Sports

This topic is mainly about doing sport. See also spectator sports.

A sport is a physical activity, primarily done or watched for recreation. Some sports are also modes of transportation (cycling, hiking, cross country skiing, horse riding etc).

*Lidingö runt*, a sailing event in Lidingö, Sweden.

There are several reasons to combine sports with travel.

Travellers might want to build up physical fitness at home, before an arduous journey.
A destination might have favourable weather.
A destination might have favourable nature, or sport facilities.
One destination, typically a low-income country, might provide a sporting experience at a lower cost than another.
Some sports can be illegal or strongly regulated in some countries, while legal in others.
The destination might hold competitions, tours or organized events.
Travellers might want to uphold their exercise habits while travelling.

Air sport

Air sport includes skydiving, paragliding, hang gliding, and hot air ballooning. See also general aviation.

Games

While boardgames, card games and video games are not always considered to be sports, contests and public events are usually organized in a similar manner. See Board games, Go, Chess, Xiangqi, Shogi, Gambling and Hacker tourism. Besides the "traditional" board and card games that date to before the industrial age, there is now a plethora of newer board games, with the US and Germany particularly known for their own styles of games, Germany being known for more cooperative games and the US for more competitive and "warlike" games.

Golf is a game that is variously considered a pastime, recreation, sport, profession, religion or an obsession. To some the game is more an opportunity for relaxation than sport, and many travelers roam the world looking for unique and famous golf courses on which to hone their skill. Green fees might be cheaper in low-income countries. You should check in advance what is required to play at some of these courses.

Outdoor life

Many sports can be practised as part of outdoor life. For those practised in winter and those in or on water, see Winter sport and Water sport below.

Canyoning (or canyoneering) is about going in a bottom of a canyon, which is either dry or full of water. It combines elements from swimming, climbing and jumping.

Geocaching is a treasure-hunting game that involves the internet, GPS map co-ordinates and travel. Players report their treasure hunt activities on-line to gain credits for their finds. Many of the players place caches (treasures) in spots they are quite fond of. So hunting them down will quite often lead to exciting adventures in lesser known locations.

Related to geocaching is the Degree Confluence Project where people contribute photographs of the planet at points of intersection of lines of longitude and latitude. Most of the easy ones are done – but if you are heading way off the beaten track this may be for you.

Hiking can either be done as day hikes, as wilderness backpacking or as hiking along long hiking routes leading through towns and countryside as well as natural landscapes, such as the E11 hiking trail from Netherlands to Poland or the pilgrimage route Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. There are also long-distance trails more or less through wilderness, such as Nordkalottleden or the Appalachian Trail.

Horse riding is a nice way to get around countryside landscapes, in some cases even the most practical way to get around. One can also practise the sport abroad to learn a local tradition of riding.

Orienteering involves using a map and terrain navigation skills to follow a course in the least time. The sport has an international following, world championships, and training programs, and takes place in beautiful and interesting locations. Orienteering meets hosted by the top clubs draw thousands of participants from around the world. Orienteering skills are needed (and can be enjoyed) also without competitive elements, especially when tracking in the backcountry. Closely related to orienteering are rogaining and adventure racing.

Rock climbing is about climbing individual rocks or slopes, with comfortable rest between the climbs. It can be practised as such or as training for mountaineering or caving, where the same techniques are used in more difficult circumstances.

Jogging is both easy and healthy everyday exercise. If you are a dog owner, you will get a good jogging partner from your pet.

Running is both an activity undertaken by casual joggers wanting to stay in shape during their travels, and also by those who seek out marathons and other competitions around the world. Travel companies offer packages for those travelling abroad for races that focus on the specific needs of the runner. The Marathon distance is pursued around the world.

Winter sport

Main article: Winter sport

Winter sport is done on ice or snow, typically in cold weather. A gratifying experience, while requiring precautions for ice safety and snow safety.

Cross country skiing can be used as a mean to travel easily in thick snow in the wilderness or as an alternative pastime on ski resorts. It can allow quite easy access to places which seem untouched by man. The skis are different from those used in downhill skiing.

Downhill snowsports include alpine skiing, snowboarding and Telemark skiing. Ski resorts around the world attract millions of travellers yearly.

Ice skating can be practised as more or less advanced figure skating, as racing, as team sports such as ice hockey or ringette, or for long-distance journeys on frozen lakes and rivers or even on the frozen sea.

Snowkiting is "winter's newest extreme sport", requiring only the wind, a snowkite, skies or snowboard, and an attitude for fun. The sport has endless possibilities, such as backcountry skiing without a ski lift or resort - your snowkite will pull you uphill and downhill at varying speeds. Snowkites can accelerate up to 50 MPH. The lifting power of the wind will allow you to jump to distances of up to 100 feet.

When snowkiting in the backcountry be aware of avalanche danger! Always snowkite in groups, wear an avalanche beacon, dress warm, and never exceed your limits.

Snowkiting is popular in Central Utah, a region of the United States of America.

Snowmobiling is a sport involving riding over snow on a motorized vehicle. It is popular throughout the western United States of America as well as in Canada and Alaska. The snowmobile is also extensively used for pure transport, e.g. in northern Scandinavia and Finnish Lapland.

Water sport

Main article: Water sport

Water sport is any recreational activity in, or on, a body of water. Examples include canoeing, cruising on small craft, kitesurfing, scuba diving, sea kayaking, SNUBA, whitewater sports and windsurfing.

For some of these sports, taking part in a local competition is quite easy. Most yacht clubs arrange regular light-hearted competitions, where you might be able to join a crew or take part with your own boat. If you are an expert, competitions such as the Myllykoski Bigwater Festival might be interesting.

Others

Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India and aim to control and still the mind. There is a wide variety of schools of yoga, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and traditional and modern yoga is practised worldwide. For one popular destination, see Yoga in Rishikesh.

Ziplining is a sport in which participants “zip” between platforms on a series of cables, suspended between trees or man-made structures. Participants are suspended from a pulley that moves across the cable, propelled by gravity. Zip line courses can be designed purely for speed (adrenaline rush) or to allow zippers to enjoy the natural surroundings such as forest, jungle or waterfalls (the latter often referred to as canopy tours). Some courses employ elements of both.

Recreational shooting can refer to several activities, including hunting, participating in shooting competitions, and using firearms as a hobby. Often carrying weapons across borders require licences and that you are going to hunt or attend an organised event.

Spectator sports

Main article: Spectator sports

Watching sport is just as much a reason for travel as actively participating in and playing sports. Whether it is a road game of your favorite sports team, a world cup or the top competition of your favorite sport that you have so far only seen on television, chances are you won't be able to do those things at home. Major sporting events on both a national and international level are a massive contributing factor to travel and tourism. In fact, cities will bid for the right to host these events just for the income the visitors generate. Often fans are in a bind because they don't want to buy tickets unless their team has confirmed their place but if they do so and leave it late, prices have skyrocketed. Travel revolving around sporting events is a massive industry and there are many businesses and tour groups who specialize in this.

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