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Planning a Successful Sports Vacation

Wesley McDonald has been a travel enthusiast for almost 20 years. He is passionate about living life on the go, travel and the hospitality industry. He’s a freelance writer working with the stadium hotel experts at stadiumhotelnetwork.com.

I used to think I was weird for traveling across the country exclusively for sporting events. I have lived in San Francisco for most of my life, and I have flown across the country several times just to watch my Giants play. My girlfriend called me obsessive, but they never really minded much because she always gets to come with me, and who doesn’t like to travel? It wasn’t until I was at a house party and heard a friend complaining about his last trip to see the Phillies that I realized I am not alone in traveling hundreds of miles for a ball game. I also learned-through the stories of my friend’s frustration-that I was much more successful at it than he and his friends were. I have since made an effort to help others in their efforts to make sports centered vacations successful as well as enjoyable. Here are some essentials to keep in mind when setting out on exactly such an excursion.

Flight
This one has always felt like a no-brainer for me, as with most people, but there are still those who tend to overlook the importance of planning out your flight. Season schedules are released month and months ahead of the games themselves, and if you are able to pick the away games you hope to see, then your trip dates are already set. As soon as you know this, you need to immediately begin shopping for flights, and get yourself a deal. A deal is not only centered on price. Fewer layovers and better departure or arrival times also play a factor. If you take the time to buy your flight well in advance as opposed to waiting until a month or two ahead of the game, you will get yourself the best deal and avoid mountains of unnecessary stress.

Room
The smartest decision you can make for a sports vacation is centered as much of your activities and necessities around the stadium itself. This applies most to where you choose to stay. The last thing you want to do is drive across town in heavy game-day traffic, only to arrive late. Staying close to the stadium also allows you to avoid driving all together, which saves you the hassle of parking and dealing with other drivers. I highly advise taking the effort to find a hotel near your stadium.

Eats
I am always conscious of two things when it comes to eating on vacation: money and culture. While fancy restaurants are great, and I am certainly in favor of splurging once in a while, I have always found that eating like the a local not only saves money, but also opens one up to a whole new side of local culture. When it comes to game night, avoid the sports grills and restaurants; they will be over packed and over priced. Food trucks and sidewalk vendors are cheap, quick, delicious, and easy to eat on the go if you find yourself needing to move. On game day, keep these things in mind, and save the nice dine-outs for the off-days.

In all, a trip to watch your favorite team play-whether it is baseball, basketball, or even a college football team-you want your trip to be as enjoyable as possible. As long as you focus the trip around the game, you can still enjoy all that your destination has to offer. Hopefully, by keeping the three essential elements listed in mind when you plan, everything will go off without a hitch, and you can rest assured there will be at least one victory during this trip. Happy travels.