What if your new destination is a letdown?

You’ve arranged everything for your next destination. You’ve got your accommodation sorted, you have your flight/bus tickets in the pocket and you’re ready to leave your home of a few weeks/months behind to move on to a new place. You can hardly contain your excitement and the expectations are high…

Then you arrive at your next home for a while and it’s not what you expected. You don’t feel inspired. You’re not vibing it. You can’t really put your finger on it but something’s just not right. This is what digital nomads usually don’t talk about because we only tend to spread the word about places that burst with Instagram worthy shots. Could it be that we are sometimes just too spoilt to appreciate a place that doesn’t immediately take our breath away?

What if your next stop just doesn’t spark joy in you?

You can’t help but compare

My boyfriend and I packed up our 6-week-home-base in Croatia a bit over a week ago after an incredible time there. We had beautiful weather, stunning views from our little balcony, the beach only a 5-minute walk away and we loved strolling around the picturesque promenade picking mandarins off trees (so the owners wouldn’t have to spend hours harvesting them;)) on our way to the market to get some fresh produce. Whenever we felt like it we would treat ourselves to some delicious ice cream. It was heaven.

Sitting on the bus to Kotor in Montenegro, our next stop, we both knew that our little Adriatic gem was hard to top…and unfortunately, we were right. Don’t get me wrong, the old town of Kotor is beautiful with a special atmosphere, but somehow we just didn’t fall in love with it as we had with out previous spot. One thing was clear immediately; I just couldn’t help comparing the two places, which was unfair. It’s unlikely that you keep going from one place to the next and love every place the same way. That would probably become very boring very quickly and you wouldn’t be able to have favourite places to go back to.

Give yourself time to adjust

In our case, I gave myself a couple of days where I was able to sulk around and be negative. I had to get over my urge to pack up and jump on a bus back to where we came from. I also had to remind myself that the weather wouldn’t be as great now at our previous place as it had been when we were there. Eventually, after a few grumpy days I got over it. I made peace with the fact that this place just had to grow on me, and towards the end of our first week when we sat down at one of the terraces at the town square sipping on a glass of the local red feeling the sun on our faces, I felt pretty content.

The incredible views from Kotor Castle overlooking the city and the lake

Sometimes you just have to give yourself some time to mourn your beloved old place and adjust to a new one. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I was lucky that my boyfriend stayed positive and tried to cheer me up whenever I walked around with a sour face. That face turned into a little smirk and after a while into a smile when I found my favourite spots in town (pizza place, crepe shop, café with the best hot chocolate, do I have to say more?) plus the incredible views from Kotor Castle overlooking the city.

Listen to your gut

What if you gave yourself a week or so to adjust to a new place and you still hate everything about it? What if you really tried but couldn’t find a single thing that sparks joy in you? Even though you’ve committed to the place when booking your accommodation, you shouldn’t force yourself to stay if your gut tells you to get the hell out of there. Contact the owner of your room/apartment and try to explain your situation. Maybe he/she’ll understand and you’ll get some of your money back. Maybe you’re not so lucky. In any case, you’ll probably happily sacrifice a bit of money for overall satisfaction and happiness. Who knows, maybe you’ll love your next stop so much that you’ll make it your permanent address.