A Serious Case of PTD
We’re just back from our Maui vacation and suffering from a serious case of PTD. We think it was the water, but it could also have been the beach and the sun.
How serious is it? Is there a cure? We decided to do some research and find out. Wikipedia defines PTD as:
Post vacation blues (or just vacation blues) or less commonly, post travel depression (PTD) is a type of mood that persons returning home from a long trip (usually a vacation) may experience.
That’s it, I’m sure we have the PTD, it sounds more serious. But what’s the treatment? Wikipedia continues:
In general, post vacation blues wear off after time. It usually takes a few days for the mood to wear off, although in some cases, it can take up to 1.5 times the length of the trip. Other ways of treating post vacation blues are for the person to share their experiences with family and friends, or to look at photos and souvenirs.
Sort of sounds like take two aspirin and call me in the morning doesn’t it. More research is needed.
Kathleen Baker in an article at firstpath.com says, “…snap out of it! Vacation time is over…” Sounds harsh but I’ll keep reading. She continues, “That vacation frame of mind is still at hand…anytime!” Ah, that sounds better, all I have to do is get back to that “vacation frame of mind.” Ms. Baker offers 4 steps to get there.
- Acknowledge that your vacation really wasn’t perfect. Well no, it wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty good. There was the ocean, the beach, the sun, well it did rain a couple of days.
- Recognize that being home can be quite nice. I’ll try to remember that while I’m breaking the ice out of the cows watering trough in the morning.
- Savor the elements of a nice vacation. What I think she’s saying is that you can relax while you’re at home. I’ll just set my beach chair up in front of “Hawaii’s Ten Best Beaches” on the travel channel and all will be well again.
- Remind yourself that your everyday life is where you really live. Well my everyday life is pretty good, that does help a little.
Wait, here’s something even better! I just heard the President wants to give us all a rebate on our taxes to stimulate the economy, and it sounds like enough for two round trip tickets to Maui. Now I’m really starting to feel better. Got to start looking for a place to stay….
Who would have thought that the real cure to PTD would be an economic stimulus designed to fend off an impending recession. 
I hope you’re recovering. Let me know if you find a miracle cure, I’ll be needing it in March.
The “Lost” premiere helped some. Sounds like you’re going to the Big Island. I’ll look forward to your posts, I’m sure that will help some too.