Staying sober while traveling isn’t easy. You are bombarded with vacation ads romanticizing drinking, alcohol is constantly offered to you on the plane, at your restaurant, and hotel, and gay vacations usually revolve around the party aspect of gay culture. And with this all being thrown in your face, it’s hard not to be tempted. I’ve been traveling for 2 months as I write this, and it would be a lie if I said that that little voice didn’t creep into my head saying just one won’t hurt. So here are five ways to stay sober while traveling.
5. Stick To Your Routine
I personally have found my morning routine helps me stay sober. Other people have their own things that help them. Whether it’s meditation, exercise, movie night, game night. Stick to that. Yes, you’re on vacation, but there’s time to do these things. It’s okay if your vacation isn’t jammed packed with activities. I run. I have missed some runs because of weather because I don’t have a gym membership, or I was just tired from walking 25,000 steps day before. But for the most part I’ve kept with it. If you meditate, take that time to meditate. If your alone time with a coffee is your thing and you’re with people, tell them you need to go for a coffee on your own. Journaling, making your bed, whatever it may be. And of course you’re on vacation, so indulge. But try to keep a little of your routine that has helped you stay sober.
4. Tell Your Reservations You Don't Drink
When making your reservation at the hotel, Airbnb, or restaurant it’s an easy fix to just ask in advance to not have alcohol available. Calling hotel before you get there and ask to remove the mini bar, tell your Airbnb that you don’t drink. I got to my apartment here in Crete and he had a bottle of wine waiting for me as a thank you. He didn’t know. I didn’t tell him. It’s just a nice thing he does for the people that book with him. I now know to say hey I’m sober, if you could just remove any alcohol in the apartment that would be great. Easy. They’re not going to deny you your reservation because you don’t drink. They want your money. Same with restaurants. When making dinner reservation put in the notes you don’t drink and even tell them when you arrive. Some places will drop a shot of limoncello or raki with the bill. It’s just what they do. So, if you remind them beforehand they most likely won’t do it. This is what I will be doing with Sober Gay Adventures. Making sure these reservations know we are sober. But if you aren’t traveling with me or another sober group, just do it yourself.
3. Have A Meeting Plan
I’m traveling solo at the moment. But one thing I did was have a meeting plan. This lets me know when I can go to a meeting if needed and it’s also a great way to meet other sober people in the area. I carved out time in my schedule to go to at least one a week. Gay and Sober offers a long list of LGBTQ meetings all over the world. Even if you aren’t a twelve stepper, meetings are a great way to meet like-minded people. They say the only requirement to be a part of AA is the desire to stop drinking. So go if you feel your sobriety is in jeopardy. I also have online meetings that I can go to. I don’t like online meetings, but I’ve gone to a couple in places where meetings aren’t available very often. I’m currently in Crete and the only meeting available is 2 hours away on a bus on Tuesday. The day of the election results I wasn’t going to drink, but I needed that something to help me get centered. And it helped.
2. Travel With A Buddy
If you are going on a vacation with a group of friends or just a couple of people. Make sure these friends are going to hold you accountable. They don’t have to be sober, but make sure they have been supportive on sober journey. I have friends that still drink a lot. And that’s their choice. I focus on my sobriety not theirs. That being said, I’m not going to travel with them. I can go to dinner with them or a movie, but I am not going to go out to the bar afterwards with them. And I’m not person that doesn’t go out to a club on occasion and have a diet coke, but I’m not going to go with those people. And if it’s a group you want to go with, ask to bring along a sober friend or that friend that supports you. Having a buddy you can escape with when you’re starting to feel uncomfortable or tempted is one of the best was to stay sober while traveling. Just say, “Hey I’m feeling uncomfortable can we head out.” And you I’m sure you’ll have that persons support.
1. Travel With A Sober Travel Company
Traveling with a sober group is a great way to have accountability while traveling. Sober Gay Adventures focuses on small group travel with other sober gay men. Offering vacations to other like-minded gay men who want to explore the world with the same mentality. But there are other options. Gay and Sober offers a great weekend over pride in NYC focusing on sobriety, offering meetings and workshops every day. And they are going to one in London next year. There’s also Queer and Sober that offers a similar opportunity which I have not taken but heard great things. There is another travel company out there othering larger group vacations called Fellow Ship. So, there are options out there. The fact is most gay travel companies focus on the party scene. And while there are people that go on these trips that are sober and stay sober, this isn’t for everyone. Traveling with other sober people, is going to help you stay sober. And the more there are better.
I hope this helped with traveling while sober. Everyone needs different things to stay sober, and at the end it is what works for you. These are just a few things that helped me and hopefully this helped you. If you liked this post, sign up for our newsletter below. Also follow Sober Gay Adventures on Instagram and Facebook for more travel and sober content. I hope to see you on a future vacation with us and stay sober.
4 Responses