Whenever possible, I try to combine two of my greatest passions — travel and sports.
In fact, I’ve visited 109 countries and have attended major events like the Olympics, Grand Slam tournaments, and the World Cup.
I’ve also attended a number of local sporting events in different countries, which have allowed me to meet new people, try different foods, and learn about cultural traditions.
Whether you’re getting tickets to an actual sporting event or just joining the locals to watch a game together, I recommend incorporating sports into your itinerary for an authentic cultural experience.
Here are five of the sporting events I’ve attended around the world that I think should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.
Rain, hail, or shine — the show goes on at Japanese baseball games.
I took my family to see the Hanshin Tigers at a Japanese baseball game. Despite the persistent rain throughout the afternoon, the crowd sang and chanted nonstop.
We were the only non-Japanese people in our section, and the fans embraced us and taught us their unique cheers for each player.
One tradition they have is releasing yellow balloons after the seventh inning, filling the sky with color. My kids loved this part more than the game itself.
The fan festival I attended in Finland was a great way to experience the locals’ passion for ice hockey.
At many major sporting events, there are free fan events where people can gather to watch the game. These are usually held at large sites with giant TV screens, food trucks, and beer tents. It’s a great way to enjoy the game alongside thousands of other people.
I was fortunate to travel to Finland while they were hosting the Ice Hockey World Championships. If there’s one thing Finns are passionate about it’s ice hockey.
The atmosphere at the festival in Helsinki was amazing, even though learning Finnish songs after a few beers was a bit difficult.
It was incredible to watch archers in Bhutan celebrate hitting a target with song and dance.
Although the players are competitive, there’s a unique camaraderie among Bhutan archery participants.
I was surprised to see that when an archer hit a target, the game was paused, and the scoring team formed a circle and broke into a folk song accompanied by a dance. It was fantastic to watch.
I celebrated my bachelor party at a University of Texas football game.
I’m an Aussie and married an American in 2022. Since we had our wedding in Texas, many of my friends traveled to the US for a weeklong celebration. I decided to hold my bachelor party at a University of Texas football game.
None of the Aussies had been to an American football game or tailgated before, so watching with about 100,000 passionate Longhorn fans made for a fun and unique bachelor party.
My hometown in Australia is also an excellent place to check out local sporting events.
I’m lucky to have several major sporting events in my home city. After all, my hometown of Melbourne calls itself the sporting capital of the world.
Every year, I attend the Australian Open, which Roger Federer nicknamed the “Happy Slam.”
With so many tourists in attendance, it often feels like I’m on an overseas adventure — without the jetlag, of course.
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