear your tips for easing back into routine life after a trip. How do you beat the “back home blues” and get back to feeling like yourself? Drop your thoughts in the comments or send me a message. Let’s tackle this post-vacation slump together!