How You Can Prevent Backpacking Burnout & Stay Motivated On Your Adventures

Photo by Hikerwise.com on Unsplash

I remember, on my travels, how much fun it was to explore the world, visit countries & cities I’d never been to before, meet new people, and to grow as a human being. 

I also recall how tiring it was to make decisions every single day, be it about what to eat, what to see, where to go, what to explore next, what train to catch and when - or whether I should take an Uber? -, what hostels to stay at or whether I should splurge on Airbnbs, what tickets I should buy for what museums / churches / castles / galleries / events and for what price, what destinations I would visit next, and so on and so forth - you get the gist. 

Despite the benefits and adventurousness of backpacking, let’s be honest, it can be hard stuff. 

So I came up with a list of tips to help you pace your journey, and avoid burnout whilst traveling. 

Here they are: 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1. Get plenty of rest & sleep. 

  2. Plan as much as you can in advance. 

  3. Make room during your days to do nothing and relax / chill / be spontaneous. 

1. Get plenty of rest & sleep. 

Let’s face it: when you’re globetrotting, you’re likely not always getting the amount of rest you need. Because between train rides, jumping from city to city & country to country, and waking up early to explore or make your booked time slots at museums / galleries / castles / exhibitions / tours - whatever -, you’re probably constantly setting the alarm clock to wake up at a certain time. Not to mention that you’re probably staying out late partying with your hostel mates or just exploring. 

While it’s inevitable that on some nights you’re going to lose sleep, in the long run, you want to make it a priority to get enough rest. If that means catching up on sleep during long train rides between cities and countries, go for it - I had some of my best sleeps on train rides… just be careful that nobody steals your backpack like mine got stolen if you’re not in individual compartments. If it means sleeping in on some days, go for it. At the end of the day, you can always extend your stay by a day or two - or however long you want, really - in certain countries / cities if you really like it there. Bottom line is this: if you don’t get enough rest, you’re going to get tired. If you get tired, you’re not going to have fun, and you’ll want to end your trip early. So make sure to sleep adequately and recharge your batteries. Rest is crucial to having a good time and making your backpacking trip sustainable.  

2. Plan as much as you can in advance. 

One of the reasons that burnout happens is because of decision fatigue. This is incredibly common among backpackers because you’re constantly deciding what to do / where to go / what to see next, what countries or cities to visit, what modes of transportation to take, what sort of accommodations to book, etc. 

To avoid decision fatigue, I recommend pre-planning as much of your trip as possible. Okay, now let’s be honest: you’re likely not going to plan a lot of your trip in advance because you want to be spontaneous and adventurous. I totally agree; I’m like that as well. That said, if you could even just figure out one to three places that you absolutely want to visit in each of the cities that you plan to go to, it’ll help out a lot. Likewise, it’s sometimes even advisable to get tickets in advance to certain flights, destinations, or even exhibitions - a. To avoid lineups or sold out tickets, and b. To avoid needing to make more decisions than you already have to make. If you know in advance that you’re scheduled to be somewhere at a certain date and time, it liberates you from having to decide on the day of what you’re going to do that day. Again, I’m not suggesting to avoid spontaneity, as that’s obviously the fun part. I’m just saying to free up your brain a little bit. 

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

An alternative to having everything planned out is to have dedicated resources that you go to for advice on what to do in each city or country. Examples include our blog, resilienceroutes.com, or a Youtube channel that I used throughout my backpacking travels called Wolter’s World - he’s incredibly helpful, and a joy to watch. I used his tips on where to travel, what to see, and what to eat on pretty much my entire journey, and I loved it. Whatever resources you choose, it’s another go-to supply of information that you don’t need to make a choice about - because you already trust them. And that frees up your brain from decision fatigue and burnout. 

3. Make room during your days to do nothing and relax / chill / be spontaneous. 

And finally, take breaks. Yes, you’re going to want to see as much as you can in the short amount of time you spend in each city you visit. And just make sure to pace yourself. Take time to actually enjoy and experience each destination - not just the countries and cities, but also the museums, monuments, tours, churches, castles, and whatever else you might go and experience. 

Remember: you don’t have to see everything - as tempting as it is. You just want to see the important stuff. 

And this - hopefully - won’t be your last time visiting any of these places. It’s just an introduction. 

So take it easy, avoid trying to squeeze in everything, and focus on the quality of your journey rather than the quantity of the places you visit and sites you see. 

In the long run, that’ll make for a more enjoyable and memorable experience that’ll motivate you to go backpacking again. 

Thanks for visiting / reading. We hope you gained value from our post. If you enjoyed these tips, consider subscribing to our Facebook, Twitter / X, and Instagram pages to receive weekly backpacking & travel advice. 

Until next time, stay resilient out there.