Travel Sober, Stay Free
The holiday season often stirs up a variety of emotions. With food, twinkling light displays, laughter (or tears), and time away from work, there are countless opportunities for exploration. However, for those dedicated to sobriety, it can feel like navigating a tightrope lined with spiked eggnog and champagne toasts.
If you're traveling during this festive period, maintaining sobriety doesn't have to feel like you're missing out—it can and should lead to discovering something more profound and even super rewarding.
I wrote this guide to help serve as your travel companion, filled with tips to manage triggers, strengthen resilience, and experience the joy of being truly present.
Let’s face it, as corny as it may sound, the greatest gift you can give yourself (and others) isn’t under a tree—it’s clarity, connection, and a celebration of life as it is- raw, unfiltered, and happening!
The Magic of Sober Travel During the Holidays
Maintaining sobriety during the holidays is an invitation to experience everything—the tastes, the sounds, the moments—in their truest form.
Why is that special you might ask?
You’re Fully Present: You’ll actually remember the silly dad jokes, those quirky family moments from your weird aunt or uncle, or even just the way the snow crunches under your boots while taking a walk outside.
Genuine Connections: Without alcohol or other drugs clouding your interactions, you’ll create (or re-create) authentic bonds- whether it’s with loved ones or friends around you. Particularly if you're newer in sobriety.
Self-Care in Action: Sobriety is the ultimate act of self-care and self-love. Traveling alcohol and drug-free ensures your holiday is not just about recovery, but about actual life enhancement.
Prepare Like a Pro: Planning for Sober Holiday Travel
A successful sober trip starts well before you pack your suitcase.
1. Pick Destinations That Celebrate Wellness
If you are spending the holidays solo or with a partner and wish to travel, consider opting for places where wellness and mindfulness are the vibe. Think yoga retreats in Bali, Northern Lights chasing in Iceland, or nice cozy cabin getaways where the main attraction is peace and comfort.
For those of us who are headed to see family or friends, your options may be more limited here. But that doesn't mean you can't find a local yoga studio, online meditation course, or even 12-step meetings if you are open or into that.
There's often enough stimulation and emotions around the holiday time, if you can carve out moments for yourself and your peace, be sure to do it!
2. Plan Your Sober Toolbox
Equip yourself with resources like:
Non-Alcoholic Favorites: Pack that fancy zero-proof beer/wine or mocktail mix you love. With the NA beverage market blowing up there are a ton of options here to feel comfortable sipping on without the unwanted side effects.
Travel-Friendly Meditation Apps: Apps like Insight Timer or Calm can turn even a crowded airport into a moment of zen. Couple those with noise-cancelling headphones or AirPods and you have yourself a portable zen station.
Books or Journals: Use downtime to reflect, write, or dive into a good read. Journaling a little bit even if it feels tedious is good for the mind and body. It allows for a healthy expression of thought. Balanced with 5-10 written affirmations every day makes a huge difference in how we see and perceive the world. End of the day, our perception is our reality. Those kooky moments with family, or loneliness felt during the holidays may just be your greatest teacher right now.
Change our perception, change our world!
3. Research Sober-Friendly Options
While most of us are familiar with the idea of Alcoholics Anonymous or other 12-step meetings, there are many more sober-friendly options available to us out there. Spend just a few minutes Googling local sober bars, active meetups, or events before you travel. Knowing where to find your people can and will make all the difference, particularly if you need to step away from family and friends for a time and check in with those who may better understand. As the saying goes, the opposite of addiction is connection!
Mastering Holiday Triggers: Strategies for Relapse Prevention and Emotional Well-Being
Triggers can sneak up on you, especially during the holidays. But they lose their power when you know how to handle them.
1. Name It to Tame It
Whether it’s Uncle Joe’s “have a drink with me” nudge, or the stress of delayed/overcrowded flights on a plane or in an airport surrounded with bars and booze, knowing your specific triggers helps you be better prepared when something happens (which it inevitably does).
Acknowledge these moments for what they are—temporary. They are not a personal failing, you are not weak, and they will pass.
2. Build a “Trigger Survival Kit” AKA Relapse Prevention Plan
Exit Strategy: Need to leave a party? Have an excuse ready. If you prefer not to share why you aren't drinking or make it more well-known, simply try something like “I’ve got an early morning hike planned”. It may feel uncomfortable to lie, but if you are uncomfortable sharing that you are not drinking, this is completely reasonable as an alternative to relapse or keeping yourself in a bad situation that could harm you. There's no need for guilt on this one- Free Pass.
Supportive Contacts: A quick call or text to a trusted friend, mentor, or sponsor can ground you. Make sure they are top of the list and know to keep an eye out for your call, particularly during times that you can identify may cause more anxiety, trigger, or panic.
Breathwork On-the-Go: Try this: inhale for four counts, hold for seven, and exhale for eight. Do that for 3-5 minutes or more. It works wonders!
3. Say No With Confidence
Practice firm but kind responses for those who push drinks:
“Thanks, but I’m good with my sparkling water.”
“I’m on a health kick and excited about how I'm feeling so far!”
“I promised myself I’d stick to my goals of drinking less this year.”
Whatever the reason, you shouldn't have to explain or repeat yourself. "No" is a complete sentence. It is completely reasonable to state your no and shift the subject. If you don't wish to explain yourself or chat further about it then simply exit the conversation politely, even using the restroom as an excuse. That's that.
Emotional Resilience: Your Secret Weapon
Let’s be real: sobriety is about more than just saying “NO.” It really is about saying “YES” to everything that makes life beautiful. But in order to get there, you’ve got to master your own emotional resilience and know what you desire to say yes to.
Here are some tricks to help you along the way:
1. Gratitude as a Compass
Gratitude isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a game-changer. Start and/or end each day by writing down three things you’re grateful for, even if it’s as simple as “That sunset was amazing,” “Grateful my flight wasn’t delayed,” or even "I'm grateful I woke up today!" Each day truly is never promised that's a big one to practice.
2. Meditation for Emotional Balance
Did you know that five minutes of mindfulness can help you completely refocus your mind and shift your outlook on how you see and experience the world? It might sound silly or cliche but imagine yourself as calm and steady as the ocean—waves of emotions come, but they don’t knock you down, they flow up and down, and eventually pass. That's exactly how emotions work. They come, they rise, and they pass. Just like a wave. Try to picture that the next time a strong emotion comes, particularly a negative or triggering one.
3. Celebrate Your Wins
Did you make it through a triggering family moment or socially anxious event without wavering?
Heck yes! Go you!
Feel free to celebrate that with something meaningful—a great meal to yourself or with a close friend, a walk outside or a tv show you like to recoup, or even just an extra hour of sleep. Whatever it is, big or small, you earned it and deserve it!
Creating Holiday Traditions You Love
Sobriety gives you the chance to reinvent how you celebrate the season.
1. Make It Meaningful
Create traditions that reflect what matters to you. If this is your first sober holiday season, congrats! That in and of itself is a huge accomplishment and part of a new tradition. In the spirit of giving, consider volunteering at a local shelter, baking holiday treats for friends or those neighbors down the road that watched you grow up, or hosting a sober game night. The options are endless and the true purpose of the holiday season is connection, and time visiting with those you care for and who care for you- yes that even includes caring for you if you're having the holidays by yourself.
2. Explore New Cultures
Sober Travel opens the door to experiencing your own traditional holidays and blending them with with other country's fascinating traditions. Imagine sipping hot chocolate at a Christmas market in Germany, or joining a community lantern festival in China. Maybe even gingerbread homes in Norway. The holidays are an incredible time for us to broaden our horizons beyond what we know and understand about them from our own upbringing. Being sober to experience these can be an incredible opportunity so many will never have- Lean into these experiences fully.
3. Find Joy in Simple Moments
From watching the sunrise/sunset to sharing a laugh with someone new, the simplest joys often become the best memories. The saying "the joy is in the jouney" comes to mind here. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of travel, gifts, delays, luggage, kids, family dynamics etc, but the simple fact that you're alive and present for another holiday season is such a gift. One that likely one day you will look back on and wish you could have again. So be sure to pause and find joy in the little moments. Maybe a small hug to your mom or dad. Taking the trash out/doing the dishes while being a guest to be of service. Or buying a meal/paying it forward to someone in a drive through line or for someone hungry you see who's less fortunate. Take time to feel the spirit of the holidays, particularly being sober.
Sober Curious? Here’s How to Dip Your Toes In
Maybe you’re not fully sober but curious about what an alcohol-free life looks like. Travel is the perfect testing ground:
Experiment with Mocktails: Try creative zero-proof drinks at a sober bar or pick up a non alcoholic beer instead of your ordinary six pack.
Tune Into How You Feel: Notice the clarity, energy, and confidence that come without the alcohol.
Reflect on Your Journey: What draws you to sobriety or an alcohol free lifestyle? What would you gain by staying the course? Are you open to trying to be alcohol/substance free for 10, 20, maybe even 30 days just to see?
Why be Sober Traveling for the Holidays?
Imagine stepping off the plane, full of energy and excitement, ready to truly experience everything your trip has to offer. That’s the power of sober travel during the holidays.
You’ll find that the laughter is louder, the connections are deeper, and the memories last a lifetime. And when the trip is over, you’ll return home with more than the gifts you unwrapped with family and friends—you’ll have the pride of knowing you stayed true to yourself... your authentic self.
Final Thoughts: Cheers to Sober Holidays!
Traveling sober during the holidays is more than possible—it’s incredibly empowering, joyful, and transformational. It’s a chance to prioritize yourself, your values, and the life you’re building.
So here’s to you: the adventurer, the trailblazer, the one choosing clarity and connection over fleeting moments.
Wising you all safe travels, and may your holidays be as bright and beautiful as you are—without a single hangover in sight.
Let’s take this holiday season and make it something extraordinary. You’ve got this, and I’m here cheering you on every step of the way!
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