STEP 1: Plan it out.
The night before a bar crawl is just as crucial as the day of. Things are going to get blurry once you start slugging beers for breakfast. Plan out what bars you want to hit and in what order. That way, you have some sort of road map in case your group gets separated. Also, get a good night’s sleep. Nothing is worse than starting your day tired and hungover. Because you know the hangover at the end of the day is going to be 100x worse than the one you started with.
STEP 2: Eat!!!
No one wants to be taking care of the person who drinks on an empty stomach and is sloshed after 3 drinks. Have a good breakfast; we promise you’ll still be able to get drunk after eating some pancakes. Also, snacking as you go is a great way to keep you from going off the deep end after bar #2 (because you know after about 6 drinks, you’re going to start craving pizza).
STEP 3: Pace yourself.
If you’ve ever bar crawled before, you know the importance of this one. No need to order 3 rounds of shots at the first bar. The whole point of a bar crawl is to make it to multiple bars. Keep a consistent, reasonable flow of booze at every bar. (Not to sound like your mom, but it can’t hurt to throw a few waters into the mix every once in a while.)
STEP 4: Mix as little as possible.
Every bar will have different deals – $1 beers, $3 tequila shots, $5 vodka sodas. It’s tempting to just do it all. But we highly recommend sticking to one type of booze as much as you can. Trust us, you’ll be thanking yourself the next morning if you do.
STEP 5: Budget yourself.
Why is it that we always feel like millionaires while we’re drunk? “Drinks for everyone on me!” “$100 tab for one round of drinks? No problem!!” There is zero need to drink top shelf all day. Less expensive booze will get you tipsy just the same. Sure, spoil yourself with that pricey cocktail or beer, but don’t feel the need to continue drinking that at every bar. Your wallet will be forever grateful.
STEP 6: Have fun.
It’s easy for drama to pop up once people have been drinking for 5 hours straight (“OMG she’s totally flirting with my ex-boyfriend who I haven’t talked to in 2 years – how could she? *sobbing*). Avoid the theatrics and stick to having a good time. You’re here to drink. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.
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