How do Travelers Cope with "Real Life"?

(photo from AviationAlberta)

The hardest part I find about traveling is returning home. At first it can be a great feeling seeing friends and family you haven't seen in ages, sleeping on an actual bed, hot showers....but then that dreaded feeling of familiarity starts creeping up, followed by every travelers' worst fear - the restlessness of boredom.

Suddenly, it seems lame that everyone around you grew up in the same place, with the same boring accent. You don't understand why these people seem to favour their dreadful 9-5 job, and find all their daily excitement from materialistic pursuits, such as purchasing a new purse or laptop. After all, wasn't it Thoreau who once said, "It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly"?