Early in his recovery, Stephen P. boarded a plane for a conference, flying from Portland, Ore. to London. As the only sober person in his traveling party, he struggled. On the flight over, he was surrounded by people indulging in, as he said, “adult beverages.” And, once in London, in the city of pubs and ales, his struggle continued—until he walked into an AA meeting.  

“Going to the meeting in London was really great, I was able to exhale,” Stephen recalled in a recent interview with The Phoenix Spirit. “Because I was with my people, I was able to connect with my people—even though I was the only one without an accent,” he added with a smile.

Tom H. of Minneapolis travels extensively for work, and recalled a time, also in early recovery, in which he was in Omaha, Neb. for a consulting job. He was in a hurry, driving from downtown to the west side of the city to make an AA meeting on time.

“I hadn’t really taken the first step yet, I had been attending meetings and introducing myself as Tom, just Tom,” he recently told The Phoenix Spirit. “I finally got to the meeting just as they were doing introductions, and that was when I burped out ‘I’m Tom and I’m an alcoholic,’ for the first time ever, anywhere … I wasn’t sure where that came from … in reflection, it was the exhilaration of having arrived at a safe place. It meant I was likely not going to drink that night, and that was the core of it … if I could find a meeting, that meant I was likely not going to drink.”

Traveling while sober, whether for work or pleasure, and whether one has long-term sobriety or is new to the program, can sometimes present challenges, as Stephen and Tom experienced.

With those challenges in mind, consider these tips that may help you successfully navigate your travel while staying clean and sober.

Make a plan before you go

Those in recovery who are planning a trip should come up with a sobriety plan before they go, advised Tara Bauman, therapist for Maple Grove-based Innovative Psychological Consultants.

“With my clients who are traveling, we first come up with a plan,” Bauman said. “We find and schedule a meeting where they are traveling to, an actual day of the week, that sort of thing. This is lined up before they go … Having a set plan ahead of time has been way more helpful than just saying, ‘Here are some things I can do or could do.’” She said this is especially beneficial for someone new in recovery.

If traveling for work, Bauman said, look at your calendar and decide where you can fit in a meeting. “Again, the key point here is planning ahead of time … set yourself up for success. Plan before you go.”

Rochelle Gredvig, a clinician with Peacetree Family Institute in Elk River, agreed. “Have a game plan, figure out ahead of time what you are going to do for your sobriety while traveling. Maybe calling your sponsor, or online meetings, Zoom meetings, you can connect when you’re anywhere via your phone.”

Attend meetings when traveling

The most effective strategy by far, according to Bauman and Gredvig, is attending meetings while traveling, noting that, even though there are plenty of sessions available online, the connections made at in-person, 12-step meetings are tough to beat.

Stephen P. said he enjoys meetings while traveling. “One of the things that going to meetings out of town does for me is hearing new things … I mean, I go to the same meetings at home and so I often hear the same stories or shares, some people don’t mix it up … when traveling, you get to hear other people you haven’t heard. You also often get to experience different versions of the meeting format, which is interesting.”

Meeting new people also is a benefit, Stephen added. He recently went to a meeting every day on a vacation in Mexico. At the meeting, “they were happy to have visitors, new meat, new blood, because they get to hear different stories. You bring newness to them, and you get newness from them. It’s a reciprocal experience.” Stephen said he also encourages those he sponsors to attend meetings when traveling. “If you need that hit. Go to a meeting and you will be a star.” Stephen has attended meetings in Hawaii, Michigan, Colorado, California and elsewhere.

“At out-of-town meetings, you are very welcomed and it is a safe place, everyone understands,” said Tom H. He has attended meetings throughout the United States, plus Australia, Ireland, Paris and elsewhere. When he travels for work, especially long-term consulting assignments, “one of my highest priority items is to find the Alano Club where I can hang out … they are always the safest rooms in that locale.”

Additionally, “when people hear I’m from Minnesota, they know it’s the Land of the 10,000 Treatment Centers,” Tom quipped. “If there is a meeting of, say, 20 people, somebody at that meeting has a connection to Minnesota recovery.”

Finding a meeting has also never been easier these days, thanks to websites and various apps that will help you find locations and schedules for meetings of AA, NA and other 12-step programs.

One of my highest priority items is to find the Alano Club where I can hang out … they are always the safest rooms in that locale.

Check in with your sponsor

Checking in with one’s sponsor was mentioned by several sources as a good idea while traveling.

This is especially key if you can’t get to a meeting, according to Bauman, the therapist. “If someone is not able to get to a meeting if, say, they are traveling for work, set a check-in time with your sponsor or other supportive friends and family.”

This strategy is all about accountability, according to Bauman. “We can all have good intentions, but if you’re there, out of town, and having a good time and not going to a meeting … but if you’re there and you have it planned that you’ve scheduled to check in with your sponsor, there’s more accountability.”

Pack a Big Book or add apps to your phone

In this smart-phone age, several sources advised adding some recovery-related apps to your phone, apps that can help you find an out-of-town meeting, or provide a digital version of the AA Big Book which even offer you usual daily reflections.

More than 100,000 weekly AA meetings are listed in an amazing app, the Meeting Guide app, which can help you quickly find meetings. Set your location and it does the rest. The NA Meetings app provides information about in-person meetings, virtual meetings and includes a variety of other features.

In addition, the app Everything AA is remarkably chock full of information: read or listen to the Big Book, read a daily reflection or use an online meeting finder, among other options.

Those who may be more old school, can still pack a Big Book inside their wheelie bag or backpack. In fact, the Big Book is generally available in a number of portable and pocket-sized soft-cover editions. And, of course, the Twenty-Four Hours a Day meditation book is available in a small, pocket-sized hard cover format. Other 12-step programs offer meditation books in similarly smaller sizes. 

Beware the triggers

Airport lounges. Happy hour at the pool’s tiki bar. Free drinks at the after-hours trade show reception. Those in recovery face a multitude of triggers or temptations when traveling. As the clinicians have advised, planning before you go can also help meet this challenge.

One strategy calls for visualizing how you’ll respond before you’re in the moment. As the website for the Tennessee Detox Center advised, “Practice polite, confident ‘no, thank you’ responses—you don’t owe anyone an explanation. Identify safe spaces at your destination: a quiet café, a park, a gym, or a local meeting … (and) plan go-to alternative beverages—mocktails and non-alcoholic craft options have expanded significantly and are now widely available at most venues.”

Additionally, AA’s book Living Sober advises “arrive late and leave early,” as an effective strategy for maintaining sobriety when attending parties or other functions where alcohol is present.

Fortunately, these days, “people are a lot more accepting of someone who doesn’t drink,” said Peacetree’s Gredvig. And, in a work situation when traveling, “having a co-worker or a boss who knows your situation can be helpful. If someone you are with knows, you won’t likely drink in front of them.”

Ultimately, though these tips are intended to help you maintain your own sobriety, keep in mind the 12^th step in your travels: Your presence, your story, your experience, strength and hope, can be of help to someone in recovery. Stephen remembers attending a meeting in a rural area of Michigan with a friend, “where meeting attendance was sketchy. There were just two of us there, and then a third guy showed up who had just gotten out of treatment and he said he really needed a meeting. We were put in his path to help him out, we were there to carry the message.”

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