How To Beat Homesickness When Living Abroad

Living abroad can be exciting and there are many things back home that you may be glad to get away from. However, there could also be many small things that you miss such as conversations with friends and family and certain familiar foods. It’s important to overcome these feelings of homesickness so that you can enjoy your time abroad. Below are just a few tips on how to beat homesickness when living in a new country.

Keep connected with friends/family back home

It’s easier than ever nowadays to stay connected with friends and family from another country thanks to video calls and social media. Make sure that you’re reaching out to these people regularly so that you’re not pining for communication with them. Consider scheduling video calls with close relatives on specific days each week and find new ways to make video calls more fun and interactive such as playing games and doing quizzes. ​

Make new friends abroad

While it’s important to stay connected to friends back home, it’s also important to make new friends in your new country so that you don’t feel deprived of physical social interaction. There are many ways to make new friends such as planning social events with work colleagues, hanging out at bars, joining local social clubs and using online meetup sites. Making new friends can be more challenging if you don’t know the local language well - it could be worth taking lessons and meeting up with fellow expats to stay social and build your language skills.

Add some homely touches to your new place

If you’ve only recently moved into your new place, it may not feel like a home yet. Personalizing your new home can help to make it feel like your safe space. This could include displaying keepsakes from back home, printing off and framing photos, and considering new paint schemes and furnishings (if it’s somewhere you own). This will help you to feel more settled.

​Order foods/drinks from back home

You could find yourself missing certain foods and drinks from back home. You may not be able to buy certain brands in local stores, however it may still be possible to order these branded foods and drinks online. For example, check out this site where you can buy online Canadian chips and snacks. Even if you’re only able to buy a few snacks from back home, it could satisfy your cravings.

​Immerse yourself in the new culture

Many people miss the customs and traditions of back home, and are afraid to embrace new customs and traditions. However, this is something that you have to adjust to when moving abroad. Make sure that you’re trying local foods, participating in local events, following local news and getting to know local laws and politics. Eventually, it will stop feeling so foreign and scary and you will get used to your new way of life