Peter Shankman, an American, said he looked forward to free drinks when he flew business class for work.
The entrepreneur would have a drink, then a couple of more, sleep, then land. All was well, he said.
Until it wasn’t.
“Eventually, I spotted that I wasn’t superb,” he said. “I used to be drained, cranky … [it] wasn’t the approach to live.”
So, he said, he quit drinking — at first just on planes, then altogether.
“I like myself higher after I don’t drink,” Shankman said. “I rise up earlier. I work out. I do not eat like crap.”
A single dad, Shankman said he’s now within the gym by 5:00 a.m. and back home to send his daughter to highschool at 6:30 a.m. On work trips, he exercises and sleeps higher than before.
“The change in me is very large,” he said. “I’m dropping weight, I’m just happier overall.”
More energy and more cash
Shankman is a component of a big contingent of people who find themselves drinking less or quitting alcohol completely.
Only 54% of Americans now say they eat alcohol, in response to a Gallup poll released in August — the bottom number recorded for the reason that company began tracking consumption habits in 1939. In one other first, a majority of adults (53%) say drinking, even carefully, is bad for one’s health — up from 28% in 2018, the survey showed.
I skip the wine — but I have not stopped visiting vineyards.
For Jonathan Ayala, an actual estate marketing strategist, giving up alcohol meant more energy and higher sleep, but additionally “more cash left in my budget for experiences that matter.”
“Prior to now, I would not have imagined taking a visit without drinking,” he said. But now, “I find myself waking up earlier for hikes, markets or cultural tours. I find yourself seeing more of the place I came over, which has made my travels feel richer and more intentional.”
Ayala also said going alcohol-free has modified where he travels too.
“I’m more drawn to destinations with strong food cultures, wellness offerings, or outdoor adventures, quite than places where nightlife is the important attraction,” he said.
Travel blogger Jo Raby told CNBC Travel she and her husband’s vacations once revolved around food and drinks, including wine tastings and bourbon tours.
Now, they go for outdoor trips that involve white water rafting, mountain climbing, biking and kayaking in addition to off-the-beaten path destinations, as an alternative of trips to all-inclusive hotels or beach resorts.
Jo Raby and her husband, Eric, in Monfragüe National Park in Cáceres, Spain.
Nevertheless, they do not shrink back from events that involve drinking, she said. As big music fans, they still enjoy live performances, and so they even joined a tapas and wine tour in Granada, Spain.
“In Spain, it took slightly more explaining to get the purpose across that we weren’t going to give you the option to eat any alcohol in any respect — not even a ‘little bit,'” she said. Eventually “they produced an [non-alcoholic] version for us to try, cracking it open very obviously for the primary time!”
Seasoned traveler Robert Minchak said his decision to stop drinking 4 years ago hasn’t modified where he travels, only what he drinks while there.
“I skip the wine — but I have not stopped visiting vineyards,” he said, adding that he’s also visited breweries and eaten at Michelin-starred restaurants during trips to Europe, North America and South America.
He’s also in higher health (“no meds for acid reflux disease”) and has higher relationships in his life.
“Family and friends notice a calmer, kinder me,” he said.
Not without trade-offs
Though the health and price advantages are plenty, some travelers find that going alcohol-free comes with its own set of challenges.
For Raby, “it definitely feels strange to be in settings where nearly all of individuals are drinking, and this has taken quite a lot of work on our parts from a mental aspect to regulate,” she said.
Ayala said he sometimes feels he doesn’t get the complete travel experience in some locations.
“The important downside is that in some destinations, nightlife is such an enormous a part of the culture that skipping it may possibly feel like missing out,” he said.
He also said not drinking can complicate group trips, and that reactions from fellow travelers have been mixed.
Jonathan Ayala said nightlife isn’t any longer the important focus of his trips, and he’s now drawn to food, wellness and outdoor activities.
“Some are supportive and even inquisitive about trying it themselves, while others are puzzled or assume it means I’m less fun,” he said. “I’ve learned to border it as a alternative that really helps me get more out of the trip, which often shifts the conversation in a positive way.”
Paul Sendou, a French expatriate based in Singapore, said most of his friends have been understanding of his decision to scale back his drinking from 4 times per week to twice per thirty days.
Nevertheless, he said his lifestyle led him to cancel one trip with “two very party-oriented friends,” he said.
To Sendou, the trade-off is price it.
“I’m more myself, more confident, clearer on what I need with myself and others,” he said.
— CNBC’s Monica Pitrelli contributed to this report.
