They waited months, sometimes years, for their departure. Everything seems in place for an unforgettable trip. Yet once on the other side of the world, some feel an unexpected longing for their daily life, their loved ones, or their familiar bearings.
Meals, in particular, become an ordeal for one of these travelers: she finds the dishes very spicy and struggles to get used to them.
Cultural distance, the language barrier, and differences in customs can heighten this loss of bearings, including in European countries.
The traveler appreciates how fortunate they are to be there, all the more so because they sometimes saved for a long time or waited years for this departure.
They can savor the discovery while missing their familiar bearings, marvel at a landscape, and wish to share it with a loved one.
The excitement of departure is then mixed with an emotion many had not anticipated: homesickness.
This sense of disorientation can make one want to go home, even when one is exactly where one wanted to be.
Blaming oneself for not fully enjoying the trip can then heighten the unease.
For Aurélie, 21, a student of foreign and regional language, literatures and civilizations, the desire to go home stems rather from a loss of bearings.
The ability to adapt varies according to each person's sensitivity. Some people struggle to leave their home and sleep elsewhere; others get used to it much more easily.