Just curious about how others cope with the feeling of loneliness that I am sure crops up every so often while on the road? does it take away from your desire to travel? do you wish you were back home? what gets you back up on your feet?

just remember those back home who drove you so crazy, you had to leave to begin with!!!

And that loneliness WILL go away!!!!

Well, I gues I head to an Internet Cafe, write half a dozen emails, check back a few days later and see how many people out there actually care about me...

Nah, I never get 'home-sick'. I am always glad to be away from Switzerland. I might get 'friends-sick'...but as Big-Target pointed out, remember the days you were 'sick of friends'. lol.

Yeah, and there's always hooking up with locals and tourists. Makes you forget for a while...and after a few laughs, the world looks all shiny and happy and you're glad you sitting far far away from home.

keep it up.
adrian

Well, I've always been sort of a loner, not because I am socially-dysfunctioned or anything (on the contrary, I've always found it easy to make friends and have been popular for pretty much my entire life) but because I find it better to be that way. There came a point in my life a little over a year ago where I thought that I was living my life wrong (the solo-inclined way) and was going through a deep depression because of it. One day, I went to this Indian crafts store near my school, and a middle-aged Indian woman at the counter noted my lost and alone presence, and told me that "you're never alone when you're with yourself." I took that to heart, and everytime I've felt alone since, I just remember that as long as I have myself, my morals, my health, and my soul, I'm never alone.

Pictures work too.