Sober travel or 'dry tripping' without alcohol has people seeking enriching experiences

Many travelers today are opting for more fulfilling experiences while visiting their locations of choice — and are taking trips that are alcohol-free.

Sober travel, also known as "dry tripping," is one of 2024’s hottest vacation trends, according to Hotels.com, with more than 40% of travelers saying they are likely to book a detox trip in the next year.

A spokesperson shared with Fox News Digital that reviews mentioning "mocktails" surged by 50% year over year, "with guests raving about the creative nonalcoholic offerings at top hotels worldwide."

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Hooked Travel, a sober travel agency that acts as a community, arranges high-sensory travel experiences.

"Being alcohol-free heightens your awareness drastically," said a Hooked spokesperson. "Colors become brighter, food tastes better, touch is more intense."

Hooked recently rebranded itself to appeal not just to those who are sober, but to those who are "sober curious." 

"You don't have to be an alcoholic to not drink alcohol! We are alcohol-free," said the Hooked spokesperson.

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"What that means is we get up earlier, we eliminate the happy hours and we replace them with activities."

In May 2025, the group will be holding an alcohol-free wine tour in Germany, with activities such as pretzel-making cooking classes and learning about non-alcoholic beer. 

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Alta DeRoo, addiction medicine physician and chief medical officer at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, told Fox News Digital that alcohol is everywhere — but there are opportunities that may be better suited for alcohol-free travel.

"If you're out in the water or scuba diving or out hiking and camping," there is "less access" to alcohol, said DeRoo.

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"We see a lot of folks who are new in recovery engaging in those types of activities because the temptation just isn't there."

The key to a successful sober trip takes place before it even starts, DeRoo also said.

"At first, it comes around to designing your vacation with sober people — like-minded people to begin with, because it's going to be very challenging to schedule a summer vacation with people who have intentions to drink."

"When somebody gets out of treatment, they're in this difficult balancing act of wanting to reengage with socialization, then with socialization with their friends — then learning how to do it in a sober way."

Added DeRoo, "If you're going with other sober vacationing people, the meals and the social activities afterward aren't involved with alcohol."