From the Journal
Stories from the road.
19 years sober · 50+ countries · written from the road
Mental Wellness
Getting Sober Young: The Drift Nobody Warns You About
A blackout crash, my brother's fractured vertebra, and a cop telling me I wasn't going home. Here's the story I shared on the Sober Motivation podcast.
Global Travel
Sober Adventures: What I Do Instead of Drinking
I've freedived with manta rays in Kona, surfed Bali, and logged 350+ dives across 50+ countries without a single drink. Here's what sober adventure travel actually looks like.
Global Travel
Diving Tiger Sharks in Fuvahmulah: A Sober Adventure in the Maldives
Freediving with tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah with Ocean Ramsey and the local Pelagic Divers Fuvahmulah team. This is the kind of high no drink ever came close to.
Mental Wellness
Emotional Sobriety: The Real Work That Begins After You Quit Drinking
Quitting drinking is step one. Emotional sobriety is the quieter, harder work of feeling your feelings without numbing them or being run by them. Here's what it takes.
Sober Companion
Sober Companion Cost: What You Actually Pay and How to Hire the Right One
A sober companion runs roughly $800 to $4,000 a day, and mine sits at $1,000 to $1,500. Here's exactly what you're paying for, and how to hire someone actually qualified.
Mental Wellness
Managing Anxiety Without a Drink
Alcohol felt like it took the edge off my anxiety. It was actually feeding it. Here's what real anxiety relief looks like once the drink is off the table.
Global Travel
How to Survive Airport Bars and Layovers Sober
Airports are a gauntlet of bars, free lounge booze, and boredom. After 50-plus countries sober, here's exactly how I get through them without a drink.
Mental Wellness
Living Amends: The Brother I Almost Lost Three Times
I almost killed my brother in a crash I caused. Nearly twenty years later, I watched him survive a brain tumor. Here is what living amends really taught me about sobriety, guilt, and showing up.
Global Travel
How to Stay Sober and Have the Most Fun on the Fourth of July
The 4th of July doesn't have to be a minefield. Here's how I stay sober, stay safe, and actually have more fun than anyone else at the party.
Global Travel
Staying Sober at the World Cup: How to Show Up for Big Events Without Drinking
Beer on my shoes, 70,000 screaming fans, and zero drinks. Here's how I stayed sober at the FIFA World Cup in Miami.
Mental Wellness
How Do You Show Up for Family in Sobriety?
It's easy to think about what your family can do for you. Sobriety taught me to flip that question entirely.
Global Travel
Sober in Baja: Choosing the Boat Over the Bottle
Seventeen days on the Sea of Cortez, zero orcas, and every reason to stay sober anyway. Here is what Baja taught me about purpose over pressure.
Mental Wellness
Stay Connected in Sobriety While Traveling the World
Isolation on the road can quietly become a relapse risk. Here's how real connection with the people I love keeps me grounded in sobriety.
Global Travel
Chasing Orcas and the Psychology of Expectations
Twelve days on the water, 50 boats searching, and the orcas are nowhere to be found. What happens when life does not give you what you asked for or were expecting?
Mental Wellness
Body Image, Balance, and Self-Love in Recovery
We chase the body we think we should have. But what if the real work is learning to listen to the one we already do?
Mental Wellness
Going With the Flow Without Losing Yourself
Flow is seductive. But somewhere between the tacos and the sunsets, be careful not to drift from the person you've worked so hard to become.
Global Travel
The Ocean Owes Us Nothing: Conscious Sustainable Wildlife Tourism
After watching divers harass a silky shark and tourists disturb sleeping sea lions in Mexico, I had to say something about how we treat the ocean and its wildlife.
Global Travel
Surfing My Father's Childhood Break in Oahu
Sixty-one years after my dad learned to surf at a military beach on Oahu, I paddled out at the same break. Sobriety made sure I actually felt it.
Mental Wellness
Balancing Work and Travel in Sobriety
Working while traveling sober is possible, but only if you treat your recovery like the non-negotiable it is. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Global Travel
What Tiger Sharks Taught Me About Facing Fear
Floating cageless in the open ocean with 20 sharks taught me something that 19 years of sobriety already knew: you don't have to face your fears alone.
Sober Companion
Why Adventure-Based Recovery Works
Sitting in a circle talking about your feelings has its place. But there's something that happens when you push your body to its edge in nature that no therapy room can replicate.
Mental Wellness
Who Are You When Recovery Isn't the Main Plot
After years sober, the recovery story starts to fade. What fills the space when sobriety stops being your whole identity?
Global Travel
Standing on Living Earth: Hiking Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii
The Big Island is still growing. Standing at the edge of Kilauea at night, lava glowing below and stars overhead, reminded me how sobriety lets you actually feel the world.
Mental Wellness
The Compound Effect of Just Showing Up
The big moments in sobriety aren't the dramatic ones. They're the quiet, compounding result of showing up again and again when nobody's watching.
Global Travel
When Showing Up Leads to Swimming with Pilot Whales
Three days ago I was in Bali. Today I'm floating off the Big Island of Hawaii with twenty pilot whales gliding past me. None of this happens without sobriety.
Sober Companion
What a Sober Companion Actually Does and Why It Matters
A sober companion isn't just someone who tags along on trips. Here's what the work actually looks like and why it changes lives.
Mental Wellness
Dry vs Sober: Why Removing the Substance Isn't Enough
Putting down the drink or drug doesn't mean you're free. Here's the honest difference between being dry and actually recovering.
Sober Companion
Hiring a Sober Companion for a Family Member: What You Should Know
When someone you love is struggling, hiring a sober companion can feel like the right move. Here's how to know if it is, and what to look for before writing a check.
Global Travel
Whale Sharks in Isla Mujeres: The Leap That Changed Everything
I jumped into the open ocean off Isla Mujeres with yellow fins and zero experience. What happened next shaped the rest of my life.
Mental Wellness
How Sobriety Changed My Relationship With Fear
Fear kept me small for years. Sobriety didn't remove it, but it changed everything about how I move through it.
Global Travel
Why Bali Became My Sober Home Base
Bali didn't just become a place I lived. It became a mirror. Here's what 19 years sober and a life on the road taught me about coming home to yourself.
Mental Wellness
Finding Freedom in Sobriety Without Losing Your Edge
Think sobriety means playing it safe? I've swum with whales, hit 50+ countries, and found my edge got sharper without drink or drug.
Sober Companion
How to Travel Internationally in Early Sobriety
International travel in early recovery sounds risky. It doesn't have to be. Here's how to navigate airports, foreign cultures, and your own mind while staying grounded.
Sober Companion
What to Expect on a Sober Companion Trip
You've decided to invest in a sober companion trip. Now what? Here's what the experience actually looks like from day one to the final goodbye.
Global Travel
Discover the Hidden Benefits of Sober Travel for Deeper Connections and Fun
Travel often brings to mind images of lively parties, clinking glasses, and late-night celebrations. Many people believe that without alcohol, travel loses its excitement. So the question I always hear becomes, 'Is sober travel fun?'
Sober Companion
Sober Companion vs. Sober Coach vs. Sponsor: What's the Difference?
People throw these terms around interchangeably, but they're not the same thing. Here's what actually separates a sober companion, a sober coach, and a sponsor.
Global Travel
Top Destinations for Sober and Drug-Free Travelers Seeking Adventure
Finding yourself alcohol/drug free? Awesome! Traveling without alcohol or drugs can be a refreshing way to explore the world with clarity and purpose, but it can also be challenging to know which is the best spot.
Global Travel
How to Stay Sober While Traveling: Tips for Alcohol-Free Holiday Adventures
The holiday season often stirs up a variety of emotions. For those dedicated to sobriety, it can feel like navigating a tightrope lined with spiked eggnog and champagne toasts. This guide will help serve as your travel companion.
Global Travel
The Art of Traveling Sober
It's funny, I've been traveling solo and sober for over a decade now, and I realize as I created this page and started blogging, that I sort of take that for granted. For a sober travel blogging website, I think it's safe to say I'm doing a poor job there. So, let's fix that now.
Mental Wellness
Navigating Life's Good and Bad: Life is in Session
It's important to note, and I feel called to share for whoever is out there who may need to hear it, that social media photos and videos are always people's highlights. Rarely do they offer the full story or picture.
Mental Wellness
How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
I've often found myself questioning why I, at times, feel uncomfortable, unsettled, or even frustrated by others' success around me. Did they do anything to me? No. Then why the uncomfortable feeling?
Mental Wellness
A Balanced Life: Is it Possible?
One question I get asked a lot is 'How do you have energy for all this? All your travels?' The answer lives in understanding what balance actually means for you specifically.
Global Travel
Travel Planning: To Plan or Not to Plan
To Plan or Not to Plan? That is the Question. We all know someone that is super detail-oriented and has their entire trip planned before they even get on the plane. Whatever works for you, there isn't necessarily a 'right' way.
Global Travel
Travel and Money: How Can I Travel and Not Go Broke?
One of the most common questions when planning any trip is 'How can I afford to travel?'. The key is to find a balance that works for you and maximize your opportunities.
Mental Wellness
I AM: Affirmations and The Power of The Mind
Selfish. Narcissistic. Spoiled. Entitled. Do you ever find yourself or others labeling you with names like these? What I tell myself is what I am, what I become.
Global Travel
Is it Safe to Dive with Tiger Sharks?
Have you ever found yourself snorkeling, diving, or swimming in the ocean where you look around feeling like something is watching you? Since Jaws debuted in 1975, many of us have been captivated with the presence of sharks.
Global Travel
Tips and Tricks for Traveling: How Do I Get Started and Why Do I Want to?
Getting started can feel like you're looking up at a large mountain. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Fear not my friends, the view is always best after the climb.
Guest Blogs
Sober Vacation Travel Tips
Maureen Coulter of the sober travel blog The Temperate Traveler offers some advice for folks who are interested in sober vacation tips, whether you are in recovery, sober-curious or just not a fan of alcohol.