Traveling sober is hard, but it made me More Honest

I didn’t start drinking unil i was 25 – late by many standards – but once i did, alcohol quickly became a social and professional currency.

AS A Management Consultant, Drinking was part of the Job – Be It Wine During Team Dinners or Champagne Toasts for SuccessFul Product Launches. It was also how I Connected With Friends, Loosned Up in Unfamiliar Places, and Celebrated the Highs of Life on the Road

Over the years, my passport filled up with stamps from Trips where of the days of the followed the same pattern: Explore by day, Enjoy a drink or two at Night. WARM SAKE IN JAPANESE IZAKAYAS, A PINT OF GUINNESS IN DUBLIN TO CELEBRATE ST. Patrick’s Day, and a Cold Beer after Hiking in Patagonia Weren’t JUST DRINKS; they were part of how I celebrated the world. I saw it as a way to immerse myself in local culture.

But something shifted the year of turned 50.

At first, it was a personal challenge where a “Dry Trip” Extended a Little Longer to See How But the longer I stayed alcohol-free, the most curious of Becout what Else Might Shift.

COULD I STILL FEEL JOY AT A CELEBRATED DINNER WITH FRIENDS WITH A GLASS OF WINE? Would I Feel Left Out while Traveling? Would people look at me differently, or workse, would i look at mySelf differently?

Sober Travel

The First Test Came During A Work Trip to Switzerland. One Night for Dinner, we visited fiescherblick, a boutique hotel in the Bernese Alps. I was surpassed to find out they offered a non-alcoholic pairing menu.

That Night, as the Eger North Face Glowed Pink in the Evening Light, I SAT DOWN TO ONE OF THE MONMORABLE MEALS OF MY LIFE. Each Course Arrived Paired With A ThoughtFully Crafted Elixir, Like the Rhubarb-Combucha aperitif that sounds on my tongue or a chilled berry and basil infusion with a root vetable medley.

Each sip was as intentional and layered as any wine pairing i’d haad in the past. I felt more aware and noticed how Slowed Down During the meal, relicing every bit and sip. My Body Felt Satied But Never Dulled, and there was no fuzziness or brain fog – just the clarity of a crisp alpine night and the satisfaction of Enjoyry bite.

Sink then, i’ve continged to travel alcohol-free. Some Trips have been easy, but oters have been really hard.

On an outdoor adventure-filed trip through Northern Ireland, Known for Its Whiskey and Beer, I felt dyscombobulad, like we miss out on a big part of the local culture.

The HardDest One Was a Two-Week Solo Antarctica Cruise, During which the Feeling of Fomo Was Very Strong, especilantly wen south america’s best were served complying at dinner.

Line of defense

Almost 9 months have passed, and there are some still moments wen i’m handed a drink and feel a porn of awkwardness or workse, when someone assess, “Why not just have one?” with a puzzled smile. Social drinking is so normalized in travel that choosing to opt out can Feel like rebellion.

But my choice has also been liberating. I’ve learned to start my days earlier and with more energy and to find other ways to connect with locals, like ascing servers at restaurants about their favorite hangouts or listening to traditional music at a local bar in derry.

I No Longer Plan My Eveings Around Drinks; Instead, I look for live music, tea houses, Night Markets, or Just Quiet Spaces to Reflect.

Oddly Enough, I Feel More Adventurous than I did before. Not Drinking has flush with them to be more Creative and intensively about how I seek joy. Its Also Helped with EU More Honest With MySelf and With Others. I’ve realized how to use Alcohol as a shortcut to connecting with People when i really Needed was Genuine Curiosity and vulnerability.

I’m swimming here to make a case for sobriety or to say i’ll never drink again. I’m Simply in a season of exploring what it means to be full awake to my experiences and how that Changes the Way I Travel.

Going Alcohol-free at 50 Started As a Personal Experiment, but it is evolved into a new way to move through the world.