Super Depressed after Trip

It's completely normal. I tear up at least once a day when we're there and I'm an inconsolable lunatic for weeks after we get back. I'm just starting to sign back into this forum after returning from our November trip. Half of that is the fact that I just couldn't face looking at other posts of people about to head out on their vacation, and the other half is the sheer amount of time I've been known to spend reading, posting and planning. Like you, I own a small business, so even though there's nobody to yell at me, it's no bueno for business when the boss is lost deep in the DIS abyss for hours.

As everyone else said, the easiest way to get over your last trip is to start planning your next. For some that's six months, for others, that may be five years. We try to have our next trip booked before our current trip is over. That allows me to have something to look forward to. In the interim, I follow every facebook and twitter Disney site, listen to tons of podcasts, and try to justify to my friends why I'm so Disney crazy.

My belief is that Walt truly figured out how to package magic. I cant tell you what it is (though I'm leaning toward smells), but once I step onto Main Street and look at my kids, it's all over. I know I've found my happy place.
 
I tear up now just thinking about going on our trip in September. I have not been to Disney in over 20 years, wife about the same amount of time. Our 17 year old daughter and 15 month son either so it will be totally new to them. I have the trip booked, photo pass, plan on getting the in room celebration, ADR's at all the nice restaurants and character meals. I can't wait for our 8 days and 7 nights in paradise!! The wife and daughter think I am totally nuts with all the planning and talking about going. One day when our daughter takes her kids she will tell them how insane their grand father was over going. Plan on building family memories that will last forever!!
 
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this thread cracks me up. my wife begged and begged me to go for years after we got married. I made her wait until our youngest (2 girls under 10) was at least 5. So in 2015 i finally gave in to go to that hot, over crowded mess they call disney world. I didnt fully let go as i stepped in in a big dad way to make things "cheaper".

first off, we drove from austin texas to orlando. Second we drove off site every day to eat, except for a couple of quick service stops.
Second, we stayed at Art of Animation with the 2 small beds for a family of 4.

Funny thing happened though when we got back from that trip, all i could think about was the next one. Our next trip was less than a year later. went from 4 days at AoA to 8 nights at AKL with DDDP. We took this summer off and went to the beach so we could save for next year. we just booked our stay a few weeks ago for june of 2018 for 11 nights at the poly, with DDDP. oh and we now fly instead of drive.
 
Oh man. I had this same feeling after our first family trip in January 2016!

I fixed it by buying into DVC a few months later. Since that trip, we've been on two more trips and I have three more planned in the next 4 months. The Disney bug bit me hard.

DVC allows us to stay in the deluxe at essentially moderate prices. Love it so much.
 
We loved our first trip and had such an amazing time as a family that we were also bummed to be back home. But we started planning our next trip, and we really love the process. Choosing restaurants, working out our plans on touringplans.com, watching youtube ride videos with the kids. It's a long wait but we try to make it fun.

Best thing you can do. Look back at the amazing trip you just had while planning the next one.
 
We had a great time but we are exhausted. I may have the post Disney blues next week but not right now. I did some planning boo boo's that I realize now that I won't make again when we go again.
 


I hate to tell you this, but it gets worse the more you go. I suspect the pixie dust they use at Disney is actually cocaine, and the more you go, the more of an addict you become. The only thing that keeps me sane is starting the planning for the next trip as soon as we return home. This is the first year we are going twice, and in total, we will have spent about $24K (Canadian) this year going to Disney. At this rate, we'll be living on the street soon.

Best of luck to you. Some days I wish we had never heard of Disney.
 
We loved our first trip and had such an amazing time as a family that we were also bummed to be back home. But we started planning our next trip, and we really love the process. Choosing restaurants, working out our plans on touringplans.com, watching youtube ride videos with the kids. It's a long wait but we try to make it fun.

Best way to get over post trip depression.
 
I miss it now, not so much when we got back. I told my wife that my son wants to go back next year and see the Christmas Parade. We will make it a long weekend instead of 8 day blow out. I like the 3 night, 2 day ticket and meal deal they have right now.
 
It's okay to have feelings and cherish times and moments that are so meaningful to us. I have had very similar experiences and feelings. A couple years ago we moved to Orlando for primarily family reasons. We did the annual pass thing and I thought the experience wouldn't be the same with easy, frequent access. I love the memories just as much, but I'm fortunate to live close enough to go more often. My wife and son are now probably more fanatical than I. I know this is an older post, but when you return, those feelings will be just as special.
 
Disneyland withdrawal is a real thing. I kid you not. The first time I went to Disneyland I was on a mother and daughter trip. We spent 10 days in Cali with a 6 day park hopper that was offered at the time. On the day we were leaving California we had a later evening flight so we could spend most of the day in Disneyland before heading to the airport. My mom and I spent our last hour on the park bench on Main Street underneath the train station holding hands and bawling. Full on tears and gasping for air. We were just so heart broken to be leaving. We laugh about it now, but still understand why we did so. We have been many times since and it only becomes easier once you convince yourself that you ran out of money and have to go home and get more LOL!
 
I’m glad to know this Is normal! I never had the opportunity to go as a child. My first experience was an after 4 ticket during a work conference. I went 2 more times .. but all because of work and all after 4 tickets. This past October my husband and I went for a late honeymoon. It was the best week of my life and I cry when I think about it! We got to spend so much time together without outside pressure and stress from work and life! I’m dying to go back already. Luckily, he loved it too. We watch a lot of YouTube, have “Disney withdrawal days,” and talk about our Disney bucket list. Hopefully it won’t be too
Much longer until we can visit again!
 
Aw this entire thread sounds like my hubby (and me... and our girls). When we went on our first trip back in 2010, we had the intention of it being our one and done trip, especially hubby. Now here we are, many trips later and many more planned in the future. And my hubby is the most Disney World obsessed! He's the one crying and depressed when it's over. I'm surprised that he hasn't posted on this thread!
 
I’ve been dealing with depression most of my life, and coming back from vacations has been a critical trigger that was becoming dangerous to me.

Here are some of the things that really helped me.

I’m writing this after a visit to WDW (Poly+AKL) which I’ve been waiting for for over a year and honestly I’m feeling really happy and recharged. It’s been years to get here.

1. If you consider %... - you spend very little of your life on vacation.

One way to prolong the feeling of being on vacation is:

1.1 Learn to enjoy the planning part just as much as being there.

1.2 Enjoy post-vacation. I’ll elaborate.

When you do this, the vacation itself is re-framed as a small part of the enjoyment, and you are mentally prepared to it going by so fast, and you’re not worried about it, since it’s such a small part of the fun.

Luckily, Disney gives us dads tons to plan and you can spend months doing it.

2. Start planning the next vacation BEFORE going on the upcoming one.

DW and I spend so much time discussing future vacays while at WDW!

Ex: we stayed at Contemporary last year, and took a few hours to walk around Polynesian and fantasizing about staying there.

This year we stayed at Poly, and walked around Grand Floridian - now when we talk about going there one day we have a better image in our heads of what it’s gonna be like.

3. Post vacay: pics & “happy file”.

I read a tip in a book - keep a “happy file” on your phone- just things that make u happy, to look at when you’re down.

My happy file is mostly pics from Disney vacays.

3.1 PICS ARE NOT JUST PICS.

People judge me for taking so many pictures and “not being in the moment”. That is soooo wrong.

Here’s the thing: the “moment” goes by so fast. In terms of value - a memory is waaaaay more valuable than a moment.

But the human memory SUCKS. So many details are lost or mushed together. More on this in a bit.

I take pics all the time. Nowadays with our phones it’s not like having to take a camera out and not being in the moment - so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

Sometimes I don’t even look at the screen, I just snap away while my focus is on my family.

3.2 Take pics like a “happiness pro”.

I don’t wait for picture perfect moments. I shoot everything.

The best memories from my Disney vacays are not necessarily things like rides etc.

The thing I remember the most from this last vacation is my 2yo son enjoying pressing the buttons in elevators, getting the floor numbers right for the first time.

This is something that’s easy to forget in a few months and I’m happy I have it on video.

3.3 using the pics:

Heading back used to be depressing for us - a long flight with kids just to get back to our “normal” lives.

Instead on the plane back we relive the vacation from day one on our iPad. From the funny thing the baby did when we left the house through “oh remember how [Kid1] made the flight attendant laugh before take off???” To the actual meeting Nicky and riding dumbo stuff.

Year-round DW have Vacation pics date nights” where we sit in bed to review pics from vacations and re-live not only the obvious memories - but also trivial ones that are key points in our lives.

We recently looked at Disneyland Paris pics and got to relive our baby’s first crawl - I didn’t even remember it happened there!

This process also reminds us of the mistakes we made and helps us plan better. I.e. “oh remember that horrible airplane? We’re never flying ___ again!”

4. Putting it all together: THE VACATION LOOP.

- Make planning the central part OF your vacation, make it a hobby
- the vacations & pictures become just suppliers of materials for your new hobby
- plan more than one vacation at a time: the next one, and a fantasy one for “sometime in the future”.

You will find that this turns your life into one big vacation, and the vacations will become a part of any important decision, conversation, etc. bringing that vacation/freedom/carefree feeling back into your life like a fresh breeze on a weekly basis.

Note: like most things in life (diet, career, health) - this is a process, a lifestyle choice. Not a quick fix.

Note2: if you feel that post-vacation depression is preventing you from functioning normal - it might be a warning sign of a bigger problem (it was in my case) and it couldn’t hurt talking to a professional.
 

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