5 Things You Should Be Doing On Vacation Instead Of Getting Wasted

Vacation is often a time to let loose and indulge.

Our focus is to relax, enjoy and be more carefree, which can make staying sober tricky.

But, there are a ton of ways to avoid drinking and still have a ton of fun while you're on vacation.

Here are five ways to do just that:

1. Look for creative, non-alcoholic beverage spots.

The fact is, drinking alcohol is a large part of a lot of cultures, and it can seem like it dominates vacation culture.

But, alcohol isn't the only thing people drink, and it's worth doing a little exploration to find other fun drinks.

A cool example? Local teahouses.

Some places have really cool traditional teahouses that are steeped in the culture. You can also do afternoon tea like the English with lots of creative desserts.

If tea isn't your thing, check out the local coffee shops, smoothie places or juice bars.

Whatever your jam is, do a little research on the area. There is usually at least one of these places that's really cool wherever you are.

2. Splurge a little.

Now that you're saving a bit of money since you're not spending on drinks, it's OK to take some of that extra cash and invest it in yourself.

Treat yourself to a mani/pedi, a massage or a full-on spa day with a mud bath, hot stones or a seaweed wrap.

Depending on where you're traveling to, some places have 24-hour spas. (To feel like a real baller, get a massage in an airport on a layover. It's a luxurious way to start your vacay.)

Make yourself feel special. You deserve it.

3. Do weird stuff.

It's always fun to check out the well-known museums, monuments and other historical places of wherever you're traveling to.

But, another you can do is google “weird things to do” and the place you're vacationing.

For instance, if you are going to Hawaii, among a variety of weird options, you could check out Teddy Bear World, the only museum in North America with 800 animatronic bears in a 20,000-square-foot museum.

Headed to Buenos Aires? There's something called puerta cerrada (closed door) restaurants that are held in private homes. So, you can attend a small dinner party that's invite-only.

If you are going to Ireland, you can actually Airbnb in a real castle. There are also extremely cool ghost walks in a lot of places on the Emerald Isle.

Lastly, don't be afraid to ask locals for their “must sees” and do them!

Make sure to tell them you're looking for something outside the norm. They'll often have really creative alternatives you would never have heard about otherwise.

4. Do outdoor activities.

One big advantage of being sober? You tend to have more energy because you're never hungover.

So, you'll get to do a ton more outdoor activities.

There are usually loads of outdoor activities to do when you're traveling, like hiking, biking, surfing, skiing, etc.

If you're feeling even more adventurous, hit up things like bungee jumping, mountain climbing, hang-gliding or white water rafting. There's nothing like an adrenaline rush when you're on vacation.

Finally, an easy way to explore epic outdoor places is to check out the national parks of that region.

In New Mexico, you can check out the sand dunes. In New Zealand, you can check out the geothermal pools.

In Costa Rica, you can try to get a glimpse of the elusive quetzal bird in the Manuel Antonio national park.

5. Eat.

Enjoying food while you're on vacation is at the top of everyone's list.

You can decide to immerse yourself and eat the traditional foods of the place you're visiting, or you can go to one really nice meal and make sure to dress up.

Since drinks are usually fairly expensive, perhaps now you can finally enjoy an appetizer, meal and dessert.

Whatever you decide, remember this is your vacation, so enjoy the food around you.

Slow down, take a breath, take a real look at what you're eating and enjoy it. Treat yourself well when it comes to food on your vacation now that you can fully savor (and remember) all the tastes.