Are you stuck somewhere waiting for a friend? Are you waiting for a visa that never seems to arrive? Or are you just feeling stuck in a rut? That’s okay, we all have days like these when we travel. People always assume that every single day is filled with adventure and fun when we’re traveling, and although that could be true, you’ll most likely find yourself bored certain days, especially if you’re traveling for a longer time. It’s normal though and it can actually be a good thing. We often try to squeeze in so much in so little time that it can get overwhelming. So when you’re feeling bored, take it as an opportunity to unwind and relax. Being bored doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Here’s what to do when you’re feeling bored while traveling in Vietnam.
Embrace it
Perhaps you’re not really loving the place you’re at right now or there’s not much to do. Just embrace it instead of focusing on the negative stuff. You don’t have to be stuck there, or if you do, make the most of the situation. Your body probably needs to relax after some intense traveling and now you have the perfect opportunity to just sit back, relax, watch a movie, read a book or just catch up on some sleep. Before you know it, you’ll be back on the road again heading to some exciting destination.
Listen to podcasts
Download a few of your favorite podcasts and sit at a park for example. Podcasts are a great way of beating boredom while learning a thing or two. There’s tons of new podcasts coming out each day so do some research and find the ones that appeal to you. Soon you’ll be listening to several podcasts and forget that you’re feeling bored.
Make new friends
If you’re in a hostel, there’ll surely be some people that you can spend time with. You can also try to find local friends through couchsurfing for example, a great platform that allows you to host or be hosted with local or expats in their home. Besides that, hosts usually try to show you their city or give you tips on the best places to go to. It’s an excellent way to discover new parts of the place you’re in while at the same time making new friends.
Mix up your routine
Perhaps you’re in the “travel slump” and that’s why nothing feels exciting. When you’re constantly doing the same thing, you’ll eventually hit a point where it’ll feel boring. Traveling is, after all, about variety and doing new things that you haven’t done before. If you’re always going on pub crawls every night or hitting the beach, you might find yourself bored after a while. Make sure to mix up your routine instead, break out of your routine and find new things to do. It can be something simple like staying in an AirBnB instead of a hostel or attend some festivals instead of chilling on the beach. Mixing it up will definitely keep things more exciting.
Play on your mobile device
Okay, we all spend way too much time on our phones, but we can’t deny the fact that there’s a lot to do on our phones. It certainly makes time go faster. You can read the news, catch up with family and friends, go through photos, play games and of course, check your Instagram.
Organize your travel photos
Now is the perfect time to organize your travel photos. Transfer all your photos from your camera to your laptop, go through the ones you want to keep and put them in relevant folders. You can even spend this time to edit your photos and fix your Instagram feed.
Get creative
Instead of complaining about how bored you feel, get creative. Go buy a book, paint something, blog, sketch or work out. Use your imagination! Do something that you haven’t done for a long time, take a long walk, do yoga, etc. Only your imagination sets the limits.
Play card games
If you have a deck of cards, invite a few friends to play card games with you. It’s fun, it’s social and it’ll make time go faster.
Vietnam is a fantastic country to travel around in and few people feel bored while traveling there because there’s so much to do and see, but it’s perfectly normal still to have these days when time passes slowly. But when you do feel a bit bored, just think of the fact that you’re in Vietnam right now, one of the most exotic and thrilling countries to visit in the world. I’m sure your friends back home are much more bored than you are.
If you’re not in Vietnam yet but are planning to, remember to apply for a Vietnam visa before you arrive to the country. You have three options you can choose from, depending on your nationality: Visa on Arrival, E-Visa or go to the Vietnam Embassy or Consulate and apply with them. The two first options are online visas and are highly recommended. You can apply from it from wherever you are in the world and don’t have to send away important documents or spend time going to a Vietnamese Embassy. But if you’re planning on crossing Vietnam by land, you cannot enter with an online visa but have to get a visa through the embassy.
