Home Sweet Home… How to Make Your Yacht Cabin Feel Like Home
It is true that crew members spend a lot of months away from their homes and their loved ones. It is really important, therefore, for them to make their cabin onboard feel like home, so they can relax and enjoy their leisure time and reduce the feeling of homesickness.
With this in mind, here are some top ways for crew members to spruce up their cabins and make them feel more homely:
- Bring photos of your family and friends from home. Seeing familiar faces will help you feel more connected to the people you love and remind you of all the reasons why you are working so hard.
- Make your bed every day and add some personal touches like colourful throws or extra pillows. A cosy bed is one of the most important things in making any space feel like home.
- Add some green plants to your cabin. Not only do they purify the air, but they also add a touch of life and nature that can be very comforting. Plants act as natural air filters by absorbing pollutants and increasing oxygen levels. NASA’s Clean Air Study revealed that certain indoor plants, such as Spider plants, Snake plants, and Aloe Vera, can effectively remove toxic agents like benzene, formaldehyde, and ammonia from the air. With the confined spaces often experienced in yacht life, green plants should be considered essential companions for improving indoor air quality and boosting overall wellbeing.
- Cook your favorite meals when you can and have some snacks on hand that remind you of home. There is nothing like the comfort of a homemade meal (or your mum’s cooking) to make you feel better when you’re missing home.
- Keep a journal to document your thoughts and experiences while you’re away. This will be a great keepsake to look back on later and it will also help you process any feelings of homesickness as they come up. As yacht crew members, you are no strangers to the rough waves and ever-changing currents of life. It’s a high-stakes environment that often leaves little room to breathe, let alone take some quiet time to reflect on one’s thoughts and feelings. C’est la vie, right? Well, not exactly. In fact, it turns out that journaling, a tried-and-true method of self-reflection and personal growth, might just be the buoy we need to stay afloat in the tempest of this demanding profession.
- Get involved in social activities with your fellow crew members. The more connected you feel to the people around you, the less homesick you will feel.
- Explore your new surroundings when you have free time. Getting to know the area where you are living, even if it’s just for a short time, can help you feel more settled in and less like a stranger in a strange place.
- Stay in touch with family and friends back home through social media, Zoom/ Facetime/ Skype, email, or good old-fashioned letter writing. Hearing from the people you love will help ease any feelings of loneliness or isolation you might be experiencing.
- Make your space unique to you with personal items like photos, books, or mementos from past trips or experiences. When everything around you feels like yours, it will be that much harder for homesickness to take hold.
- Last but not least, try to remember that feeling homesick is completely normal. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you or that you’re not enjoying your time away. It’s simply a natural reaction to being away from everything and everyone familiar to you.
Have a read of our previous blog ‘What to expect from life at sea?’ for an insight into what life’s really like as a crew member.
Allow yourself to miss home sometimes and know that it’s okay to long for the comforts of home sweet home. Making your yacht cabin feel like home doesn’t have to be difficult. By following these simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to banishing any feelings of homesickness before they even have a chance to take hold. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start making your cabin feel like the cosy, comfortable and inviting space it deserves to be!
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