While it might seem superfluous that I’m taking another (short) trip right after returning from one, it couldn’t have come at a better time, for me. Booking next weekend’s Grand Canyon jaunt really lifted my spirits—because since I came back from Guatemala, I’ve been battling a bit of post-vacation blues!

Usually, I always feel a little thrill when my flight lands in NYC—as if the city, itself, is welcoming me back. But I didn’t feel that way at all last week. I just wanted to be back in Guatemala.

Over the course of a few days, I realized why I was feeling so down about coming back home, to the city I love so dearly:

• I just wanted to stay in Guatemala longer. I felt like I was learning a lot of Spanish and wanted to keep progressing. I’m wired to be a little intense. I’m a do-something-all-the-way-or-else-don’t-do-it-at-all girl, so it was hard for me to leave right when I felt I was getting into the Spanish groove.
• I had aВ wonderful summerВ (my favorite season!) and it was a little jarring to return home to fall.
• This has been a year of big changes, and I’ve been tackling different projects and goals over the past several months. But when I got back, it seemed like the ones that I have yet to address were staring me down—and that overwhelmed me!

So while booking another trip might seem like a band-aid solution (kind of like jumping into a new relationship to get over an old one), it’s also helped me get my bearings. I have a hard time getting motivated unless there’s a goal or reward in sight. And for me, travel is the best motivator. Just knowing I have a trip coming up helps me focus and tick off my to-do lists. Little things help, too. Now that my fall calendar is filling up with friend and family plans, ballet events, more Spanish lessons and weekend trips, I’ve felt my post-vacation blues slipping away.

Do you ever get post-vacation blues, too? How do you cope with them?

(Photo via The American Legacy via Bippity Boppity Boo)