Why Choose Sober Curious Travel?
You don’t have to be sober to be over drinking culture. Maybe you’ve felt it. Someone hands you a drink you didn’t ask for. The night you didn’t want turns into a foggy morning that ruins your day. But in a different universe, you rejected that offer, woke up feeling fresh, hiked the mountain and had one of the best days of your life. If only there was a way to escape the peer pressure, without feeling like you’re a party pooper.
It’s part of the reason sober curious travel is taking off. It affords people freedom. Freedom to show up fully. To move your body. To connect with the people around you. To let the place do the talking instead of the cocktails. It allows you to maximize your enjoyment, rather than wishing you could crawl into bed.
So let’s talk about sober curious travel, why it’s gaining popularity, and why people are seeking adventure sans booze!
What is sober curious travel?
Being sober curious means you’re rethinking your relationship with alcohol. Maybe you drink less. Perhaps you don’t drink at all. But the key is choice. You’re choosing clarity over habit. And when you travel, you’re looking for something richer than whatever’s on the bar tab.
Ruby Warrington coined the term in her book by the same name. She defined it as "a choice to opt out of alcohol based on how it makes you feel." For these people, recovery isn’t something they need to worry about too much. It's more closely aligned to living life on your own terms, questioning your relationship with alcohol, and querying why a liquid beverage that suppresses your ability to make the most of every day is par for the course.
Sober curious travel makes sense because you are already making the most of your vacations by seeing new places and broadening your mind. Drinking through it means losing the ability to unwind, explore, and connect fully.
The rise of sober curious travel
Gen Z drinks 20% less than millennials, according to a 2022 Berenberg Research report, and millennials are drinking less than Gen X. You’d be wrong to think it is a fad or an Instagram wellness trend. For these individuals, it's more about cost, control, mental clarity, and shifting values. Many younger travelers are choosing experiences over excess and connection over conformity.
This shift shows up in tourism, too. More companies, even ones that have traditionally promoted alcohol-related travel, are now offering alcohol-free itineraries. Unlike Capsule Adventures, which always has and always will be substance-free, many businesses have pivoted to where the money goes. The fact is that alcohol no longer has the pull factor it used to. Travelers are booking surf trips, climbing treks, and volunteer programs instead of all-inclusive resort packages.
With that said, most group travel still revolves around drinking. Pub crawls. Boozy beach parties. Free welcome drinks at check-in. If you’re not drinking, you're often the outlier. You try to explain. You attempt to justify. However, people treat you differently. It’s not fair, but it happens.
Of course, you have the option of doing a dry retreat. They’re well-meaning, but often overly focused on yoga, clean eating, and stillness. That works for some people, but if you're looking to be outside, cover serious ground, and chase that pulse of adventure, you’re not going to find it at a silent meditation camp.
What alcohol-free adventure travel can feel like
Travel without alcohol gives you better sleep, more energy, and deeper presence. You’re not navigating a hangover on a mountain pass or skipping the sunrise because you stayed out too late. The clarity gives you access to all the little details. Whether it’s the amazing vista, the wildlife, or the local food, you get to experience it with all of your senses firing.
Whether you're sober curious, in recovery, or just not a big fan of drinking, you’re not alone. There are countless reasons people are skipping alcohol while traveling: personal challenges, training for an endurance race, autoimmune conditions, medication, or just wanting to feel better day-to-day.
Sober travel helps you:
Save money
Sleep better
Feel safer
Stay present
And you don’t need to be in recovery to want that, right?
Replacement therapy is the answer
Replacement therapy is the process of consciously swapping one habit or source of stimulation with another, one that rewards you without the cost. It’s not some woo-woo, pseudo-science thing. It’s been studied at length and is a proven method of conquering the urge to do things that are counterproductive and damaging.
After I got sober, I still wanted that rush. That feeling of something big happening. That sensation that my body was involved in something that mattered. So I found it by travelling the world. In the ruins of Machu Picchu. In the presence of African elephants in Namibia. On the hiking trails that surround Cape Town. In the rabbit warren-like alleyways of Hoi An, Vietnam,
That’s what led me to build Capsule Adventures. I wanted to offer the kind of trip that isn’t about running from your life but stepping into it. Trips where people could come as they are and still get the high, without sacrificing their sanity, their safety, or their morning.
Who comes on these trips?
It’s a mix. Some folks have been sober for years. Some are newly alcohol-free. Some are just tired of drinking because it doesn’t feel good anymore. The common thread? They’re all ready for something different. And they don’t want to explain their drink choice one more time.
You’ll meet:
People detoxing from burnout
Folks training for big events
Travelers who want to hike, not hang out at the bar
Curious explorers who want space to decide how they really feel about alcohol
What makes a Capsule Adventure different?
We don’t go halfway. When we say adventure, we mean it. Our trips are curated, scouted, and stress-tested by people who’ve done it all. And they’re built with sober and sober-curious travelers in mind from day one.
On a Capsule Adventure, you’ll find:
Small groups of 8–12 people
Alcohol-free itineraries that don’t feel like a detox retreat
Highly-trained guides
Lodging and food that fuel you
Upcoming sober adventure travel
Machu Picchu (October 2025)
Hike the Salkantay Trail. Sleep in Hobbit Houses. Soak in hot springs. Wake up early and feel good about it. The Andes are no joke, but the payoff is massive.
Komodo Islands, Indonesia (coming soon)
Sail among ancient islands. Swim with manta rays. Hike where dragons live. This place is truly Jurassic by nature, and you will be in awe every day. That’s a guarantee.
Botswana Safari (coming soon)
See the big 5 in all their glory. Camp out under the stars. Learn about one of the most amazing ecosystems on the planet.
We build these trips because we’ve lived the alternative. We know how it feels to chase something better. If you're sober curious and ready to go on a trip like no other, join us!
