DateableWhy heavy drinking on a trip away puts you at risk
Heavy drinking away from home removes the judgment you need to stay safe and find your way back. Spiked drinks are a known risk abroad.
Away from home, drinking heavily removes the judgment you need to get back safely. At home you know the landmarks, the safe places, and who to call if something goes wrong. Away, you lose all three.
Alcohol and unfamiliar places
Drinking at home and drinking on a trip are not the same. At home you know which streets are safe at night, which taxi rank to use, and you could probably walk home half asleep and still arrive. On a trip, every street looks the same in the dark. You do not know which areas are safe. You do not have a mental map of how to get back.
Add alcohol to that, and your judgment is gone. Spiked drinks are a known risk abroad 1. A bad decision at home might leave you in a taxi queue for an hour. A bad decision on a trip might leave you lost in an unfamiliar city at night, unable to find your hotel or explain where you need to go.
You cannot tell if a drink is spiked
It is impossible to tell whether a drink has been spiked without testing 2. A drink that someone has spiked looks the same as a normal one. It smells the same. It tastes the same. You cannot rely on your senses to warn you that something is wrong.
What you might notice instead is that you feel much more drunk than you should be after the drinks you have had. You might feel dizzy, confused, or your vision might blur. If any of that happens, stop drinking. Tell someone you trust, or a member of staff at the venue, straight away. Do not try to get back to your hotel alone.
You do not know your way back
On a trip, you do not know the city. You have not driven these streets. You have not walked them in daylight. Walking home alone while drunk, or trying to navigate by your phone, or trusting a stranger to help you find your way, are all risks.
You will probably take a taxi, which is good. But if you have drunk a lot, will you remember your hotel's name? Will you know whether the taxi driver is taking you the right way? Will you be able to tell if you are getting in the right vehicle, or if the driver is taking you somewhere else?
Before you go out, memorise your hotel's full address. Write it down or save it in your phone. Keep enough money for a taxi before you start drinking. That way, even if your judgment is impaired, the essentials are already sorted.
Agree on drinking pace beforehand
Before you go out with someone on a trip, have a conversation about drinking. Agree on how much you are both comfortable drinking. This removes the moment of decision when you are already a few drinks in, and peer pressure or the moment can push you further than you meant to go.
A good rhythm is to agree on a pace: maybe one drink an hour, or one drink per venue. Agree to check in with each other after each drink. Make it something you can both remember and hold each other to.
I want us both to have fun without losing track of what we're doing. Can we agree that we'll stick to maybe one drink an hour, and we check in with each other?
This conversation is part of your broader discussion about sugar dating safety. How much you drink is one piece of agreeing on what you both want from a trip, and what keeps you both safe while you are there.
Tell a trusted person where you are
Tell a friend who you are meeting, where you are going, and when you expect to be back. Do not keep it vague. Give them the name of the venue if you know it, or the area of the city. If you have drunk more than planned, send them an update. When you get back to your hotel, tell them you are safe.
This matters far more on a trip than at home. Someone knowing where you are, and being able to find you or contact help on your behalf if you do not check in, is one of the strongest safety nets you have.
Keep your phone charged before you go out. Keep your hotel's address written down and accessible. Keep money for a taxi in your pocket, not your bag, so you have it even if you lose everything else.
First meetings are riskier
If you are meeting someone for the first time on a trip, be even more careful with alcohol. You do not know this person. You do not know the city. You will probably be jet-lagged or tired from travel. All three of those things together mean you need to stay clearheaded so you can read whether you actually like them, and whether they respect your boundaries.
Meet in a public place. Meet during the day if you can. Read first-date safety before you meet. The rules there matter more when you are away from home and meeting a stranger.
If you have had too much
If you have drunk too much and you feel unsafe, lost, confused or unwell:
- Stop drinking immediately
- Find a member of staff at the venue and tell them you need help getting back to your hotel
- Give them your hotel's name or address, or show them it on your phone
- Ask them to call a taxi for you, or let you wait inside until you feel safer
- Text a friend and tell them you are on your way back
- Do not walk alone. Do not get in a car with someone you do not know. Do not try to navigate on your own
If something happens that goes beyond a night where you drank too much - if you think you may have been spiked, or if something happened that you did not consent to - read our safety guide for next steps and support.
Sources
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK) (2026). Foreign travel checklist.
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2025). Spiking.
