So you’ve been invited on the lad’s holiday (or, God forbid, you’ve been lumped with the task of organising it!)
This could be an amazing summer getaway with your mates, full of tan lines and funny memories. or you could wake up in a Greek hospital with a lengthy medical bill and no memory of how you got there. Want to avoid the latter? Here are some of my top tips on how to survive a lads holiday:
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Swerve the morning pints at the airport
- We Brits love a tradition, and a pint at the airport (regardless of time of day) is one of the more questionable ones. Paying £6 a pint for crappy lager at 7am to sit at a fake pub with sticky carpets, just to end up feeling knackered by the time you get on the plane. Skip out the pre-plane pints and you’ll arrive feeling ready to go at the other end.
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Be the designated driver
- Split the cost of a rental car with your group and unlock a new level of lads’ holiday. Airport transfers? No longer an issue. Rogue beach on the other side of the island? No problem! See more of the sites, avoid getting ripped off by local taxis, and the bonus? You avoid day-drinking, so you’re nice and fresh for the evenings.
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Organise some activities: Most places have decent “What’s on?” blogs online – do a bit of research before you go and book an activity or two. The possibilities are endless!
- If you’re somewhere sunny and hot, find the local waterpark.
- Got some pent-up tension in the group? Why not go paintballing and inflict some pain on each other in a completely legal way.
- Go on a downhill biking adventure in the hills
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Postpone the pub – events for the evenings: These don’t have to be completely booze-free, but you’re going to have better stories if you actually remember what you got up to!
- Look up a local band and head down to their gig. You might stumble across a new favourite.
- Follow the food – find out the best foodie spots are in town and make a meal of it.
- If you do want to head to a pub, go somewhere with some variety of activities like pool, darts or bowling.
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If you are going to drink, do it sensibly!
- There are some really good low-to-no alcohol alternatives nowadays. You could go for something like a Schofferhoffer, a delicious grapefruit infused beer at (2.5% ABV), or an ice cold Becks Zero (0% ABV). Likewise, if you’re sat in the sun, a mocktail will be a lot more refreshing than something packed full of booze!