i used to drink a bottle before heading to the airport. can i travel sober?

Traveling is stressful. The people, the lines, the endless possibilities of something going wrong. I've travelled since becoming sober, but I haven't yet travelled on such an intense trip, with multiple destinations and plane rides. Over the past 10 days, I travelled from LA to Chicago to Nantucket Island back to Chicago and finally, back to LA. It was a whirlwind adventure. As with life, there were ups and downs, highs and lows.

My travel day began rough when at 7am, the washing machine in my apartment building wouldn't turn on ... after I had put my clothes and detergent in. I spent the next hour of time washing my clothes in the bath tub and getting ready to head to the airport. I was stressed and may have overreacted and cried. Usually, a couple of hours before leaving for the airport I would begin to drink, finishing 1-2 bottles of wine. But although the day had already thrown me a couple of curve balls, I made it through the early morning and then called my Uber to head to the airport.

When I got to the airport and checked in, I received 1 drink coupon for beer, wine or liquor on my flight. I thought, "Of course, I'd get a free drink coupon after having a morning where I could really use a drink!" Plus of course, it's free. When I was drinking, I could never leave booze that was free. It was like an unwritten rule that if it's free, it gets drank completely. I honestly did contemplate getting a drink. I thought, well I'm over a year sober and heading on vacation, it would probably be fine. I definitely felt that this was a test from the Universe. Testing whether I could handle my jumbled morning and anxiety by using one of the other many tools I have gathered over the past fifteen months instead of a drink. So, I did just that, I listened to a meditation, used Alexis Smart's First Aid Kit Flower Remedy, and read a book that I had brought with me. I was grateful for the lesson!

After arriving in Chicago, I was happy to spend some days with my family. It's amazing how your relationships with your family members positively change once you become sober. But then it was off to Nantucket Island for a long girls weekend getaway. My girlfriend and I take a girls weekend trip every year since 2015, and this year we chose Nantucket. Nantucket is a tiny, isolated island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, typically a summer destination with dune-backed beaches. The travel from Chicago to Nantucket took about 8 hours. There was a layover in Providence, Rhode Island and then we took a 10 person plane to the island. This plane was so tiny that they had to get every passenger's weight to make sure it was balanced! In the past, I would have needed liquid courage to get me through this experience, but instead I got to have this adventure clear headed!

The long weekend was lovely and I definitely got some much needed rest and relaxation. Nantucket was so picturesque and beautiful. I loved exploring the island. The only travel tip I would recommend for Nantucket: go in the summer. Many of the restaurants and activities were closed because we were out of season. Plus it was a little cold, but we were there the weekend they have their annual Daffodil Festival. It was a lovely way to ring in the spring and celebrate things blooming in life.

On my travels back from Chicago to LA, they last minute added a layover to my previously direct flight. Normally, this would have thrown me and I would have spent that layover in the airport bar. But instead, I got to catch up on work and spend my time being productive preparing for the next week. Sobriety has reduced my anxiety and taught me to take things in stride. Small things that I used to drink over, no longer phase me in the same way.

Traveling is stressful. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that traveling while drunk is 10x more difficult. Happy trails!