Sporting Events- One of favorite types of activities while traveling is experiencing sports! Whether it is a huge international event or just a local team, there is so much fun and culture to take in. I look forward to adding to my list as the years go by. My personal experiences thus far include:
- The Women’s World Cup Semi Final 2015 in Montreal, Canada
- The French Open Semi Final 2017 in Paris, France.
- NBA Championship Series 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (Go Warriors!)
- MLB World Series 2014
- NHL Playoffs 2016
- NFL Playoffs 2019
- Normal Season games of the MLS, NWSL, NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL
- Normal Season local soccer/football games in Zambia
Scuba Diving- I am a PADI certified scuba diver. Scuba diving is a great activity to get into if you travel often, love the ocean, or love adventure. It can be a bit pricey if you get certified in certain countries (USA for example). I strongly suggest going somewhere in the world that has PADI certified courses to get certified (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippians for example).
Once you become certified the hobby can become much more affordable, because you do not need to pay for the courses each time anymore, just to rent the gear and a guide.
To become certified, often it is a 2-3 day course and the cost range is all over the place, anywhere from 180$-700$ US dollars depending on where you are in the world. I got certified in Sicily, Italy where it was rather inexpensive compared to California (I paid around 250$ in Italy). I have also scuba dived in Thailand, and they have the cheapest rates I have seen to get certified (180$) (wish I did it there!) Thailand is great for beginner divers and also great for experienced divers due to there many different dive locations.
NOTE: I know you may be thinking, if it is so much cheaper… then is it unsafe? And to be completely honest with you I felt more safe with my instructor and the company I dived with in Thailand compared to in Italy. Not saying I felt unsafe in Italy, just that the instructors were much more professional and more helpful in Thailand. The equipment was very good in both locations as well, so I do not think you need to worry too much about it being “unsafe” just because it is cheaper. Just make sure when you dive you are always with a PADI certified company, instructor, etc. If they meet PADI requirements, then no matter where in the world, they should always meet those standards.
I have heard AMAZING things about scuba diving in the Philippians. It is super high up on my list of places I want to visit.
Travel Addict 