Dealing with Cultural burnout

There comes a time on every backpacker's holiday when you take a step back and kind of wish you were home.

The sensory smorgasbord of weeks of walking, hiking, haggling, eating, partying, map reading, meeting people and generally looking at stuff starts to catch up with you. And although the wonders of the Taj Mahal may await outside, you really just couldn't be bothered seeing it.

Cultural burnout is a normal side-effect of travel. It doesn't mean it's time to pack your bags and head home. The challenges of life in a foreign place are what makes travel so rewarding, but these things are also... challenging. Sometimes you just need to take time out.

If you're with friends, the first thing to do is to tell them how you feel. You might be surprised to find that they've hit the same low point or have been through something similar in the past. There's no shame in being mentally wiped out and it's important to understand that a few days' rest isn't going to destroy your backpacker cred. Besides, there's no point dragging your sorry bones around national monuments and hating every minute of it.

So what's the best thing to do? Absolutely nothing. Spend your time doing things you'd do on a lazy day back home. If there's a DVD player or TV in English at your hostel, settle in for the day and veg out. If this isn't an option, head to a park or cafe where you can sit, read a book or write postcards. Another good option is to see if the local cinema has movies in English or with subtitles. After enduring a particularly hellish bus ride from Bolivia, my travel partner and I watched three American moves in as many days in a Santiago cinema. Each one was as crap as the last, but at least while sitting in the darkness we didn't need to think.

While you may not recognise it, travelling effects your body in a range of ways. Everything from the air you breathe to the food you eat is likely to be different to what you're used.

A taste of home can help give your body a break from this bombardment of newness. It's a good idea to pack familiar food like a jar (or handy travel tube) of vegemite so you can tuck in when the going gets tough. Alternatively, you can head to a local supermarket or restaurant in search of western-style fare. In Thailand I sidled into a shabby McDonalds after only a couple of weeks in the country. Sure I was ashamed of my Big Mac and Toddy Palm sundae when there were so many spicy wonders waiting just outside the door. But at that point, one more meal flavoured with chilli and coriander and I was about to go into meltdown (and at least the sundae was Asian-influenced).

Being a seasoned traveller is no insurance against cultural burnout. Mental and physical fatigue can overtake anyone, stopping them from appreciating the excitement of a foreign place. Taking a few days to recuperate can be the best medicine. Rested up and revived, you'll be ready make the most of not being at home.

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