Years ago, the manager of a hotel in Koh Samui, Thailand told me about an unusual booking that he once received throughout the nighttime.
A traveler had flown his entire family via private jet from Brunei to the Thai island after learning upon landing in Brunei that it’s a “dry country” — that’s, that alcohol sales are banned.
That is a person who prioritizes having a drink or two on holiday.
He is not alone, in fact. Many individuals eat alcohol to loosen up and relieve stress, that are a few of the top reasons people travel, too. Plus, it’s seemingly in every single place in lots of resorts, from the swim-up bar within the pool to the Champagne brunch that serves unlimited bubbles for breakfast.
But drinking on vacation is not all about sipping frozen cocktails on the beach; it will possibly help people deal with problems that occur while traveling, to calm fears of flying to social anxiety, in accordance with the Texas-based Latest Dimensions Day Treatment Centers.
Airports, too, is usually a trigger, with people celebrating the beginning of a vacation — or lamenting the top of 1 — mixing with those killing time at bars and lounges that pour drinks in any respect hours of the day.   Â
Are you able to travel with out a tipple?
While many individuals have little interest in trying, a growing variety of persons are exploring a “sober curious” lifestyle for reasons related to physical health, mental wellness and work/life productivity.
A former heavy drinker based in Asia, who asked to stay anonymous to guard his identity at work, told CNBC Travel that a sober lifestyle is like having a “superpower,” citing business trips where colleagues would struggle to get away from bed, long after he had exercised and returned emails to clients.
A mixture of alcohol-free spirits at The Virgin Mary, Dublin’s first alcohol-free bar.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images
The “sober curious” trend has also led to a proliferation of non-alcoholic spirits, beer and cocktails popping up on bar and restaurant menus all over the world. Some bars have even gone completely alcohol-free.
Conversations on social media about topics like “dry tripping,” “sober travel” and “alcohol-free vacations” are also on the rise, increasing 205% on X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Reddit and Tumblr up to now six months, compared with the previous six-month period, in accordance with the social media listening company Sprout Social.
The variety of unique authors posting in regards to the sober travel trend is up 186% with engagements — or the variety of time messages are publicly interacted with via likes, comments or shares — nearly doubling during this era, in accordance with the corporate.
How is sober travel discussed on TikTok?
- #alcoholfree – 200.6K posts
- #sobercurious – 88.1K posts
- #sobertravels – 158 posts
The info also shows conversations peaked in June of 2024, on the outset of the summer travel season, primarily from social media users in the US, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and Australia.
Sober-curious travel has its justifiable share of detractors too though. Sentiment up to now yr shows that amongst social media interactions 32% is positive, 38% is neutral and 30% is negative.
Where to take a sober trip
For those trying to in the reduction of — or cut alcohol completely — on vacation, some destinations may make this effort easier than others, in accordance with a recent rating by the insurance agency InsureMyTrip.
The rating, nevertheless, is not a listing of nations where alcohol sales are banned — places like Brunei, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Moderately, the U.S.-based company evaluated countries by nine metrics — from the fee of domestic beer to average alcohol consumption by residents. The research also examined what other activities travelers can use to construct their itinerary, especially those who relate to rest, like national parks and quality wellness retreats.
Destinations were scored on a 10-point scale, with the corporate naming the “best destinations to travel sober” as:
- Nepal: 7.02
- Morocco: 7.00
- Costa Rica: 6.73
- Turkey: 6:57
- Greece: 6.41
- Indonesia: 6.31
- Jordan: 6.00
- Italy: 5.93
- Singapore: 5.92
- India: 5.67
Six of 10 countries are in Asia, with Nepal taking the highest spot because mountain climbing is abundant and wellness retreats are low-cost, averaging $584 per retreat, the most cost effective within the study, in accordance with InsureMyTrip.
Morocco ranked No. 2, buoyed by the scant drinking culture of its Sunni Muslim population. “It also has high rankings for its national parks (4.42/5), with many wildlife areas and lovely treks to enjoy,” the report stated.
Costa Rica got here in third — the one country in North America to make the highest 10 list. Its concentrate on outdoor tourism, from its beaches and rainforests to eco-wellness, are draws for people searching for vacations that improve their physical and mental health.
Costa Rica ranked high on the list of “sober travel” destinations, partially, due to its outdoor activities and national parks.
Jordan Siemens | Digitalvision | Getty Images
Greece, ranked No. 5, topped the list for “best things to do” and “best for rest.” Travelers can stay busy visiting its 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the world-famous Acropolis, while spending downtime in its highly-rated, yet reasonably priced spas, in accordance with the rating.
Residents of Greece drink, on average, greater than seven liters of alcohol a yr, which is way over those from Jordan – No. 7 on the list — who drink lower than the equivalent of 1 bottle of beer per yr, in accordance with the info.
The remaining countries made the list for various reasons: for some, alcohol is scarce because of non secular or society beliefs (Indonesia, parts of India), in one other it’s widely available but expensive (Singapore) or drowned out with so many other implausible things to do while visiting (Italy — its wine regions aside).
‘Waking up early and feeling great’
For many who are keen on abstaining, careful planning and a proactive mindset are key, in accordance with Latest Dimensions Day Treatment Centers’ website.
- Plan a mixture of physical and relaxing activities to alleviate stress.
- Tell everyone in your group that you just plan to not drink, to advertise accountability.
- Keep a travel journal to remain present and mindful.
American Jessica Watson said that, after she stopped drinking 4 years ago, it modified how she felt about some travel destinations, including a preferred tourism town in central Texas.
“I did go to Fredricksburg early when I finished drinking, and I spotted all people do there’s walk around with wine and shop, in order that was now not an interesting place to go for me,” she said. “Once you are taking drinking out of the equation, you realize how much people revolve around it.”
Watson said she went skiing in Colorado after she quit and located that she had more fun.
“Taking alcohol out of vacations makes the main focus much more in regards to the actual destination, being loads more lively on the trip, waking up early and feeling great.”
