Beyond The Hangover: Bachelor Party Edition

Let’s be real. When someone says bachelor trip, a montage of neon lights, blurry nights, overpriced bottle service and questionable life choices play in your head. But what if I told you that you don’t need to wake up with a tattooed face, find a random traffic cone in your room or realise you’ve maxed out your credit card from a rather hazy night? Ditch the overdone bachelor party tropes and go beyond the hangover route for something more meaningful and memorable. Grooms today are opting for activities that go beyond partying and strip clubs.

Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie, a foodie, a wellness enthusiast, or just someone who prefers a killer road trip over a dive bar crawl, we’ve got you covered. From skydiving to fun food and music festivals, here are some epic ways to celebrate the groom-to-be—without relying on bad club music and expensive cocktails

Time For Some Thrill

Dial up the adventure for you and your gang to celebrate the last day of singlehood. Take the ultimate leap of faith with a skydiving experience in Dubai, New Zealand, or Hawaii, or opt for an adrenaline-pumping bungee jump off Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa. Aqua enthusiasts can go shark cage diving in Neptune Islands, Australia where you’ll come face-to-face with great white sharks. Trek the Inca Trail for a rewarding mix of history and scenery in Machu Picchu, Peru.

Game On

For a group of sports lovers, incorporating friendly competition into the bachelor trip can make for an action-packed experience. With pickleball taking over the sports scene, why not elevate the game at the moment, consider enjoying this sport in a breathtaking venue. Hotels like The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay (Hawai), Club Med (multiple locations across Mexico and the Caribbean), Nobu Hotel Los Cabos (California) and Nihi Sumba (Indonesia) offer pickleball courts with a scenic view. Not sold on paddling in paradise? Watch one of the Grand Prix, Grand Slams or football matches. Or even better, take a tour of your favourite stadium such as Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne), Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid ), Yankee Stadium (New York), or Wembley Stadium (London). Another fun activity I’d recommend is go-karting on the streets of Tokyo – Mariokart style!

Make Food Fun

Love experimenting with food? Culinary tours and festivals offer the perfect way to immerse yourself in local culture while indulging in some delicious (and sometimes chaotic) experiences. Ditch Buñol’s La Tomatina for Mallorca’s Grape Throwing Festival where you’ll pelt each other with grapes before celebrating with fine wine and authentic paella.

Cheese fans, brace yourselves. Ever thought of chasing a block of cheese rolling down a steep hill? In Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling contest, competitors throw themselves (quite literally) down a 45-degree slope in pursuit of a wheel of cheese. Prefer to keep your bones intact? You can always enjoy the spectacle safely from the sidelines. New Orleans’ Food & Wine festival is perfect to savour local flavours and great wines. The Pizzfest at Napoli Pizza Village (Italy) is a dream come true for pizza fanatics, where you bite into a variety of pizzas, including 50-odd historic versions like Napoletana, Margherita, and Marinara! And of course, you can’t miss Munich’s Oktoberfest, the ultimate beer lover’s paradise where you can go and sip on world-class brews.

If food festivals aren’t your thing but you’re still looking for some entertainment, book a table at Karen’s Diner in any of the UK or Australia outlets, where you’ll pay for “great burgers and very rude service” (their words, not mine). If you’re up for some top-tier roasting—both the culinary and verbal kind—this spot makes for a hilarious bachelor trip stop.

Not Your Average Spa Day

Sometimes, the best way to celebrate before the big day is to unwind, recharge, and enjoy some guilt-free indulgence with your closest friends. A wellness and relaxation retreat isn’t just about cucumber water and yoga (unless that’s your vibe). Think of it as a luxurious reset before one of the biggest milestones of your life—one that leaves you feeling like a king instead of a wreck. Imagine bathing in steaming milky-blue waters, sipping a cocktail at a swim-up bar, and looking out over a breathtaking landscape of jagged peaks and black lava fields. You can turn this into a reality at Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik, Iceland. If Iceland isn’t on the list, consider Japan’s traditional onsens for a mix of hot spring therapy and cultural immersion, or Victoria’s Peninsula Hot Springs in Australia for a spa day surrounded by stunning natural landscapes.

Turn Up The Volume

No bachelor trip is complete without epic beats and electric energy, so let’s talk about concerts and music festivals. Serbia’s EXIT Festival is a must—it features 1,000+ artists, 16+ stages, and nonstop party zones, all set within a medieval fortress. For legendary festival vibes, you can’t go wrong with Glastonbury (England), which is the ultimate bucket-list festival with genre-spanning headliners; Tomorrowland (Belgium), a dream for EDM lovers, packed with mind-blowing stage designs and Awakenings (Amsterdam), a techno heaven in the city that never sleeps. Want something more offbeat? Closer home, Ziro Music Festival in Arunachal Pradesh offers a laid-back, open-air experience in the breathtaking Ziro Valley. Think independent artists, Himalayan views, and a grassy spot to chill with a drink in hand. Basically, the groom’s last trip before saying “I do” must have a killer soundtrack!

Go ahead and plan a bachelor trip that’s not just an unforgettable adventure but also a chance to bond with your closest friends and create lifelong memories. While these ideas are designed for the groom and his groomsmen, why not take it up a notch? An offbeat and exciting twist would be to make it a combined celebration with the bride and her bridesmaids. Now that’s a trip worth considering!

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