Over the summer break many families will be returning to their home countries, to catch up with friends and relatives and to enjoy all the home comforts they’ve been missing. (For us Brits, that starts with proper fish and chips!)
A trip back should be a joy, buft at times it can feel like an fatiguing chore. Based on our experience, we’ve put together some tips to make sure that your homecoming is a happy one.
1. Take it easy
If you’re from Europe or the US, a flight home involves some pretty serious jet lag. Make allowances for this, and don’t try to do too much in the first couple of days. This is particularly important with younger children, who may be confused by the disconnect between their body clock and local time. Your digestion will be affected too, so tempting though it may be to gorge on home cooking, try to eat lightly at first.
2. Don’t stay with anyone too long
There’s an old saying which bluntly expresses an uncomfortable truth: “Fish and guests start to stink after three days.” Some families will be lucky enough to still have their own home available to them, or parents with ample space to accommodate. But for most of us, a trip back will involve staying in spare rooms or kipping on couches. However kind and generous our hosts are (and my family has been lucky enough to experience some amazing hospitality) we can easily wear out our welcome. Also, keeping on your best behavior can become tiring for children (and grown-ups)! It’s best to stay no more than two nights in any one place.
3. Have some holiday
In between visiting relatives, children will need to let off steam. Make sure your trip involves some fun. Running around in the open air, or visiting a theme park, can get some shouting out of the system. And a night or two in a hotel or Airbnb gives kids a break from being well-behaved guests, and is exciting in itself.
4. Be a tourist in your own country
Sometimes we travel the world in search of experience, but neglect the wonderful sights just down the road. Don’t be afraid to see some of the tourist attractions near your home, and you may find that living overseas has given you a fresh perspective. For my family this summer, a trip to the Tower of London gave us a chance to take pride in our nation’s achievements, and reflect on its less glorious episodes, and if you’re planning to leave your home, is a good idea to have a good home insurance just in case, navigating through all coverage offers for your home could be difficult, but you can get help online for this.
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5. Let people come to you
It can be exhausting running around trying to see everyone who is important to you. If you’ve traveled halfway round the world to get back home, it’s not unreasonable for people to make an effort to meet up with you. Make a plan, let people know where you’re going to be, and those who care will turn up. On our current trip home we arranged a picnic in a local park and invited our children’s friends to come and play football. It was a huge success, and we were surprised to find that many of them had not seen each other for several years. Nonetheless, some people will still grumble about having to travel a few miles. Which leads us to…
6. Don’t expect too much from friends and family
Many people will not be able to imagine life in China, and so might find it hard to connect with your new world. “What’s Beijing like?” they may ask, then rapidly glaze over when you start to tell them, and turn the conversation back to neighborhood incidents and local gossip. There’s no point getting upset about this; it’s just human nature.
7. Involve the kids in the planning
Make sure you ask your children what’s important to them. It might not be what you expect. For my kids, playing in a local park which held happy memories for them was high on their list, and was something which was easily and cheaply accomplished. A trip home should be fun for the whole family, and enable you to return to Beijing happy and energized.
