You all know the feeling. That lull when you’re at home, going to work, carrying about your usual everyday life, thinking about when you’re next going to go traveling.

You may or may not have your next trip booked already. You may be in the midst of planning one; scouring flight websites each week to find the best deals.

In any case, the lull in between travel can – quite frankly – sometimes feel a bit stink! It can be difficult not to live your life just “looking forward to the next trip”.

But while I love having a trip booked to look forward to, I think it’s important to put some focus into other things -until the time comes again when we step onto a plane to our next destination.

Where to next for me? Here’s my options.

I might have a travel blog (thanks for reading! 😉 <3), but it doesn’t mean that I’m traveling 24/7, 12 months of the year. I’m not sure I’d want to; I like living in Auckland… and nothing beats coming home to your own bed after a month away!

So for the past 3 years, I’ve tried to do at least 1-2 big trips per year. So far, so good.

But that in-between time can really get to you. Welp.

So I’ve started focusing on 5 key things to…

A) Make sure my life doesn’t revolve around when my next trip is going to be. I’m trying to be more present in the moment and appreciate things for as they, right now.

B) Make sure I’m giving my all to other important aspects of my life!

So when you’re in that lull waiting for your next trip, try focusing on these:

Savings

We’re all got to have money to be able travel, right?! And I don’t know about you, but travel is a huge motivator to be saving some money. So put a percentage of your earnings into a savings account each month and give yourself a goal to have X amount of travel money by a certain date.

Career

When I’m not traveling, I’m, well, working! I run a freelance business doing social media management, Facebook advertising and content writing for clients. Right now I’m focussing on growing my client base and doing great work for them!

Sure, freelancing essentially means I can work wherever I want (to an extent; there has to be decent Wi-Fi… something Egypt sorely lacked) so technically I can travel and work at the same time. But I like living in Auckland for now, sooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hobbies

What other things do you enjoying doing? (aside from traveling). For me, some of my favourite hobbies include running this travel blog, partaking in theatre/acting projects, writing for other websites, baking, gymming, long walks on the beach… aaaand I’m just going stop there cause that’s starting to sound like a dating profile 😉

…Or maybe you have a “side-hustle” where you make a bit of extra cash. With the internet, anything is possible these days! Popular side-hustles include blogging, affiliate marketing, drop shipping and freelancing (offering services in something you’re skilled in).

Friends and family

Don’t forget to spend time with (and enjoy your time with) friends and family. Whether it’s catching up with long-time friends or making new ones at social events (hot tip: try finding groups of people who are interested in similar things as you on Meet Up). Traveling is fun, but sometimes you miss seeing familiar faces from home – and mum’s amazing free-range bacon and egg pie.

Planning

Lastly, plan for your next trip! Whether it’s in 6 months, 12 months or 2 years’ time, it’s exciting when the possibilities are endless and you’re making rough plans for potential destinations, dates and itineraries. I know that there some tour companies out there (like Contiki and Topdeck) that will let you put down a small deposit to guarantee a spot, and then you can pay it all off closer to the trip time.

Focusing on something exciting that’s in front of you is a lot better than focussing on whatever’s behind you, at least! 🙂

And as the saying goes…