My new Sober Travel Handbook is now available from Microcosm Publishing. I’ve been working on this project for the last year plus, interviewing dozens of people who identify as sober travelers.

I was excited to work with Microcosm because they publish an eclectic mix of subject matter. Mental health is one of Microcosm’s recurring topics, always addressed in a direct, real way. I appreciate that approach because I was at first struggling with this book, trying to figure out whether it belonged in the self-help or travel section. One day I was browsing an airport bookstore I had a revelation. Sober travel is as normal as any other kind of travel. Some people are digital nomads. People use wheelchairs. Parents travel with small children. Some people don’t drink. I realized I should normalize the sober traveler just like any other.

Microcosm understood my vision and suggested publishing my work as a zine. So the first iteration is 58 pages long and stapled. I’m hoping people will be interested enough in my work that Microcosm will publish the full-length version of the book by the end of the year.

Get your copy of Sober Travel Handbook

Here’s the description of Sober Travel Handbook from my publisher’s website. And if you’re interested, you can order it here.

“For nondrinkers, travel presents special challenges. Whether you’re traveling for work, pleasure, or a family event, it can feel like alcohol is everywhere you turn; and for those in recovery, the ups and downs of travel can trigger a relapse. But fear not: drawing on extensive personal experience, as well as interviews with a variety of nondrinking travelers and addiction experts, travel writer Teresa Bergen has created this helpful guide to staying sober on the road. From bachelorette parties to funerals to professional networking events, learn survival strategies for booze-laden travel scenarios of all kinds. With the help of her alter ego, Sober Cat, who tells the story in pictures, Bergen will help you prep for your trip, dodge drinks, and get the most out of your travel experience—no matter your reason for abstaining.”