Sober travel is a hot trend. But for some travelers, it’s a way of life

15.09.2023 - 16:53 / edition.cnn.com

Alison Sinclair’s trip to Turks and Caicos was supposed to be one of the best times of her life. But while on an island getaway with her best friend, she skipped beach time and swimming in favor of the bar, getting so drunk every day that she alienated her friend and they stopped speaking.

Now, 11 years of sobriety later, Sinclair still barely remembers what Turks and Caicos looked like. As she started on a journey of rebuilding her life – and reconciling with her friend – she made a promise to herself: this time, she’d travel the world with complete use of her faculties.

While Sinclair’s decision to give up drinking was very personal, she’s just one of the many travelers who have been asking major tourism companies to make sober-friendly itineraries.

And their requests have been heard. Many major travel brands – from Hyatt Hotels to Norwegian Cruise Line – are not only offering alcohol-free experiences but marketing them.

Although there have always been travelers who eschew alcohol for a variety of reasons, such as religious observance or health, the growing “sober curious” movement has extended into tourism, often as part of a bigger trend toward wellness.

According to the World Health Organization, three million deaths every year are attributable to alcohol. Among people aged 20-39, that number peaks, with 13.5% of deaths globally being in some way caused by alcohol.

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We Love Lucid, a UK-based sober travel company, shows a potential model for a new generation of travelers who want to be sober on the road but don’t belong to any particular recovery program.

In fact, says founder Lauren Burnison, “from the very beginning I chose not to use words on my website and in my marketing, such as ‘addiction’ and ‘recovery,’ because there’s a lot of people that are in the middle of this continuum.”

Many of the participants on We Love Lucid trips don’t identify as alcoholics or say they are in recovery, and they’ve chosen not to drink for a variety of reasons.

Like Sinclair, Burnison found that when she quit drinking she suddenly had a lot more disposable income – and a whole world to spend it in. While visiting the Spanish town of Ronda, which is about 65 miles east of Malaga, she hit on an idea: if she found sober travel so fun and illuminating, wouldn’t other people like it too?

Now, We Love Lucid organizes group trips to lesser-touristed destinations like Ronda – where Burnison ended up moving in 2019. Days are filled with sightseeing, kayaking and tapas-making classes.

“The whole thing behind the going away on an alcohol-free trip with a bunch of other people that don’t drink … it’s about the connection.