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Revealed: the best countries for sober travellers

A new study has evaluated everything from alcohol consumption per capita to the number of sober-friendly activities

Liv Kelly
Written by
Liv Kelly
Contributing Writer
Colorful morning cityscape of small fishing town - Seydisfjordur, Iceland.
Photograph: Andrew Mayovskyy/Shutterstock
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More of us than ever are choosing to ditch the booze – a lifestyle choice that’s not only changing how we go out, but also how we travel. And while you can find sober-curious meet-ups, alcohol-free group tours and booze-free nights out wherever you go, some destinations are naturally better for sober travellers than others. 

So, wondering where to head on your next sober adventure? To find out the countries that cater to sober travellers, a new study from rehab facility Lantana Recovery has looked into the number of sober-friendly activities, alcohol consumption per capita, overall health ratings, public safety and alcohol laws. Each destination was then given a score out of 100, which were then used to determine the final ranking.

Ranking as the world’s most sober-friendly country is Iceland! The country scored impressively for sober-friendly activities and public safety levels. 

Italy had the lowest score for prevalence of alcohol dependence at just 0.6 percent and claimed second place, and Norway claimed third, with the highest score for the number of alcohol laws. Europe actually claimed six of the top 10 spots – you can take a look at the rest of the list below. 

These are the 10 best countries for sober travellers

  1. Iceland
  2. Italy
  3. Norway
  4. Denmark
  5. Japan
  6. Switzerland
  7. Australia
  8. Singapore
  9. New Zealand
  10. Netherlands

You can read about the study in more detail here, and for more info on seeing the world without the beer goggles, you can read our deep-dive into travelling sober here

Did you see that a museum dedicated to cheese is opening in Paris?

Plus: These are the world’s most beautiful road trip destinations, ranked

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