Travel and sport: Is there a better combination?

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The worlds of travel and sport are intrinsically linked. For example, if you’re a fan of a particular team, you spend most of your adult life going to new destinations following your beloved side. It may only be a domestic team, but travelling up and down one’s own country can also bring with it some incredible experiences as you discover the land of your birth, all thanks to the love of a sports team.

The only thing better than travelling locally and following a sports team is doing it internationally. Very few of us have the resources or the time to do it on a regular basis but, if you ever get the chance to pack your team's shirt and your passport into the same bag, grab it with both hands.

You won’t be the same person once you watch a game of rugby at Newlands in South Africa with Table Mountain as the backdrop, or feel the breeze coming off the Mediterranean sea whilst watching a Test match in the Caribbean. Travel, as we know, does indescribable things to the soul and leaves us changed forever, whilst sport (and a love for a team) brings with it emotions that have the ability to leave one enjoying a euphoric high, or cataclysmic low.

Under the Oaks at Newlands... pic.twitter.com/b61iChumhp
— Newlands Cricket (@NewlandsCricket) December 31, 2019

This is why travelling to watch your team play doesn’t have to rely on them winning for you to enjoy the occasion. Indeed, regardless of the result, the very fact that you are out of your comfort zone and, in most cases, in very enjoyable surroundings, you are able to find happiness even if the worst happens and your team loses 8-0.

Put it this way; if the English cricket team loses in the West Indies, a late afternoon dip in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, followed by a few cocktails with a healthy dose of rum, will certainly get smiles back on peoples faces. And, as for winning in paradise, well, the party takes care of itself. However, you want to be careful that things don’t get too out of hand, as they did for Andrew Flintoff during an infamous pedalo incident in the West Indies where he needed rescuing.

It’s not only the world’s best destinations that lend themselves to unforgettable sporting experiences; for example, a short trip across the English Pennines to beat a rival is just as special and, let’s be honest, a lot cheaper. Indeed, just ask the fans of the Leeds Rhinos, who are a rugby league team from West Yorkshire, about the joys of going to Lancashire and winning in their sworn enemies backyard, as they did in 2017 against the Castleford Tigers.

Although it must be said, the chances of that happening in 2020 is quite slim with the Rhinos at odds of 10/1 in rugby league betting to win another Grand Final at Old Trafford. However, the point still stands; even if they don’t do it this year, those memories will last forever. Despite the fact that they have only traveled a few miles down the motorway.

Well here we are Tigers Fans!! The Tigers are just a few hours from gracing Old Trafford in their first ever @SuperLeague Grand Final! pic.twitter.com/On6yeN2Qan
— Castleford Tigers (@CTRLFC) October 7, 2017

There really is nothing quite like hitting the road and following your team.

So, if you are not a sports fan or even an avid traveller for that matter, why not try it? If not just for the fact that you can get away for a while and see a bit more of the world. There are memories waiting to be had!

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