drink sunset
Credit: Syda Productions

Vacation photos these days look completely different from the way they did five years ago. Instead of cocktails by the pool and late-night bar shots, social media feeds are full of green smoothies, sunrise yoga, and people talking about how amazing they felt every morning.

People Are Done Feeling Like Garbage on Vacation

Think about it. You save up money and vacation days all year, then spend the first morning of your trip throwing up in a resort bathroom because you overdid it at the welcome reception. Makes zero sense when you put it like that.

Hotels have been tracking this shift through their beverage sales data. Mocktail orders have increased dramatically while traditional cocktail sales declined. These aren't budget-conscious travellers making this switch either—it's often the same guests who previously ran up significant bar tabs.

Get this: The people making this switch aren't broke college kids. It's business executives, wealthy retirees, people who can definitely afford premium drinks. They're just choosing differently.

Resort staff report that guests who skip alcohol actually spend more money overall. They book spa treatments, sign up for activities, and order expensive health food. Turns out when you're not hungover, you want to do stuff.

What People Want Instead Gets Pretty Weird

The replacement drinks are nothing like what you'd expect. We're not talking about Coke and orange juice here. People want beverages that supposedly do things—help them sleep better, give them energy, make them less stressed.

Hotels stock their minibars with CBD beverages that taste like fruit but supposedly chill you out without making you drunk. THC-infused seltzers and non-alcoholic drink enhancers are getting popular in places where it's legal. Sounds crazy, but people say they get the relaxation part of drinking without feeling terrible the next day.

Functional beverages at resorts and hotels often cost more than premium cocktails. Adaptogen drinks, herbal tonics, and wellness beverages command premium prices, yet demand keeps growing. People are willing to pay extra for drinks they believe will enhance their vacation experience.

Why Everyone's Doing This Now

The pandemic messed with people's heads about health. When you're stuck at home for months, thinking about mortality, spending your rare vacation time feeling sick seems stupid. Plus, everyone got obsessed with wellness during lockdown and didn't just drop it when travel started again.

Instagram changed vacation goals, too. Nobody wants to post photos where they look bloated and tired. Wellness vacation pics get more likes anyway—sunrise yoga beats drunk selfies every time.

Remote work made it even weirder. If you're "working from Bali," you can't be hungover during important video calls. Digital nomads need vacation options that don't mess with their productivity.

Business travellers report stopping alcohol consumption on work trips because staying sharp during meetings became more important than networking drinks. This shift in business travel habits often carries over to personal vacation choices.

Different Places Do It Differently

European wellness tourism is all about fancy spas and mineral water that supposedly has healing properties. Sounds fake, but people pay serious money for it.

Asian hotels are ahead of everyone on this. They've been making herbal teas and fermented drinks for a long time, so incorporating modern functional beverages was a natural fit. Japanese business hotels started stocking rooms with wellness drinks instead of alcohol, and guests love it.

Places where cannabis is legal are making crazy money from wellness tourism. Canada, the Netherlands, and some US states. People plan entire vacations around legal cannabis experiences combined with wellness activities. Way more profitable than regular tourism, apparently.

Startup opportunities are everywhere. Travel-sized functional drink packets, hotel minibar alternatives, destination-specific wellness drinks. Venture capital firms are throwing money at any company with a decent wellness beverage idea.

This Isn't Going Away

People who grew up with wellness culture aren't suddenly going to start drinking heavily on vacation. The shift feels permanent, especially with younger travellers who have money to spend.

Business travel wellness requirements will only get stricter as companies realise healthy employees are more productive. Nobody wants their team hungover during important meetings.

The travel industry that adapts fastest will capture the best customers—people with money who are willing to pay premium prices for experiences that make them feel good instead of terrible.