With everything from the Tokyo Olympics to the UEFA European Football Championship, 2020 is an exciting year to combine a passion for sports with travel.
There are a host of international sporting events taking place in fantastic destinations well worth your time exploring. But sports travel comes with a few challenges, according to Travel Counsellor Fiona Sarre, and you’ve got to be quick off the mark securing seats and travel arrangements.
Ready, steady, book
‘Tickets to big events do sell out quickly and my biggest tip is to buy them as soon as they become available. Definitely buy tickets from legitimate sources – if the price of a ticket seems too good to be true, it probably is,’ Fiona advised.
‘Going through a travel agent is the safest way to book them, especially when combining these with the travel portion of the trip as well. Booking through a travel agent (like Travel Counsellors) means you are fully ATOL protected, and if there are any travel issues, your travel agent will deal with these for you. Not to mention, if there are any serious problems, such as airline failure or the hotel goes into administration, a good travel agent can help find a solution.’
Tickets to top sporting events can be extremely hard, or near impossible, to come by – The Masters is one of the most coveted tickets in sport, for example. Thankfully, ticket availability shouldn’t be too much of a problem for other major events, like the 2020 Olympics. (Though anyone planning on travel to Asia should keep up-to-date with the latest travel advice, as the coronavirus continues to cause disruption.)
‘The biggest event this year has got to be the Tokyo Olympics in July. However, plenty of tickets will be made available so are unlikely to sell out too soon,’ said Fiona.
‘Other popular events are the F1 race weekends. I’d say the Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most popular as it is held at night, and the Abu Dhabi GP is another big one as it is the last race of the season. Then the UK GP is very popular due to it being our home GP. However, tickets aren’t too hard to come by for F1 events.’
If you like the idea of combining a holiday with watching major sport, then check out our guide to some of the biggest events of 2020.
North America: Major League Baseball season
Beginning in March, the MLB season has games taking place across North America. Host cities include New York, Chicago, Miami and Houston, so you can experience the electric atmosphere of a packed ballpark plus the chance to enjoy one of the US’ best cities.
Qatar: The Diamond League
The world’s best athletes will converge on Doha in April for this warm-up event for the Summer Olympics. When it comes to warming up, this ultra-modern city enjoys a hot climate and can be used as a base to explore the rest of the country.
Paris: The French Open
This major tennis tournament takes place over two weeks in May. Watch all of the action on court by day, and explore the famous French capital by night.
Nice: Tour de France
The start of the 2020 Tour kicks off on June 27 in Nice, a city well deserving a spot on any travel bucket list. Glamorous, beautiful and located on the French Riviera, there’s plenty to see and do once the Tour leaves town.
Europe: UEFA Euro 2020
Throughout June, the UEFA European Football Championship will take place across 12 cities in 12 different countries. It’s the perfect excuse for a multi-destination trip, during which you could take in some of Europe’s most wanderlust-worthy cities, including Budapest, Rome, Copenhagen, Bucharest, Bilbao or Munich.
Tokyo: Olympic and Paralympic Games
Before the coronavirus epidemic, 2020 was predicted to be Japan’s biggest ever year for tourism. Its National Tourism Organisation even launched the ‘Your Japan 2020’ campaign aimed at encouraging international travellers to visit more off-the-beaten path destinations. There’s no telling how travel to the country will be affected come July and August, but for many people, this sporting event could be the perfect opportunity to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.
Australia: T20 Cricket World Cup
Swap a grey Autumn in the UK for some rising temperatures in Australia. Matches take place across the country in October and locations include Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. It’s such a long way to travel for a cricket match, so make the most of your trip and get exploring.
Vietnam: F1
The 2020 Formula One season starts with the Australian GP in March and ends in Abu Dhabi in November. There are 22 GP races across four continents and one new addition this year is Vietnam. Fall for Pho, go with the flow in Hanoi and take in the highlands, rivers, rice terraces and padi fields of the country’s culturally-rich yet lesser known provinces.