In spite of the continuing heat, fall is here, and with it is a conjunction of fabulous sporting events. Pro and college football are back, major league baseball, soccer, and NASCAR are getting ready for their exciting playoffs, and pro basketball and hockey are starting. So, with all these opportunities this month, we are highlighting a great reason to go on a weekend getaway: traveling for a sporting event!

 

For watching and joining crowds for sports revelry, the "king" location is Las Vegas! Even for big events like the annual Formula 1 race through the Vegas Strip or this past year's Super Bowl, the Entertainment Capitol of the World is equipped to be the “hostess with the mostess.” With hundreds of flights and thousands of hotel rooms, a deal can always be found, so keep Las Vegas on your list of sports-oriented weekend getaways.

 

Traveling for your favorite team’s away games can be so fun! Dallas Cowboy fans, for example, are some of the best traveling fans and always have a significant presence at away games. The party usually starts onboard the Friday flights out of DFW with Cowboy fans heading to an away game. Whether for an NFL or college game, being part of a fan contingent traveling to a “hostile” stadium for an away game can be so fun and offers an opportunity to visit a city or part of the country you might not otherwise travel to.

 

Sporting event trips can be as simple as a weekend road trip, like Houston for a Rangers vs. Astros game, Norman OK for a TCU vs. OU game, San Antonio for a Macs vs. Spurs game, or Austin for a NASCAR or Formula 1 race. With flights out of DFW to every major sports city in the U.S., attending any event is possible. We love to travel to “All-Star Games,” like the NFL Pro Bowl and NHL or MLB All-Star Games, where you can proudly wear your home team jerseys, and they always offer a full weekend of activities and events.

 

For those who want to go all out, the Super Bowl is the king of sporting events to travel to. This weeklong sporting extravaganza includes concerts, parties, meet-the-player events, skills competitions, amazing tailgating, and, of course, the game itself. Be prepared for an expensive trip, but it is an experience like none other.

 

If you are looking to combine some travel with supporting your favorite team, here are some of our sporting event travel tips...

 

• Keep road-tripping to a game within a reasonable distance, like a 4-hour drive or less, so you don’t spend most of your weekend in the car.

• For longer distances a 2-3 hour flight will get you to nearly any sporting event in the U.S.

• If you fly to an event, skip the rental car and save money and time by not having to park at the hotel or at the game. Find a hotel that is easily accessible to the event venue, within walking distance, or close to public transportation. Most stadiums are in the center of the city, with plenty of lodging and restaurants nearby.

• You can save money if you travel with an organized fan group going to a game. They will have arranged blocks of tickets, rooms, and airfare at a discounted group rate. Start with checking online fan websites or you can call local Travel Agencies to see if they are organizing an away game trip.

  • If you have schedule flexibility, you can save money by making a spur-of-the-moment last-minute decision to travel for a game. Prices for game tickets, hotels, and airline tickets are often reduced closer to the date of the event if there is unpurchased availability. This is how we attend many events.

• Check the destination weather so you can pack appropriately for the game's forecast. Bring your fan attire and binoculars, and remember that most event venues now require items you bring into the game to be in a clear bag.

As your neighbors, we hope you find our Travel Tales interesting and helpful. We travel for a living, and we welcome any suggestions on destinations or travel subjects you’d like to see featured in a future article. We can be reached through Stroll The Resort Magazine or through our Instagram accounts, @captscott737 and @pilotjenn737.