5 Ways to Beat the Post-Cruise Blues

Disconnect while you’re on vacation. 

Given Internet prices onboard, it's not hard to stay off-line on the ship, but we've seen passengers squander port time searching for Wi-Fi to catch up on their Facebook® posts. 

Spend your trip in the moment, and you won't regret later how much time you wasted staring at a screen. Plus, if you blew up your friends' social media feeds while you were away, those amazing experiences you want to share will be old news when you get back. Make 'em curious about your trip, and you'll get a lot more excitement when you start the slide show — or put up #LaterGram posts on the Instagram® site.

Make plenty of plans. 

Avoid the “work-home-repeat” trap before you even leave for vacation by booking lunches or dinners with friends for your first week back. Each meeting offers a new audience for tales you're dying to tell, and hearing what you missed in their lives while you were gone will reconnect you to life at home.

Reward your friends for listening to your stories by cooking — try re-creating your favorite dish from the trip. Don’t cook? Definitely return home bearing gifts.

Create a small album to share.

When was the last time you printed those photos lurking on your hard drive? Choose your favorite few shots from the trip. Be ruthless: Don't worry about which ones make you look like a good photographer; just narrow it down to a handful of those that mean the most — the funny or candid shots that will bring back memories — and print them.

Then create a photobook using the Blurb® platform. Or scour the Pinterest® boards for ideas to display photos. Your album will help you show friends and family members what your vacation was like … without overwhelming them with hundreds of images.

If you're the arty type, you should also check out Artifact Uprising™ for nostalgic prints and Instagram postcards.

Put off unpacking so you can savor the memories.

Stash all of your souvenirs in one bag and stow it away when you get home. Wait a week to open it, and then make it an event: Pop a bottle of bubbly and tear into the bag of goodies. The scent of faraway places will hit you first. Open the prizes one at a time with your travel partner while reminiscing about where you found your treasures. 

Plan the next adventure. 

Once your memories have faded, begin mapping out your next trip, and you'll be amazed at how fast that giddiness returns. Debrief your partner about the highs and lows of your last trip, and spend some time thinking about what you want to gain from the next one. Anticipation can be the most delicious feeling of all, and it sure beats the blues!