Although alcohol and drug abuse can lead to serious problems while traveling, just like back home, most travelers can indulge responsibly.
Travel is a drug.
Travel hooks you with a mainline shot of adrenaline on that first mile of highway and takes you on a rollercoaster of mental and spiritual stimulation that reaches everything from dazzling Himalayan highs to Cambodian outhouse lows.
Finally it leaves you standing with luggage at a bus-stop and feeling strange - perhaps inspired, perhaps grateful, perhaps just suffering from a serious jet-lag hangover.
It’s no wonder so many travelers like to drink and get high. Many of us are young, liberated from authority, in search of exactly the feelings of exhilaration and supposed insight that drugs, alcohol and travel can all provide.
Should our parents worry about us? Should brave new travelers pledge abstinence before jetting off to India?
Nah.
Although alcohol and drug abuse can lead to serious problems while traveling, just like they can back home, in my experience most travelers indulge responsibly.
And while travelers have an important obligation to respect local customs, most - though far from all - countries are more tolerant of drugs and alcohol than the United States.
This isn’t to say you should throw caution to the wind and travel the world as if you were on permanent Spring Break. If you plan to indulge, here are some important points to keep in mind:
Safety First
Safe travel depends on good judgment and clear-headed awareness of your environment and your self.
Safe travel depends on good judgment and clear-headed awareness of your environment and your self. Alcohol and drugs can alter your perceptions and influence your judgment, making you paranoid, rash or just plain vulnerable.
Always pay close attention to your surroundings. Know your limits. Know the local laws and cultural norms.
For example, drinking beer in a city park is fine in Japan, but would get you busted for an open-container violation in Massachusetts. Likewise, marijuana use is widely tolerated in places like Spain and California, but you would be very foolish to risk lighting up in Taiwan, where laws are much more strict and pot isn’t part of the culture.
Finally, remember that your travel insurance policy probably has a clause about alcohol and drugs in the fine-print - if you do something stupid and get hurt while under the influence, they might not cover the bill.
Respect, Mon
As a traveler, you are a guest in a foreign culture. Like it or not, you are also an ambassador of your home country. This is a tremendous responsibility.
Getting tipsy with the locals can break down barriers and contribute to genuine friendship and cross-cultural empathy. Drinking alcohol is a ritual of hospitality in many parts of the world, and there really is something to the transformative power of peace, love, understanding and passing joints around a campfire.
When I worked in Japan, I soon learned that it was impolite to NOT get fall-down drunk at office parties.
However, there is a huge difference between getting fall-down drunk within the boundaries of a specific cultural ritual, and getting fall-down drunk and roaming the streets as a pack of boorish foreigners.
Pay attention to cultural norms of ritual and reciprocation. Be sincere, be considerate and have a good time.
Focus On The Journey, Not The Beer
There really is something to the transformative power of peace, love, understanding and passing joints around a campfire.
Why are you traveling? To see the world and experience new ideas and new sensations? Well then why are you getting drunk every night at the youth hostel?
There are few things more pathetic than someone who travels around the world, but never leaves the cozy alcoholic bubble of the guesthouse bar.
Travel is a privilege, a rare and valuable opportunity to see the world - and yourself - from a new perspective. To squander such a gift is just plain sad, so always remember that although it might be fun to hang out and crack a few beers with your fellow backpackers, the world outside the bar is far more interesting.
Why not go out to a local bar, buy a beer for a stranger and start a conversation?
A Word About Moderation
At first glance, it would seem that moderation is the key to safe and respectful imbibing. True enough, limiting yourself to one or two drinks is generally a good idea in just about any situation.
But you know what? Once in a while it’s healthy to throw moderation out the window. Sometimes it’s good to take risks, to live large - to make mistakes and learn from the scars.
Get drunk. Get high. Go wild and howl at the moon. Leave the bar at daybreak with new friends and climb up a hill to smoke a joint and watch the sunrise over the ocean. Open yourself to all the passion and possibility in the world.
Just remember to be safe, be respectful, and never forget that it’s about the journey, not the parties you have along the way.
BNT contributing editor Tim Patterson travels with a sleeping bag and pup tent strapped to the back of his folding bicycle. His articles and travel guides have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, Get Lost Magazine, Tales Of Asia and Traverse Magazine. Check out his personal site Rucksack Wanderer.About the Author
More By This Author
- Travel Guilty Pleasures: What's Yours? (34 comments)
- BNT's Best Of The Week 05/23/09 (2 comments)
- BNT's Best Of The Week 05/09/09 (3 comments)
Related Posts
18 Comments... join the discussion!
-
-
Right on Haley - knowing yourself and knowing your limits, is very important. See you on the Caps and Castle trail up to Jefferson sometime?
↵ -
Good advice. I would also suggest you partake with people you trust, not just with the native who seemed so friendly before you blacked out and woke up on the wrong side of town without your passport and bank cards.
I was brought up to believe I’m always responsible for my actions, and going someplace where you can remain anonymous ain’t a blank check for letting it all go. I see a lot of travelers making fools of themselves “because they’re on vacation.” These folks have not the art of drinking, and they’ll pull you into a royal mess if you’re unlucky enough to be around it. Please, as Tim suggests: put some strategy into this. (OK, dad…)
That said, everything in moderation - including moderation. A certain amount of dignity is paid to have a raucous time, and you can learn something new every day. Especially if you add absinthe to the mix.
Ekaterina, are you out there? I agree, vodka can be better than most alcohol, but only if it’s good vodka. GOOD vodka won’t give you a hangover.
“Live responsibly” - whatever that means…
↵ -
Ian, I hope you’re reading this. 1000 isn’t that far off… =)
↵ -
Great advice, both in the article and the comments!
One thing I’d like to add: I’m sure we’ve all heard the “buy your own drinks” and “never let your drinks out of your sight” lectures, but they apply to international travel as well. Both male and female travellers have had drugs slipped into their drinks — leading to robbery or assault. (I see this warning a lot in the government travel advice).
I don’t pretend at we’re immune to this crime at home, but travellers are often seen as easy targets.
↵ -
I wrote this piece from El Bolson, Patagonia, a very, very relaxed valley in the Andes.
For a narrative travel story heavy on weed, wine, sex and fishing, check out “Sharing One Trout With 23 Argentine Hippies”
↵ -
Hilarious article! So well written and funny! I really enjoyed it so much! What a pleasure to read a nice piece of humour melted with a good advice.
Dear Daniel,
Obviously, it’s the quality of vodka which counts. I would take the opportunity to promote the vodka of my dad, but I won’t do it, otherwise, it will be considered as soft marketing. But I KNOW what makes good vodka and especially that it should be consumed with moderation. If not, one risks finding onself in some deep part of Russia, naked, without remembering his or her name and far away from any ambassy…what a ride!
↵ -
Cool shit, Tim…both the El Bolson piece and this. Something like your experience in El Bolson sounds exactly like the place where I think alcohol is a mood enhancer, a complement to already good company.
I think there will always be a very thick line between the drunk frat guy/girl “hangin’ out” and the recreational drinker who’s interesting in using alcohol/drugs as a social lubricant. In the hostel, beer is as cheap and easy as the company–but you took a year of hard searching to locate this group. I don’t think alcohol–whether its presence or lack thereof–would’ve made the experience “bad”.
Always a pleasure to read your work, man.
↵ -
Hi, Ekaterina,
I know YOU know what makes good vodka. What you may not know is that here in the States many people don’t know there’s a difference, and they should know. I didn’t know, until my wife - who knows - let me know. Now everyone knows. You know? =-)
↵ -
What many people don’t know while travelling is the purpose of their travel. They visit places without seeing the place. While living in Amsterdam I was witnessing the same sad picture every day: tourists come to the city mostly to have a wild night out in a coffeeshop or red light district, forgetting that there is also Van Gogh museum and the story of Anne Frank.
Coming back to vodka..knowing it from the source gives knowledge. Shall we actually make an article on this site about vodka and knowledge?↵ -
Thanks for the comments everyone!
There was one college kid at the campfire last night, drinking vodka. He knocked over the stew-kettle, harassed all the girls he could see and passed out hard, so that people had to stay up and make sure he would be OK.
I’m sticking with wine - and the occasional J in the mountains.
↵ -
I can’t help but read this article and think of my afternoon “adventure” in Vang Vieng, Laos. If you’ve been there, you know Happy Shakes contain a variable amount of magical ingredients - variable depending on the amicable local who’s mixing it up behind the beach shack counter.
My friend and I polished a shake each…and proceeded to complain that they weren’t strong enough to have an effect. Half an hour later it felt like I was in the Yellow Submarine music video. Fun for a bit…but this ride doesn’t let you off on your own terms.
Rest assured, it wasn’t until the next morning that my friend and I felt back to normal. We vowed to stay away from Happy Shakes from then on…
↵ -
Ekaterina, you’re welcome to share your father’s wisdom on vodka. =) It would save Ian from drinking Stolichnaya next time!
As for wisdom gleaned from absinthe, it’s this: always work with a net.
↵ -
I hear you Ian - I had a similar experience with a Happy Pizza in Siam Reap - wrote a story about that trip that I’ll probably never publish, because it freaks me out to read it even now!
↵ -
I think you’re overlooking the legal ramifications (at least when it comes to having a smoke, not so much for alcohol) - some drugs may be socially acceptable, particularly in the bohemian-expat-backpacker circles, but where’s the line between accepted and legal? More importantly (because we’d all be kidding ourselves if we think “legal” is a strong enough of a barrier to stop a party), where’s that grey zone of “safe enough”?
I think most of us probably take a money-see monkey-do approach, following the when-in-Rome adage… but it’s dangerously easy for new travelers (whether they’re new at traveling, new to a certain place, or new to a drug) to get a little too relaxed watching others take an extra risk or two…
↵ -
Very true, Noelle, good point.
↵ -
I agree with all said above, but would just like to add - be sure to at least brush up on local laws.. as said in the article -
“you would be very foolish to risk lighting up in Taiwan, where laws are much more strict and pot isn’t part of the culture.”
Drinking is one thing, but drugs like possession of marijuana, magic mushrooms etc etc etc can have very serious repercussions in some countries, including jail time and even WORSE!! (all of us canucks have heard of our fellow country-gal who is in jail for life for a pot possession in Thailand! Yeah it was a lot of weed, but we’re talking LIFE IN PRISON people!)
If you like to dabble - and there’s nothing wrong with that - just do your homework
↵ -
Great article, I love the way you tackled such a bold topic. My tip is stay far away from the mushrooms at the electric bulldog in Amsterdam. Haling from Vancouver, I have taken all different types of mushrooms, but the ones from this café where like nothing I had ever seen before: long stems, very flexible and moist, it seemed as though they were cut fresh that day. My friend and I bought two bags and made a tea out of one of them, we were smart enough not to use both right away. No exaggeration, twenty minutes later the floor board was a rolling wave; 40 minutes later my travel buddy made a mad dash towards the door. I roamed the streets of Amsterdam for 2 hours before I found him sitting out front of the police station. He apparently went in there and told the police that there were lip readers on the roof and an underground organization trying to kidnap him. Luckily, the police in Amsterdam are accustomed to this kind of nonsense. They played along and told him they also had lip readers on the roof and as long as he stayed on the porch out front and didn’t bother anyone; he would be fine. The night didn’t end there, but we survived nonetheless and bordered our plane at 9 in the morning complete sketch bags. My advice is simple, even for the biggest connoisseurs, take it slow on foreign soil; you can always take more later on if necessary.
↵
