There is a kind of traveler whose travel story is not often discussed or included in travel guides. Their travel is not about a particular beach, museum, or mountain range. More, flashing stadium lights, and a buzzing energy that can be felt miles away. Football travellers put football on the top of their itinerary above all else. That is their motivation to travel to a certain place and explore a new culture across city nights.

Following football games in various cities is a way to learn about traveling. Visiting a football stadium from overseas isn't just about the stadium, but more about what’s happening in it. It is about what is happening hours before inside a coffee shop, on a crowded train with football fans on board, or on a street filled with vendors selling football memorabilia and roasted food to passers-by. Getting to a football match is not unlike getting to a destination in itself.

Football is a wonderful way to get a sense of a destination. A football fan standing in front of a stadium in Liverpool, awaiting a match involving Liverpool FC, would hear songs being sung in the streets hours before a match is to begin. Football fans marching towards a stadium to watch FC Barcelona play in Barcelona would pass coffee shops filled with football enthusiasts arguing about football strategies and players’ current form.

For a traveler who is not a football fan, going to a football stadium is still a great way to immerse yourself in culture and conversation. Visiting stadiums would turn any traveller into a football bettor, once they witness a single match. Watching one match can make anyone hop on a local betting site and try to take a shot on the football odds any day. Many have been inspired by visiting great cities like Madrid or Barcelona to become avid football bettors.

Cities That Change on Match Day

Some cities change completely on match day. The normal flow of life in the city would slightly come to a stop as fans of football gather in coffee shops and bars and in public spaces.

For instance, in Milan Italy, where the famous San Siro Stadium is situated and where the fiercest of rivalries in Italian football are contested between AC Milan and Inter Milan teams, hours before the actual start of the game, the streets would be filled with colors if either of the two teams is playing at home.

For the traveling enthusiast, it is a peek into the culture of the place, and few tours would offer such experiences. Experiencing in first person, the sharing of local food and culture amongst a table, where stories are shared, especially about football, is a unique enough experience for anyone.

This is true in many parts of Europe, particularly in areas where football is part of the culture of the community.

The Journey Is Part of the Experience

Traveling when concerning football isn’t just about watching a football game or just about flying in and flying out immediately after the game. In order to really get into the game of football, it is recommended that one get into the culture of the place that is immediately adjacent to the stadium.

A morning would be spent having a cup of coffee in a café where fans of the game would congregate and discuss the game. By the afternoon, the roads would slowly start to fill with fans and their paraphernalia as the game neared.

Going with the fans towards the stadium would be in itself an experience. Chants would slowly start to build up as fans congregate at the gates of the stadium.

For a tourist, it would be like being part of a tradition.

Football as a Global Passport

Perhaps, the biggest advantage that football has as a sport is that it has the ability to bring together people who have no other common ground than their love for the sport. For the traveling enthusiast, even in the absence of any linguistic skills, it is easy to engage in conversation about the game, particularly if it was an exciting game.

For example, going to a football match between two teams in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is an experience that will not be forgotten. The stadium is filled with anticipation and energy before the first whistle blows.

Going to Dortmund, Germany, and watching Borussia Dortmund is an opportunity to see one of the most famous supporters' sections in the world. "The Yellow Wall" is an iconic symbol of football's impact on the world. Each football stadium is another stamp in the traveller’s own passport of football experiences.

Food, Streets, and Stadium Lights

One of the delights of football travel is seeing the little things around the football match. Street food available around the football stadium is as diverse as it is delicious. Finding hot pies around football stadiums to eat freshly baked around stadiums in England is pretty common. Just as finding tapas bars filled with people on game nights in Spain, or Germans eating Wursts and pretzels with beer on every cobbled corner. These experiences are unmatched and add to match day. All travellers can vouch for this.

Why Fans Keep Travelling

For a number of fans who love watching football, the chance to watch the sport in other countries is a lifelong adventure. Each stadium is unique in its own way.

Some fans of the game have decided to tour the most popular stadiums in the world. Others follow their favourite team wherever it may be playing. Regardless of the reason for the trip, however, it is something that is about much more than winning or losing in the game itself.

A trip dictated by football is one that is filled with stories that extend well beyond the confines of the actual game. It is something that leads to conversations with strangers who have quickly become friends, to seeing areas of towns that are rarely mentioned in any travel book, and to moments where the crowd seems to be almost universal in its excitement and energy.

Ultimately, it is something that is not only about seeing different countries and experiencing different cultures but is instead about seeing countries through the traditions and excitement of football. And it is something that continues to draw fans of the game back out onto the roads in search of the next stadium and the next game.