By that I don't mean travelling as a competition (although that could be fun!) I mean travelling to specific places to see or attend sporting events, or to see a sport in a particular place.

Being a travel and sports nut, this obviously appeals to me! When travelling I often take the time to go and see a famous stadium, even if nothing is going on. For example, on a recent weekend jaunt to Barcelona I went to the Nou Camp for a look around, and took the stadium tour - huge place! Unfortunately for me, my trip didn't coincide with a home match for Barcelona otherwise I may well have taken the opportunity to catch a game. I did manage to see a Bundesliga match at the Berlin Olympic Stadium last year which was great, and when living in Japan I regularly went to see J-League football, and some baseball. I've seen Aussie Rules at the MCG, and trips to Canada have twice included taking in an NHL match. I've also stumbled my way into seeing national stadiums in La Paz, Lima and Bangkok (where the groundsman let me onto the pitch). But none of those were travelling specifically for a sporting reason.

I did travel to Swizterland last summer for a week travelling around during the Euro 2008 football, and the atmosphere was superb watching matches in the big fanparks with fans from all over Europe, and supping on some huge beers while doing it! One fan park in Luzern required you to buy drinks vouchers before going in, so I felt obliged to drink my way through all the ones I'd bought whilst comiserating with the locals when Swizterland got beaten again.

I follow a rugby team in England, and am looking forward to spending weekends away following them in European games in various small towns of France, Italy or Spain, not to mention potential trips to Ireland with them. Travelling with a team like that means that the destination is out of your hands and often takes you to places you'd otherwise never have thought of going which can sometimes give you an unexpectedly rewarding time.

I do have other ambitions to see sport abroad - I'd love to see football at the Maracana in Rio de Janiero and the Bombonera in Buenos Aires, Rugby at Ellis Park in Johannesburg or Loftus Versfled in Pretoria and the Millenium stadium in Cardiff, Hurling at Croke Park in Dublin, tennis at Wimbledon, baseball at the (new) Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park in Boston, golf at Augusta, sumo in Tokyo, the grand prix in Monaco, and probably many more that I can't think of right now.

Does anyone else share this idea? Or have any other suggestions to add to my list of "temples of sport" which could be visited. Travelling to events like these give a great insight into the local people I find, because even if you regularly watch the same sport at home the experience of being at a game in another country is utterly different. As an example, I watch lots of football in England where the atmosphere is often intense with a volatile undertone - not that I've ever seen anything remotely close to "trouble" but the atmosphere is aggressive and testosterone fuelled, but when living in Japan the atmosphere was more like a family fun day. The singing was led by fans who signalled what song to sing,and when to stop - and the crowd all stopped bang on cue. All songs came with it's "dance" which the crowd all did in the stands. In England and indeed in most European football grounds, the songs aren't so much sung as shouted, often aggressively. The contrast was huge and made it so fun to experience something so similar and yet so different.

I'm a sports fan too along with travel so I completely 'get' this idea of travelling for sport. I travelled to England to watch Euro '96 games, both in the stadiums and in the pubs and was lucky enough to go to Germany for 6 weeks surrounding the World Cup in '06. I was in Brisbane for the Rugby World Cup and got to see a few games there too.

Taking a summer and road tipping to as many US baseball parks as possible is an idea I've batted around (pardon the pun) with a friend for years but never got around to it. I'd love to follow my EPL team for a season.

And going to sporting events in any country you might be in is a great way to dip into local life. BnA writer Julie went to a baseball game in DR and it was one of the highlights of her trip and she's not a big baseball fan. So even if money or timing or desire don't allow you to get to the temples of sport, the everyday stuff can be just as rewarding.

Good post, mate.

I was in Australia during the 2003 RWC too, in Perth mainly so I got to was there for England's early group matches in Subiaco. Went to the Georgia match, but couldn't get tickets for the Springboks game. But the whol atmosphere surrounding it was amgnificent - all the city centre bars were teeming with rugby fans, particularly in the build up to the England - SA match.

A highlight was definitely when Iw as walking home from where I worked in Perth along the main shopping street (Murray St I think?) who did I see sat outside a cafe? Martin Johnson, Jason Robinson and a few others from the England team.

On a related sports/travel issue, I'm a bit of a runner and have just completed my first full marathon, having done many half-marathons up till now. This one was in Edinburgh (in unexpectedly hot weather which didn't exactly help!), which is a great city to visit. I feel the need to run more marathons, and am tempted by those in various interesting cities - Berlin, Amsterdam and so on. I'm also intrigued by the Midnight Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, which is run during the night on the longest night of the year - so coming up in a few days this year. Tempted to enter that one in the future, for the novelty and to travel to Alaska!

I did various road race when I lived in Japan too - they are road race crazy over there in the springtime. For anyone in that area, specifically Shizuoka Prefecture, I can thoroughly recommend the Nihondaira Sakura Marathon (not actually a marathon distance but the Japanese call all road races "Marathons"), in Shizuoka and Shimizu - up a mountain, down a mountain and then round the mountain, much of it with magnificent views of the nearby Mt Fuji - marvellous! (I do miss my Japanese hometown!!)

I don’t usually travel specifically for sport, but when I have it’s mostly been to see Celtic FC. I’ve been to Glasgow to see them at Parkhead a couple of times (1-0 v. Rangers, 0-0 v. Bayern in a CL group game), Barcelona for a CL game (1-1), went to Seville for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final but was one of the 45,000 or so Tims who didn’t get in the stadium. Great craic all the same, well except for the result! I’ve also seen the Bhoys play numerous friendlies around the US and Canada. Anyway, Celtic Park for an Old Firm or big European game has a great atmosphere, or Celtic away for major European ties brings a large, boisterous but friendly traveling support.

I do look out for opportunities to see local teams, mostly football, in action when I’m traveling. I’ve been to a few Bundesliga and La Liga games and seen St. Pauli in Hamburg. The only international tournament I’ve made it to was Euro ’88 where I saw Ireland beat Ingurland 1-0 in Stuttgart. Which I predicted the day before – wrote the score on a boulder at a rest stop outside Frankfurt while hitching to the game with a pal from Glasgow.

Other than that, I’ve seen Gaelic football at Croke Park in Dublin (Kerry beat the Dubs), a few football friendlies not involving Celtic, and loads of baseball and some American football and basketball, but mostly at home.

I haven't traveled for a sporting event yet. But I am ready and eager to travel for the Olympics. Do they count?

I do have a friend who travels to watch Formula One races. He loves it. He also travels to watch solar eclipses. But thats something completely different.

While in Ireland, my daughter and I went to the Camogie finals (that's Hurling for girls). We didn't understand what they were trying to do but really appreciated their skill. Traveling for sport is as good a reason to travel as anything else.

I've seen a few sporting events whilst travelling, not really gone specifically for the sport but if has always added to the experience.
Managed to see the F1 GP in turkey as part of a week in Istanbul which was fantastically loud, sound that you feel more than hear. Caught a basketball game in New York at I think, Madison Square Garden, it was a pre-season demonstration game but still fun to watch and a nice way to spend an evening.

I think anything that adds to your experience or gives you a reason to travel has to be a good thing.
Also managed to catch an opera at La Scala in Milan which whilst not sporting was still a new experience and something I would not normally go to see in the UK.

Anywhere with Rugby is also fantastic, particularly Edinburgh or Cardiff after a Scotland v Wales six nations match.

I do lots of diving trips, so traveling for me is sport. Same with other places I go. Not cushy and tough trips. Even battling the airports can be sport nowadays.

I've been to a sporting event in just about every country I've been to. Bull Fighting in Spain, association football in Morroco, and Muy Thai boxing in Thailand. So I've made a habit of attending the local sports scence when I travel, it comes with being a sports nut.

As for specific trips well, unfornately I won't be going to South Africa for the World Cup. But I am shooting for 2014 in Brazil. Thats IF I don't go on a football tour of the UK (Ibrox and Upton park are very high on my bucket list) or the next Euro in Poland and the Ukraine.

I've also toyed with following my most beloved team the Portland Timbers around the US on every road game.

Some advice if you're at all interested in taking in sporting events in the USA:

I know a lot of non Americans think American football is a joke, but the closest think I have to a "Hometown" team is the Green Bay Packers and their home stadium Lambeau Field is considered the high holy of American football stadiums.

Wrigley field four hous away in Chicago is another great American baseball park. This is coming from someone who absoulutly HATES the Chicago Cubs. But there is no denying the fact of their beautiful stadium.

For motor sports it has to be the INDY 500 in Indinapolis Indiana. In my opinon basketball fans have to hit the North Carolina triangle or Tobacco road for college basketball, watching Duke vs North Carolina can't be beat.

Hey hillbilly,

About your potential UK footy tour...can I ask why Ibrox and Upton Park are your top choices? I see from your tagline that you're singing the "Happy Hammers" song, so I guess that's the reason for wanting to go there, but why do you support them? Is it family connections or was it inspired by Frodo Baggins' little jaunt to East London in Green Street?!!
Ibrox, like Celtic Park, is obviously quite famous for it's atmosphere although I'm not sure if the intexity would be the same for the run of the mill opposition they usually play, rather than when the Old Firm play each other when it's obviosly electric.
I'm from Newcastle, and so I support Newcastle United who got relegated from the Premiership last year and are currently in the midst of internal financial and ownership turmoil, so the crowds and atmosphere here is not what it was.

Would love to be making the trip to South Africa next summer too. What are your thoughts on the US's chances? They've done quite well in the last couple of tournaments (2002 in particular). I'm hopeful for England's chances of doing well - Quarter Finals are our minimum requirement really, semi finals would be a great achievement and I'm hopeful of that if things go our way - a lot will depend on the draw in a few weeks time...fingers crossed.

The Portland Timbers are MY footy team I got the ink to prove it. But being a Timbers supporter I've learned my teams history and the two greatest Timbers of all time were Clyde Best and Clive Charles, both of whom came up in the West Ham system. Thats why I follow West Ham.

As for Rangers its mere coincidence. Rangers have the same colors as my old high school, and Celtic has those of our biggest rival. though at one time even the Timbers wore the green and white hoops.

As for the US nats chances, well it really depends on the draw, but I'll be disappointed if we don't reach the round of sixteen. Though I really like England's chances to win it, provided they can get some decent work from their keeper.


Last May I bought a twelve pack of Coke for a friend who follows Newcastle (there are a few of them among the Timbers Army, though there are many more Sunderland supporters) lets just say with the Hammers sitting in 18th place after our loss at home to Everton today I'm starting to regret that little joke.