How to Plan the Perfect Sporting Vacation

If you’re a keen sports person, it makes good sense to go on a sports-themed vacation, but to enjoy the perfect experience you need to do some planning and organization in advance. It won’t be any fun to arrive at your destination to discover that you can’t do what you wanted to; as well as being disappointing and frustrating, it could be a costly mistake as well.

Selecting your sporting vacation location

First off, what sport are you looking at playing on your vacation? You won’t find facilities for all sports in all countries, so first, you need to match your chosen sport with a destination that provides a good standard and choice of venues.

Matching your ability

It’s not enough for there just to be facilities available; you need them to match your skill levels. You won’t have a great time on your rock-climbing weekend if the local cliffs are all more challenging than you’re used to.

Booking in advance

For most sports, you’re better off booking in advance rather than turning up the day you arrive or just before you want to start. Some places can’t cater to customers that turn up without a booking; others might simply have no capacity, leaving you disappointed or settling for a lower quality experience.

Checking the requirements

When you book your activity, make sure you know exactly what the arrangements are and what you need to bring. A 3 pm booking for a white-water rafting excursion may mean you have to get there at 2.30 pm for a safety briefing for example. Or you may need to bring ID, or other documentation without which you won’t be allowed to take part.

Taking the right kit

Very often you’ll be able to borrow or hire any equipment you need from the provider, which has advantages in that you don’t need to carry your sports kit with you. However, there are certain times when it’s worth making an effort to bring your own gear.

For example, if you’re going on a golfing vacation, playing with hired clubs is unlikely to be very satisfying, and could ruin the whole experience. You don’t need to take all your clubs if you don’t want to, just the essential ones like your 0211 clubs. Similarly, trying to enjoy a snowboarding trip on a hired board is never going to be as successful as taking your own board.

Understanding local customs

You might be going to take part in a sport whose rules you know inside about, but give some thought to the variations of local customs and cultures. There may be all sorts of differences in how you conduct yourself and what’s seen as the correct behavior, so don’t assume that just because you’re a five handicapper that there’s nothing new to be learned on a foreign golf course.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to carry out these simple tasks, and if you do, you can be as sure as it’s possible to be that your sporting vacation is going to be successful. – Travel Feeder