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Does your family love the Olympics? Do you feel inspired when watching the games? Would you love to find a way to infuse the Olympic spirit into your family travels? If so, keep reading to discover 5 genius ways to take Olympics inspired family trips this year!
#1: Visit an Olympics Training Facility
The first way you can take Olympics inspired family trips is by planning a trip to an Olympics training facility. Believe it or not, some of the training facilities used by athletes to train for the Olympics are open to the public! Visiting one of them can give you a behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to compete at this level.
The main U.S. Olympics & Paralympics Training Center is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Many athletes in a variety of sports live and train here during the year. You can tour some of the facilities, visit the Visitor’s Center, and shop for your own Team USA gear in the Gift Shop.
For more information on visiting the Colorado Springs training center, visit their website.
There is also a US Training Facility in Lake Placid. This center is similar to the one in Colorado Springs, but focuses on different sports. You can also tour the Lake Placid facility. Find out more about these tours here.
(Please note that due to the ongoing pandemic, tours, the Visitor’s Center, and gift shop at both the Colorado Springs and Lake Placid facilities are currently still closed in order to protect the athletes.)
In addition to the training facilities, you can also visit a variety of official training sites across the country. For instance, in Park City, Utah, you will find the Utah Olympic Park. This is where many winter Olympic athletes, such as ski jumpers, go to train.
You can not only watch some of the training, but you can also get in on the action yourself at the Utah Olympic Park. Check out their website for more information.
#2: Try an Olympic Sport
Another fun way to take Olympics inspired family trips is by trying an Olympic sport while on vacation.
If your family really enjoys watching the winter games, go snowboarding or ice skating on your next trip to the mountains. You could also head to Utah Olympic Park for bobsledding.
Prefer the summer games? Head to the coast and try your hand at rowing or beach volleyball. Enjoy watching equestrian? Book a trip that centers around horseback riding.
#3: Go Watch an Olympic Sport
During the 2016 Summer Olympics, my son became fascinated with rugby. After Fiji won the gold medal, he wanted to see the Fijian team play in person. So, we took a trip to Fiji to watch a rugby match.
Planning a trip to watch a game or match of your favorite Olympic sport live is a great way to let the Olympic games inspire your travels.
You don’t have to be as extreme as we were to accomplish this one. Many colleges and universities have teams that compete in a variety of Olympic sports from gymnastics to swimming and diving to wrestling. You could easily take a weekend trip to see a nearby college game. And many of these charge little or no admission!
#4: Visit an Olympic Host City or Participating Country
If you or someone in your family fell in love with a particular country while watching the Olympics, then you should plan a trip to that country. It can be centered around sports if you want, but it doesn’t have to be. You can simply take a trip to explore the sights, culture, and food of the country.
If the country you fell in love with was the host country, you can add a bit of fun to your trip by visiting some of the Olympic venues while you are there. And an added bonus is that you won’t have to fight the crowds like you would if you were there during the actual Olympics!
#5: Go to the Olympics!
Our last idea for taking Olympics inspired family trips may be the most obvious one, but it is also the most fun: go watch the Olympics in person!
My son and I really want to see the summer games live, so we are planning a family vacation to Paris for the 2024 games.
Can you imagine the thrill, excitement, and national pride that must come with watching your fellow citizens compete on the world stage right in front of your eyes?!?!?! And how much fun would it be to attend the Opening Ceremonies live and in person!?!?!?
The beauty of planning a trip to the Olympics is that the host cities are announced years in advance. So, you have multiple locations to choose from. Plus, you will have plenty of time to save up for the trip!
Conclusion
The best part of watching the Olympics on television is how inspirational they are. They just have a way of making us all want to do great things in our own lives. I hope these 5 ideas encourage you to take some Olympics inspired family trips with your loved ones!
For more inspiring travel tips, check out how to take amazing vacations on any budget, how to plan an epic vacation, and how to save for vacation.
Happy travels!
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