Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Here’s how to plan an alcohol-free trip beyond Dry January
FOR many people, travel may be closely linked with alcohol, starting with a beer at the airport and continuing with a beach-side cocktail on arrival. But now, more travellers are opting for sober trips, whether as a brief pause in imbibing or a long-term lifestyle change.
While alcohol sales soared when the coronavirus pandemic first hit, many travellers appear to be leaving the booze behind as the world has started to open back up.
Bob Kocher founded an agency called In This Life Travel, which has a Travel Sober division. He said bookings for that part of the business are about 2½ times what they were in the two years before the pandemic.
“(We’ve had) a really huge influx in interest,” he said.
Sober Vacations International, an alcohol-free travel company, has also seen an increase in attraction, growing from eight trips in 2018 to more than a dozen to date in 2022, according to chief operating officer Max Abrams.
A June poll by Branded Research found that of more than 23 000 people surveyed, 29% said that after the pandemic, they planned to go on a trip sans alcohol, the New York Times
reported.
That can look different from person to person. “I think that the decision not to drink and the ways in which people achieve that are extremely personal,” said Jillian Barkley, the founder of Soft Spirits, a non-alcoholic bottle store in Los Angeles.
“There is no, really, one-size-fits-all for how to resist the temptation of having a drink.”
No matter your relationship with sobriety, here are some tips on how to take a sober trip beyond Dry January.
Pack an alternative drink for take-off
If you’re used to having a pretrip
drink at the airport – or one from your seat on the flight – certain areas may represent triggers. Steve Abrams, founder and president of Sober Vacations International, advised avoiding the airport bar and packing a diversion. “Go to your gate, bring a book, you know, distract yourself,” he said.
You can also bring your own alternative.
Stick to your routine on arrival
If you’re staying in a hotel with a minibar, Steve Abrams said, you can
call ahead to ask the staff to empty it of alcohol, or request staff do so when you check in.
Once you’re settled, try to do what works for you at home.
“I think when going out into the world, for me, it’s really helpful to be able to start my day with my routine,” said Maria Bastasch, founder of Disco Mary, an alcohol-optional pop-up at highbrow Washington DC cocktail bar Columbia Room, even if that means simply bringing your favourite coffee with you.
Seek out exercise and public spaces
When visiting a new place, consider activities that don’t involve drinks. Barkley said sober travellers can look “for things that you can still feel immersed in and feel authentic to the place that you’re visiting, that perhaps don’t have to be focused around alcohol”.
Steve Abrams noted that physical activities – such as scuba diving or tennis, depending on your destination – can be particularly helpful.
“It burns up energy, it distracts you,” he said. “I think anything like that requires that your concentration (is good).”
When travelling sober in Chicago, he has checked out the museums and Wrigley Field. In New York City, he said, he suggests taking long walks.
In Los Angeles, Barkley noted, outdoor activities range from hiking to beach-hopping, where alcohol is not allowed. “So, if you wanted to take a non-alcoholic beer to the beach,” she said, “you wouldn’t have to hide it” like you would a typical bottle.
Barkley said with group travel, there can be pressure when your companions are focusing more on alcohol, but you can “raise your hand and say, ‘Well, maybe there’s other things we can do as well’.”
Study sober-friendly brands before a night out
There has been a proliferation of non-alcoholic products in recent years. When you’re heading out in a new town, Bastasch said, do some research to find establishments that cater to sober customers.
She also suggested brushing up on alcohol-free spirits, wines or beers, so you can ask restaurants and bars for them by name, even if you’re just paving the way for a fellow sober traveller. “If they think only one person a month is going to order something, it’s not worth it for them to carry it, but if they get several people asking for it, then that’s worth it,” she said.
You can, of course, opt to avoid bars that serve alcohol altogether, but if you do end up going to one, you might be extra choosy. Barkley said that when she first gave up alcohol, she rarely went to bars where the only activity was drinking.
“I’d try to go somewhere – even a bar – that had dancing or had karaoke or something else that I could participate in that made me feel like I was part of the experience even if everyone around me was drinking,” she said. |