5 Ways to Overcome Post Tour Depression (PTD)

26 Feb 5 Ways to Overcome Post Tour Depression (PTD)

I haven’t told anybody this until now, but after my 1 month tour down the Pacific Coast, I was a victim of Post Tour Depression. Bicycle Touring 101 had a guest post from Hank Raines who talked about this briefly after his cross-country tour with two of his dogs, and the Bicycle Hobo also mentioned this phenomenon in general terms.

I was back for 2 weeks from my trip. I ate out with all my friends and family. I told and retold my stories about my trip. I was so excited to be in my own bed. Eating food from my refrigerator. Cooking on my own stove. Drinking clean water from my kitchen. All the luxuries of life that I took for granted until I started my bike tour was now back in my life. That’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt sad.

My life was now confined in my home and dealing with the trivial, but necessary things in life. The simplicity of life on the road was no longer the case. I have options now. I am not bounded by the limitations of where my bike takes me. I am bounded by the unlimited food options that I can get to with my car. I am like Jeremy Renner in the Hurt Locker when his character returns home and feels overwhelmed by the amount of choices that he now has. Simplicity is ideal when you are bike touring.

I remember thinking, “What now?” My everyday life started to feel insignificant compared to how I lived on the road. On the road, I was writing my own story. The same story that I’ve told my friends over and over again. I have to admit, getting myself back to doing something productive, like updating this blog was tough the first few weeks even though I was somewhat consistent with my blog posting on the road. I pushed through it and a few things helped me snap out of this brief moment of Post Tour Depression.

1. Unpack and Clean

Photo Credit: Darwin Bell via Compfight cc

The first thing I did when I got home from my Pacific Coast tour was pull out all my gear, put them away, and do laundry. The feeling of being home helps prepare you mentally. It reminds you that this is the destination that you’ve been looking forward to while on the road. You get to put away your clothes in your closet. You get to wear other clothes, like t-shirts and jeans.

I also took some time to look over my bike and clean it. I told myself that this is it. My bike is clean and ready to be put away.

I believe the sooner you can unpack and clean, the sooner you can get back into your day-to-day life and adjust quicker, thus shortening the window of the PTD.

2. Do Nothing

Photo Credit: xpressx via Compfight cc

After all that cleaning and unpacking is done, I give myself the option to just do absolutely nothing. I spent a week sleeping in and just relaxing in between lunch and dinner appointments. It is absolutely necessary for one to take the time to readjust on all levels: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

That is why I think it is important that when you are planning your own tour, be sure to leave some time at the end for you to unwind like I did before going back to work. I would imagine that getting into work immediately after a bike tour wouldn’t be productive.

3. Call Someone on the Trip

Photo Credit: Amarand Agasi via Compfight cc

Something I think that would’ve helped, but I did not do, was call someone up from my trip to talk about the tour. I think if we both talked about how we were feeling after the tour, things may have been better just to know that we are on the same page instead of feeling alone with this sense of loss. You both can finally relate to one another and talk about the trip nostalgically.

I highly recommend that you get contact information with folks you meet on the road. A quick chat on the phone or Skype can truly help you through tough times and shorten that window some more.

4. Go On Rides

Salsa Vaya on top of the Verdugos

What helped me further was my friend Evadne finished her ride 2 weeks after I did. Because her trip was cut short in Ventura due to her bike being stolen at the Emma Woods campground, she was motivated to finish her ride. She bought a single speed from Craigslist, and we spent time riding around Los Angeles as a way to train, as well as show her a side of LA from a biker’s perspective.

This allowed me to play tour guide to a place I call home, and it provided me with a bit of adventure, exploring parts of the city that I wasn’t familiar with. This helped me assimilate faster to being home. When we finally decided to take the train down to Ventura to finish Evadne’s ride, I felt the familiar feeling of being on a bike tour once again. This time I camped back home.

Go out and ride your bike once you’re done with doing nothing at all. The endorphins from the bike ride will kick in and help fend off any PTD symptoms.

5. Plan the Next Trip

Photo Credit: Alex Clark via Compfight cc

After a month back, I started to think about the next bike trip. That was when the idea of doing a fall foliage trip came to mind. I’ve never experience a New England fall, so I decided to start thinking about the trip. I eventually talked to Evadne again and found out her friends were also going to do a fall foliage bike tour in October. I immediately jumped at the opportunity, and the trip was fantastic.

I knew I was out of PTD because I was already thinking about the next trip. The cycle started again even though the planning was now out of my hands this time around. Taking a page from my experience, planning that next trip may just be the ticket for you to stave off PTD in your life.

Final Thoughts

Post Tour Depression may sound silly at first, but it is a common thing that I hear more about from fellow travelers. Not just of the biking variety, but also people who go on backpacking trips or coming back from a long vacation. Having ways to deal with your PTD will be the key to minimize its impact.

Do you have other strategies to address PTD? Have you tried some of the ways I’ve listed? Please comment below and let me know.