100 million Americans embark on vacations every year. For most of them, vacation will mean finding a resort where kids can have fun in the pool and parents can squeeze in a couple of trips to the spa.
All of that sounds nice, but if you’re a sports lover, there has to be more to vacation than just camping out in a resort, right?
As it turns out, there are several fantastic sports holidays out there that are fun, active, and waiting for you to enjoy them. If you love working up a sweat while on holiday or just love the idea of watching matches to break up hours of lounging, consider any one of these nine travel suggestions.
1. Hiking in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon isn’t a place that’s on most people’s international vacation lists. That’s understandable. There are certainly more showy destinations out there.
If you’re looking for a low-key holiday without tourist congestion that’s perfect for getting physical though, we think that Portland might be one of the world’s best hidden gems.
Lovers of physical activity will adore taking one of the Portland area’s infinite beautiful hikes. After enjoying ample trails and greenery, they can unwind by filling their stomachs downtown, which has some of the best niche foods and craft beers in the country.
2. Cycling France’s Countryside
Vacationing in Paris is a lot of fun. You get to see the Eiffel Tower, the youth scene is cool, and the area makes for some great pictures. If you’re looking for sports holidays though, we recommend ditching Paris and heading over to Burgundy.
Burgundy sports miles of pristine biking roads that weave through the gorgeous French countryside. When you get tired of biking, you can pull over and enjoy any one of the thousands of bottles of world-class wine that are produced in the area.
3. Baseball in America’s Birthplace
Boston is one of the earliest settled cities in America. As such, it features some of the oldest buildings, landmarks, and sports teams.
On the subject of old sports teams, Fenway Park is well over a century old and still hosts the baseball games of the outstanding Boston Red Sox.
Sports lovers will have a blast catching double-headers at the stadium in the early summer. Before and after games, visitors can explore the rest of Boston’s iconic landmarks.
4. Catching a Wave in Australia
You haven’t lived until you’ve slipped into a wet suit and caught waves at Australia’s Bondi Beach.
Over there, you’ll enjoy great swells and fantastic water temperatures during Australia’s summer. You can even go on boat tours like bareboat charter Whitsundays that take to a number of different waves that are secluded, so you can have the surf break to yourself.
If you find yourself in Eastern Aussie territory, we recommend catching a wave in Byron Bay, which may be the most pristine surfing mecca on the planet.
5. Swimming in Hawaii
Swimming is one of the best sports out there in that it’s refreshing, provides ample exercise, and is low-impact. If you’re looking for a great place to enjoy a few open water laps during your vacation downtime, head over to Hawaii.
Whether you’re in Oahu, Punalu’u Beach or Maui, you’ll find ample warm waters that you can freestyle stroke through.
Tired of vacationing in Hawaii? There are other places around the globe that feature great swimming conditions. If you’re part of a timeshare organization and have vacation club benefits, you probably have access to swimming havens like Palawan, Cuba, and the Phi Phi Islands.
6. Climbing Stairs in Beijing
Climbing stairs may not be considered much of a sport but there’s no denying that you sports lovers will work up a sweat doing it. To that end, there’s no set of stairs more rewarding to tackle on the planet than the stairs in Beijing’s Great Wall of China.
The Great Wall has millions of stairs to tackle so make sure that you’re in great condition before planning your sports holiday around this landmark.
In addition to climbing, Beijing’s love of basketball means that there’s a great chance that you’ll be able to catch a game in and around the city.
7. Teeing Off in Scotland
Are you a fan of the gentleman’s game of golf? If you are, there’s no better place to play than in the sport’s birthplace, Scotland.
Golf was invented back in the 1400’s and since then, has become an international phenomenon. Scotland boasts particularly wonderful courses and pristine resorts next to those courses where you can relax between long days of teeing off.
8. Soccer in Spain
Fútbol fans will rejoice when exploring Spain given the country’s huge fanaticism with the sport. Whether you’re hanging out in Barcelona or Madrid, you have the opportunity to watch world-renowned teams like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid take to the field to do battle between goalposts.
Even if soccer isn’t a huge deal for you, if you love sports, you haven’t experienced anything until you’ve watched a European soccer match on a professional circuit.
The vivaciousness of the audience alone is enough to make you fall in love with professional sports all over again.
Sports Holidays Are Every Bit As Engaging As They Are Relaxing
People go on vacation to unwind. Let’s face it though, there are only so many hours that you can spend sitting on a beach chair before you get bored.
By taking sports holidays, you always have something active that you can do when your body is done relaxing and is ready to have a good time.
We hope that our sports holiday suggestions have inspired some of your future vacation possibilities. If you’re curious to learn about more sports-related fun or other topics pertaining to athletics, check out more of the content in our blog!
