When going on vacation, a lot of people imagine themselves eating dinner with a glass of wine, going out to local bars in the evening, and hanging out by the pool with a cocktail in hand. Drinking on vacation isn’t bad, but that doesn’t mean it’s always good either. You may instead want to think about skipping the cocktails, no matter what your destination, for these reasons:
- You could get into trouble
- You could be taken advantage of
- Recovering isn’t relaxing
- It’s expensive
- You’ll miss out on memories
You Could Get Into Trouble
Alcohol may help you loosen up a bit, but for many people, there’s a fine line between loosening up and getting sloppy. When that happens, you could find yourself in big trouble.
For example, if you rented a car, you could get pulled over or find yourself in an accident after having one too many drinks, both of which are the last things you want to deal with when you’re supposed to be on vacation. It takes less alcohol than you think to become inebriated behind the wheel too. Some impairments appear when your blood-alcohol level is as low as 0.02, increasing your chances of an accident even if you aren’t over the legal limit.
In addition, you may think you’re okay and find out you’re not. You may be used to a limit of 0.08 back at home, but find out the limit is lower where you’re vacationing. You might be surprised to learn it’s 0.05 in countries like France and Italy.
Getting unruly at the bar? Causing trouble in your hotel room? You could land yourself in jail. You can avoid all of these possibilities if you avoid drinking on your vacation.
You Could Be Taken Advantage Of
There is no shortage of stories of women being taken advantage of at the bar, but it’s not just sexual advances you have to look out for.
Pickpockets and thieves are thick in some cities and in other countries. They already like to target travelers, but you’re an even bigger target if you have been drinking. It’s much easier to slip cash out of your back pocket or snatch your wallet out of your bag when you’re under the influence. If you weren’t drinking, you would be more aware. Not only are you more likely to notice what’s happening if someone is trying to pickpocket you, you’re also less likely to be targeted in the first place.
Recovering Isn’t Relaxing
Going on vacation is supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating. It’s true that a drink may help you relax and unwind, but you’re also more likely to indulge while you’re away from home. Before you know it, you have had a little too much to drink before you call it a night.
The result is a hangover in the morning, which is the opposite of relaxing. You will waste a lot of time in bed feeling miserable when you could be doing other things instead.
It’s Expensive
Alcohol can be expensive, but it’s almost always more expensive on vacation, especially if you choose a popular vacation spot. Economies that cater to vacationers know that they want to drink and they are willing to pay a little more, so they charge more. You could end up paying twice as much for the same drink on vacation that you would back home. After multiple drinks, you could end up spending a lot more than you planned.
Even if drink prices aren’t outrageous, you’ll still end up spending more money than you would if you asked for pop, juice, or tea. That’s money you could spend on a show, going shopping, or saving for your next trip.
You’ll Miss Out on Memories
It’s true that you can make some fun memories while drinking alcohol, but exactly what kind of memories are you making?
Making memories just hanging out, drinking, and making questionable choices are memories you can make back at home. Not to mention, at a certain point in the night, you’ll stop forming memories and hours will be lost when you wake up in the morning. You’ll also miss out on making more memories in the morning when you’re laying in bed instead of checking out that cool restaurant for lunch. The quality and quantity of your memories will be better if you skip the alcohol altogether.
Alcohol can be fun to consume on vacation, but it can be great to skip it too. Once you go alcohol-free on vacation, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!
