Rupert spent two weeks in Bali without drinking. He’s not alone
By Sue Williams
They’re calling it The Next Big Dry – young Australian travellers overseas turning their back on alcohol-fuelled partying and instead opting for high sobriety.
A new survey has found 84 per cent of Gen Z Australian full-time students have chosen holidays with no drinking involved, and far prefer sightseeing and activities over partying and clubbing.
“I suppose I used drink a lot but now, like many of my friends, I hardly drink at all when I’m on holiday overseas,” says Rupert McEvoy.Credit: Nikki Short
In a dramatic turnaround for a nation previously notorious for its unbridled binge boozing, the world’s largest student and youth travel agency StudentUniverse – owned by Flight Centre – found that only 21 per cent of young Australians prioritised partying while abroad.
That’s mostly because they’re concerned about their safety overseas (68 per cent), while many (56 per cent) don’t want to risk feeling unwell while away or miss out on the next day’s activities, or be recorded on social media doing something embarrassing (27 per cent).
They’re results that have also been backed up by other research undertaken by online travel agency Expedia, which has found a boom in the number of young Australian “dry-trippers”.
Alcohol can often “get in the way” of other pursuits.
“I suppose I used drink a lot but now, like many of my friends, I hardly drink at all when I’m on holiday overseas,” said Gen-Zer Rupert McEvoy, 22, who’s just graduated from the National Art School and, with a friend, has now converted an old warehouse in Leichhardt, Sydney, into the Tear Art Gallery.
“We’re just much more focused now on our careers and more serious pursuits. Drink can too often get in the way of things. For instance, my last holiday was two weeks sailing in Bali and doing lots of diving, and you can’t do that if you’ve had a drink.”
Rupert McEvoy ditched drinks for diving and other active pursuits on his most recent holiday to Bali.
The StudentUniverse study polled 1000 young travellers from Australia, and an additional 5000 from the US, Canada, and the UK.
Will Jones, the company’s brand manager, said he’d been seeing the movement away from alcohol and partying among young travellers but is surprised at how quickly it has now taken off.
“This is the first generation to be setting this trend,” he said. “I’m a Millennial and I remember when I was their age having holidays focused on drinking and partying. So it is amazing how much, and how quickly, this has changed.
“Yes, Australians used to be seen as big party people, but this Gen Z is the first global generation. Because of social media, they all seem to be following the same trends and doing the same things. I think they’ve all discovered they can get a good buzz from being around other people and socialising and seeing amazing things when they travel, and that’s energy and vibes they don’t need to get from drink.”
Bucket-list experiences such as Thailand’s famed full moon parties are falling out of favour with Gen-Z.Credit: Getty
Jones believes the trend is likely to get stronger over the years and is now also filtering its way through to older generations.
Expedia used its first-party travel data, as well as conducting a global consumer survey of 20,000 holidaymakers, to find similar results.
It predicts that 2024 is the year the travel industry really starts to recognise the “sober-curious” or dry-tripper traveller, as close to 40 per cent of Australians say they’re interested in staying in hotels that offer easily accessible alcohol-free options.
A low- or alcohol-free lifestyle is a growing trend among younger travellers.Credit: iStock
The top reason is that they want to save money, followed by a desire to stay in control and feel better emotionally and physically.
“From observing Feb Fast to Dry July, it’s clear that living a low- or alcohol-free lifestyle is becoming more common and a growing trend,” said Expedia Group spokesperson Sarah King. “Dry-tripping is a trend which we anticipate will get stronger.
“Evidence of this can be shown through more and more beverage brands releasing non-alcoholic products. When looking at the research, interestingly, it is the younger generation (19 per cent), specifically those aged 18-24, who are the most likely to reduce their alcohol consumption on upcoming trips. This is then followed by those aged 65 and over (16 per cent) and then those aged 25-34 (13 per cent).”
Even at home, there are many more local hotels and attractions for dry-tripping too, says Expedia, from QT Hotels’ mocktails, Sobah Brewery and Cafe in Burleigh Heads, which brews non-alcoholic beers, and NONHQ in Melbourne, billed as the world’s first non-alcoholic cellar door.
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