I know I'm a bad person for this, but I can't help but wish I had the wherewithal to sign up for an "around the world pub crawl," despite my nagging suspicion that it is, in fact, a generally bad idea:
The 28-day tour, which claims to be the first of its kind, takes in at least 60 pubs and bars in Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Iceland, Thailand, New Zealand, Hawaii and Mexico.
Run by Perth-based Thirsty Swagman, it invites travellers to see the world through the bottom of a glass and promises no boring sightseeing.
"It's designed to take people to unique destinations to party," Thirsty Swagman boss Kenneth Hart said. "The only sightseeing they'll do is the inside of a bar."
I know, I know, this sort of thing probably encourages binge drinking - as this news article makes sure to helpfully point out for us...
Australia Medical Association Victorian president Dr Doug Travis said the tour risked glorifying binge drinking.
"While having a tour that visits pubs in itself isn't evil, we certainly would not want this to be an encouragement of binge drinking or drinking to excess," he said.
"The safe level of drinking is two standard drinks a day. Anything in excess of that puts your health at risk."
Drug and Alcohol Research Training Australia's Paul Dillon said people were more likely to drink heavily in groups, and drinking every day for a month without at least two alcohol-free days a week was dangerous.
Which, okay, memo to me on that part about "alcohol-free days." I've heard of those. They remind me of distant youth, the sweet smell of mother cooking breakfast before I ran off to kindergarten, the manner in which I needed my vocabulary to mature before I could properly ask for a stronger pour. And yeah, there's also this factor:
Mr Dillon said the trip was likely to appeal to young men who were traditionally risky drinkers.
Which, okay, so I guess this trip isn't likely to appeal to supermodels and captains of industry, meaning the company is potentially going to be less than stellar.
Still. 60 pubs in 9 countries in 28 days? If I had the vacation time...
