EF Ultimate Break introduced Sober Spring Break earlier this year. Demand was so high that now the Gen Z travel leader has added nine sober group tours! The new alcohol-free tours visit Thailand, Bali, Croatia and Greece. There’s a special New Year’s trip to London.
The brand specializes in the 18-35 market. Okay, I feel a little left out. But I’m always excited to see more non-drinking travel options, even if I am, sigh, too old.
EF Ultimate Break is part of EF World Journeys. The travel company has three parts: Go Ahead Tours, aimed at adults age 35 and up, EF Adventures, for adventure travelers, and Ultimate Break.
Demand driven by young employees and travelers
“EF overall, but especially Ultimate Break, it’s very much a business that’s powered by Gen Z,” Heather Leisman, president of EF Ultimate Break, told me in a phone interview. “So many of our employees fall into the age group of our travelers.” On group trips, Leisman noticed under-attended happy hours and less interest in drinking. Their travelers seemed to value alcohol less than they had in the past.
“Then we heard a lot of feedback from our travelers who said we would love to do these tours with other likeminded people,” Leisman said. EF Ultimate Break responded by creating its line of sober tours.
Choosing destinations for EF Ultimate Break sober tours
The company looked at three things to determine the best places to offer sober tours: customer feedback about places they wanted to go, inquiries about places nondrinkers worried they might be uncomfortable, and places where people don’t drink much anyway.
“So if you think about Egypt or Bali, a place where culturally there’s less drinking,” Leisman said. “In Bali, everything there is about wellness and health. So it was leaning into the local culture in those areas.”
The sober trip itineraries focus on wellness. “We picked beautiful places that had a lot of activities,” she said. “Places where there were things that you want to do in the morning that are going to be much better if you have a clear mind and you’re not dragging yourself out of bed.” Think ziplining through a cloud forest in Costa Rica, or visiting Thai temples and elephant sanctuaries. And all of this with knowledgeable local guides who are sober or sober curious themselves.
EF Ultimate Break’s philosophy
The key to a good sober trip is to start with activities that build connections and expose travelers to the culture. “It’s less about coming up with a whole new concept or new idea, and more about refining it for a specific audience,” Leisman said.
EF is seeing growing demand for traveling with a like-minded group. “We’re doing a lot more of that because we find that when you’re in a new country and experiencing something new, sometimes you’d rather be with people that share your commonality,” she said.
Okay, I’m sold. I’m waiting for EF tours for the over-35 set so I can cruise down the Nile with a group of sober folks drinking hibiscus tea.
