How to Reduce Homesickness when Abroad

The more I speak to other transplants, the more I realise that homesickness is more of a problem than I ever thought. It can be devastating and prevent you from bonding with your new location and feeling at home.

So as someone who has lived in countries all over the world, let me share with you what I have found to be the most effective ways to minimise homesickness and help you feel at home in a new location.

Bring things from your old space into your new space to help you feel at home while looking for new things you like in your new country to add to or replace these things.

Engage the senses.

By engaging all the senses, you will be able to tell your brain that this new place is home. Having a safe space will allow you to decompress when things get overwhelming. This will help keep things from building up until they blow up and ruin your life.

How do you do that?

Sight -

Bring bits of home with you. This is not easy when you’re moving country and are limited on what you can bring. I recommend a few printed pictures, things like prints or art (without the frame, which adds space and weight) and things like decorative pillowcases. If you have a favourite throw blanket or a poster you’ve had in your bedroom for years, bringing those things with you will help the new place feel like the old one. Buying new frames or a pillow insert will be affordable ways to have your decor function in your new location. A blend of the old and the new will honour the new start while still feeling like your space is your own.

Sound -

Soundtracks of songs you loved in high school or your study/productivity space will help you trigger the feeling/action associated with those songs. As a writer, I have a couple of playlists that I write to, depending on the genre. If I hear any of those songs, I automatically feel like I should be writing. You can train your brain to do similar. Want to be more focused and efficient when you clean? Create a cleaning playlist. Start before you go; that way, when you get where you’re going, you can rely on them to help you. This will also make your new place feel more like home. After a while, you can make new playlists with local artists, songs you hear when out and about, and songs in the local language. These are free to take when you go, and they will help you carry that place and your memories there with you.

Smell -

This is one of the simplest ones and actually one of the first places I start. I bring candles or wax melts with me, along with reed defusers and oil. These will all be in scents that I have been using in my home before the move. I keep them in my suitcases so that all my things smell like home to me. I set them up to burn or defuse while I get my flat set up, helping the sent of “me” and “home” permeate my new location. I also spritz a little of my perfumes onto watercolour paper and scatter them about my new flat before I leave for a similar effect. Throughout most of my moves, I have needed to buy sheets and towels when I get where I’m going. So I have brought some laundry pods with me so I can wash these items in a familiar scent.

Once I’m more established, I start looking for new candle scents or new laundry soap. I start blending the old with the new until the new smells like home to me. It’s amazing how much of an impact the olfactory sense can have. The second I open the door to my flat, I take a deep breath and immediately feel like I am home.

Taste -

This one is a little tricky. Some foods that are sold in different countries have the same name, so it’s hard to find what snacks you love aren’t available in your new country. Sometimes they seem to be available but are very different. Skittles was one that shocked me. Green is still lime in the Uk, but purple is Black Currant, not grape. Snickers also uses different ingredients here, so if I’m craving a Snickers because I want a taste of my childhood, a Uk Snickers won’t do it for me.

My general rule of thumb is to bring your favourite snacks, just in case. Then once you’re in your new country, you can try the local version. I also recommend trying lots of new snacks. When I first move country, I grab one sweet and one savoury snack every time I go grocery shopping. That way, when I’m craving a gummy candy or a salty snack, I know which local one will hit the spot, but I have a small stash of things from America for when they won’t.

From my experience, engaging the senses is the easiest way to ease homesickness. By making your new place feel like home, there is a sense of belonging that helps to root me in my new location.

Let me know if this works for you!