Who wants to go to Costa Rica or India with a crew of sober girlfriends? “There’s just nothing better than a girls’ trip,” said travel advisor Michelle Plante, who is planning these two all-women sober trips for early 2025.
The Costa Rica trip runs January 11-17 and includes rainforest ziplining, hiking to a waterfall, a sunset catamaran ride, and visiting a coffee and chocolate plantation. The India Adventure, March 29-April 8, combines wellness and spiritual focus with sightseeing and upscale accommodations.
Plante is answering a demand from women who want to travel but don’t want to be the only one at the table not drinking. “I want the vibe of a girls’ trip without the wine,” she said. “We’ll stay up late talking and laughing. Every girls’ trip I’ve ever been on, we say, ‘We don’t do this enough.’”
But don’t feel too left out, guys. Plante may open future trips to you.
Luxury is a big part of the upcoming Costa Rica and India trips—although Plante acknowledges that the word “luxury” sometimes gets a bad rap. “I want to encourage women to invest in themselves through travel if that’s what they desire,” she said. By luxury, she doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive hotels but those that take the best care of guests through thoughtfulness and personalized service.
The travel bug bit Plante early. “I’ve been traveling forever,” she said. “My first flight was at six months.” Her father was in the army, and the family was stationed in Japan for two years. Later, Plante lived with a family in Germany. She traveled to Central America for fun and worldwide while working for a Fortune 500 company. “It’s ingrained in me. And I’ve always been super curious about other cultures.”
After Plante quit drinking alcohol in 2019, she felt a significant shift in her life—as many of us do when we get sober. This led to her becoming a travel consultant in 2023 and thinking about sober travelers’ challenges, like how prevalent alcohol is on vacation. “People who drink don’t notice it,” she said. “But once you stop drinking, you do notice. Like, oh, wow, it’s everywhere.”
People who drink don’t notice it,” she said. “But once you stop drinking, you do notice. Like, oh, wow, it’s everywhere.”
Michelle Plante
She’s looking forward to taking the drinks out of the equation on her sober trips. “Even people who have been sober like 10, 15 years, there’s always going to be a desire for belonging,” she said. “And so when you’re having a conversation, it’s like, does this person accept me? And that can be hard. Because for whatever reason, alcohol does have this big reputation as a way to connect.”
I connected with Plante through our involvement with the Transformational Travel Council. This group’s mission statement reads: “To educate, inspire awe, and advance tourism, travelers, and communities mindful of mutual respect, fairness, and the wellbeing of humanity and our Mother Earth.”
Plante is all about transformation. “Through sobriety, you go through multiple transformations,” she said. “And travel can create so much transformation in one’s life. If that’s what you want, there’s much opportunity for personal development, self-reflection, and becoming a better human. I think many people don’t know that you can travel with intention. And come home with a better understanding of your life.”
About Teresa Bergen
Teresa Bergen had the tremendous good fortune to quit drinking very young and has enjoyed long-term sobriety. She lives in Portland, Oregon, and travels all over the world as a travel writer. She also works in the oral history field, helping to document and preserve history. Learn more HERE.
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