Feeling At Home In A Foreign Land

Flight trackers estimate that there are around 100,000 commercial takeoffs worldwide in 24 hours. Not that all those flights are comprised of passengers going someplace new to them, but there’s no denying that tourists do account for a big portion of those people taking off.

You can add that to people traveling by ship, train, buses, or cars. So basically, the world is one big travel spot, with people traveling all the time, during all seasons.

While almost all people really do love traveling and getting themselves familiar with a different land, people and culture, we can all feel a bit displaced and disoriented when in a new country. So when you’re in a new country for a longer haul, you want to try and settle in as soon as possible and feel at home.

Some countries might feel familiar to your own country and might speak the same language as you do which certainly simplifies the process of settling in. But other countries can be totally foreign to you in culture, language, food, and traditions. As a traveler, that would be very exciting for you, but not that easy to break through. It can take anywhere between a couple of months to a couple of years to get used to your new surroundings and be comfortable with them depending on your own flexibility and your ability to adapt. So you need to find ways to make that process quick and easy for you.

Read on more to know how to feel at home when you’re miles and miles away from home.

Personalize:

Even before you actually travel, pay attention to what you’ll be packing. It’s always good to take some things with you that reminds you of home to help you overcome homesickness. This could be just some pictures or some of your favorite items that you always use. For short stays, some people even bring with them their favorite food. Others must have their favorite music on their phone. Everyone is different and you know what will help you. Wherever you’ll be staying, having those personal things with you help ease being away from everyone you know. It’s nice to have pictures in your new place that give you warm memories of your old home.

Home away from home:

When you arrive to the new place you’ll be staying at, unpack and begin to treat the place like a home away from home. Organize yourself well, and whatever you do, don’t live out of the suitcase! This will cause you disorganization and a sense of chaos, and you don’t need any other kind of disorientation in not finding your things when you need them and not knowing where your things are. Be neat and make yourself comfortable from the start. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying in a house, hotel, a dorm, or even sharing a house with someone. The important thing is to stay organized.

Language:

Language is a barrier that prevents people from communicating. It might be fun and funny at the beginning to use a bunch of different sign languages to try and say what you want to say and for locals to understand you but over a period of time, it won’t be fun and will be only frustrating. So, carry or download on your phone a dictionary to use. You should learn the most common words or phrases that you’ll be needing or using often. If you have the means and time, you can take a language course in the country you’re at. This will make the learning of a language easier and also give you a chance to meet new people sharing the same experience.

Making friends:

Be aware that while everything is foreign to you, you too are foreign to the locals. The same way you might be wary of certain people, they too are wary of you. It’s a two-way street and it needs some ice-breaking. In this case, some countries and their people are used to foreigners visiting their country. Savannah Collins from Interhome explains that Spain is increasing in popularity as a holiday spot, especially in the summertime. So the idea of mingling can be easier in countries that attract many visitors. Other countries are not of the same nature, so you will have to make more effort. It’s a good idea to start mingling within the neighborhood you’re living in. You can start with a small local grocery owner or any other small shop around you. Small shops usually don’t have heavy traffic in them like malls, and you can often find pleasant owners and staff to help you in a variety of situations you will need help in, like in giving you directions or telling you a good spot to have meals in.

Go from tourist to local:

It’s normal to act like a tourist at the beginning. You’ll visit the touristy sites and the recommended spots. But after that, you’re pretty much on your own and you’ll need to start to familiarize yourself with the local areas and what the local people do, where they go, what they eat, and a host of other things. This doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it sounds, and you can take baby steps till you get the hang of it. For example, using local transport or a bike, or walking on foot often introduces you to things you would normally not see if using a car for transport. If you find friendly people to help then accept their help if you feel comfortable and safe with them. If others act cold towards you, don’t push it and you’re bound to find others more helpful.

You can feel at home no matter how far you are away from home. When you are comfortable, you can start to sync with the unfamiliarity around you. For some people, it’s easy to do and it comes naturally. This just might be because of their nature. Other people might have to work on it a bit more and make a conscious effort to get comfortable.