Company Spotlight: Travel’s Next Big Community: Why G Adventures Is Betting on Sports Fans
Watching football on TV is one thing. Standing in a packed stadium surrounded by thousands of fans singing the same song is something completely different.
Sports tourism is booming, and football is helping drive that growth. In this Company Spotlight episode, Dan sits down with Yves Marceau, VP of Product at G Adventures, and Aly Handler, Product Development and Travel Style Manager, to talk about the launch of Away Games, G Adventures’ new small-group travel style built entirely around football culture.
We get into how the idea went from research to more than 30 departures across some of Europe’s biggest football cities, including London, Manchester, Madrid and Barcelona. Yves and Aly explain why they didn’t want to simply add a match ticket to an existing itinerary. Instead, Away Games was designed around the full experience of being a fan, from supporter pubs and stadium tours to matchday traditions, local food and the neighbourhoods where football culture lives.
Of course, the matches are a big part of it. Trips include premium hospitality and VIP seating at iconic grounds, but they also feature a second live match at the lower-league level. It’s a chance for travellers to experience both sides of the game, from some of the world’s most famous clubs to the grassroots communities where football remains deeply local.
We also talk about why travelling for sport can create such an immediate sense of connection. G Adventures’ research found that fans are surprisingly willing to travel with complete strangers when they share a club or passion for the game. Each trip is led by a football-loving G Adventures Chief Experience Officer, helping turn that shared interest into a ready-made travel community.
Then we get into some of the realities of planning an international football trip. Ticket fraud is a genuine concern, match dates can change because of television schedules and competitions, and something as simple as wearing the wrong jersey in the wrong seating section can create problems. Yves and Aly explain how Away Games handles those complexities and builds flexibility into each itinerary so travellers can focus on the experience rather than the logistics.
Finally, we look at the bigger opportunity behind Away Games. As more people build trips around the things they love, whether that’s food, music, wellness or sport, are we moving toward a future where travellers choose what they want to experience first and the destination second?
Learn more about G Adventures Away Games at gadventures.com.
