*4.1.1. Poor life adaptation*

To individuals, transitioning from a familiar and comfortable space to an unfamiliar space requires a series of physical and mental adjustments. For example, climate conditions, standard of living, language ability, culture shock, and so forth are sufficient causes of anxiety and fear in working holiday travelers. For instance, a WHM who went to Japan mentioned, *"My English was not very good and I did not know Japanese. So, language was what I was most afraid I would not adapt to when I went over" (J3, 2014)*. A WHM who went to Canada was worried about problems with life adaptations and adopted an adjustment strategy: *"It was winter when I departed, and I was not sure whether I would be able to adapt. So, I set a bottom line. If in three months' time I had used up my money, could not find a job, and had not adapted to the country, I would go home" (C3, 2014).*

The issues of psychological anxiety faced by WHMs not only involve adapting to life in the travel destination but also include life adaptations for work continuity upon returning to their home country. As working holidays may last up to 1 year, WHMs need to consider the delay in entering the workplace compared to their peers. Some travelers were concerned about this form of psychological stress. For example, one participant stated, *"The time between the application and departure was quite difficult because I had quit my job. However, everyone around me was going to interviews, finding jobs, and even starting to work. I felt slight panic because I was worried that I would be one step behind other people in the future" (J1, 2014)*.
