How travel helped me overcome depression and fall back in love with my life

Hostelworld Blog | Posted on May 4, 2018 |

“Mental health struggles can hit anyone, no matter how perfect life looks from the outside. For me, it happened during my final semester at university. On paper, I had everything — good grades, a loving boyfriend, and amazing friends. But inside, I was exhausted, terrified, and battling depression. Here’s how I used travel to rebuild my confidence, manage my mental health, and fall back in love with life.

My Mental Health Struggles Before Travel

Most of that period of my life is now a blur in my memory. After months of pain, medication and therapy, I slowly felt my old self returning. In April last year, the girl who had previously been too anxious to go to the local shops, booked a flight to London. I’d travelled before: studied in the USA and gone on holidays with family, but spending the summer in Europe after university had been a dream of mine for years. That dream finally felt once more within reach. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, compiling Pinterest boards, reading blogs, imagining what was out there for me.

I was taking medication and had gained so much out of courses in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. The doctors were satisfied with my progress and I’d proven my commitment to my mental health, so they gave me their blessing to go. I promised to stay in touch via email and was told I could arrange sessions with my psychologist over Skype if necessary. I’m careful to always carry enough medication and translated copies of a letter from my psychiatrist explaining my mental health history.

How I Found the Strength to Go Abroad

I knew I was still recovering, but now I was full of enthusiasm and excitement, about to see far more of the world, and feeling a lust for living that I’d forgotten was even possible. The enormity of what I was doing hit me as my plane soared off the runway. The girl who was always running away from what frightened her, was flying towards the unknown. My fears had been swept aside by excitement, self-belief and the love and support of my family and friends.

For anybody out there reading this and struggling with mental health, I want you to know it’s worth pushing through the despair; fighting until you feel mentally strong enough to book that plane ticket of your own. Travel is the healthiest addiction you can develop. It leaves you craving more and lusting after new experiences. It is, without a doubt, the fastest way you can grow as a human being and turn your life into an inspired one. My wonderful travel tales were made possible by taking charge of my mental health.

Travel as a Turning Point in Recovery

Travelling taught me powerful mental health lessons:

That I can be alone in a foreign country and still thrive
That strangers can quickly become friends in hostel common rooms
That opening up about my mental health often inspires others to share their own struggles
That I don’t need to be ashamed of my story

There’s definitely no need to be ashamed. I fit within the category most susceptible to mental illness, being a girl in the 16-24 age bracket. This age group represents the highest incidence of mental health problems worldwide. Research also shows that young people like me are travelling more often and for longer periods of time than ever before. A lot of us are likely to have this overwhelming desire to travel, but also an urgent necessity to look after our mental health. I am proof you can do both, and journeying through different countries can actually be an effective antidote to anxiety and depression.

Lessons Travel Taught Me About Mental Health

For me, visiting 18 countries in the past year has meant talking in broken Spanish to a sweet Peruvian lady selling fruit on the street, and to a taxi driver who saw the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. I’ve journeyed to places I never could have imagined — discovering beauty in a near-abandoned Brazilian town and asking an Andean highlander what brings him the most happiness. In Ecuador, I went horse-riding beneath a towering volcano; in Argentina, I shared secrets with new friends and drank wine by a bonfire; and in Paris, I even managed a handstand under the Eiffel Tower. There were plates of pasta devoured in Rome, carefree days of topless sunbathing in Spain, and nights dancing with millions during Rio’s Carnival.

But more than anything, I find myself looking around, whether it’s somewhere magical like Machu Picchu or a tiny café in Colombia where I’m writing this, and feeling grateful for the second chance I’ve been given to embrace it all. I want to keep exploring, keep learning, keep reading, and keep believing. Mental illness no longer dictates my life. Instead, I choose to write as much as I can to inspire other strugglers of the world. I allow myself to feel real emotions: to cry when I need to, or to laugh until I cry. And above all, I remain thankful for every person who has helped me get here—but especially for myself, for never giving up.

How I Look After My Mental Health While Travelling

I’m not naïve enough to think that from now on everything will be easy. Whilst Instagram depicts travelers’ carefree lifestyles of sunsets and waterfalls, sometimes, even with your best intentions, you still have bad days and you aren’t immune to your brain misbehaving while abroad. Occasionally nasty thoughts try to sabotage me, from something as simple as “you’re on the wrong bus” to “this taxi driver is a murderous lunatic”. That’s the nonsensical nature of our minds, and I know mine is a more fragile one at that. So I have to pay attention to how I feel – I have to be honest with myself, constantly assessing whether I am really coping. Sometimes bad things really do happen – I’ve had bags lost, phones stolen, boys treat me horribly and much worse – but that’s when I use all the skills I’ve learnt, like challenging my unhelpful thoughts and tolerating distress through various self-soothing techniques. Travel is character-building: you are thrown into strange situations and have to quickly adapt to new environments.

Despite being thousands of kilometres away from my support system, I never really feel that far, thanks to Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype and email. Travelling hasn’t meant abandoning my mental health. Instead of binging on alcohol or junk food, I focus on balance: I take my medication, keep a daily journal, and make space for small achievements that keep my mind busy.

I also put a lot of effort into choosing the right places to stay, always checking hostel reviews to see if I’ll be able to sleep well, find quiet time, and still connect with new people. Pretty surroundings draw me in, especially hostels with rooftop terraces or yoga classes that make me feel grounded and inspired.

I’ve come to accept that travel can be exhausting – constantly adventuring, dancing, sightseeing. I’ve learnt not to expect my energy levels to always run at 100%, and I know I need the freedom to nap, to relax, to recharge. I try not to get overly attached to plans, because sometimes they won’t work out, or sometimes my mind changes at the last minute. I tell people when I’m not feeling okay, because that, in itself, is okay. I’ve come to appreciate how most travellers are kind and open-minded. Chances are you’re not alone in how you feel, and people can be grateful for you opening up the conversation about mental health, making space for the truth that often gets ignored, and providing them with an opportunity to share their own feelings.

Travel didn’t erase my depression, but it gave me the tools, confidence, and perspective to manage it, and to embrace life again. If you’re struggling, know this: you are not alone, and your story doesn’t end here. Even one small step outside your comfort zone can spark change. For me, that step was booking a flight. For you, it might be booking your first hostel, meeting new people, or just exploring a new city. Wherever you go, let travel remind you that healing and joy are possible.

About the author
Emily Mulligan is an Australian Masters student currently living in South America and doing an internship. Follow her occasionally neurotic, but mostly optimistic adventures around the world on Instagram @happily.travelling.

We’d love to hear your experiences of travelling and coping with mental health problems, so leave us a comment below. Who knows, it might just help somebody else out there struggling? ❤️

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