Glorious Travel

The best souvenirs don’t fit in your suitcase

There was a time when the highlight of a holiday was what you brought home. A fridge magnet. A designer handbag. A suitcase full of things you probably didn’t need.

These days, I don’t remember what I bought.

I remember running through Copenhagen before the city woke up. Paddleboarding along a coastline that looked completely different from the water. Hiking to a viewpoint that couldn’t be reached by car. Learning something new, usually about the place, but often about myself too.

Somewhere along the way, I’ve realised the best way to experience a destination isn’t by seeing more of it. It’s by moving through it.

Travel research from Skyscanner increasingly points to younger generations prioritising experiences, personal growth and wellbeing when planning trips. That shift makes complete sense to me because the holidays that have stayed with me aren’t the ones where I relaxed the most. They’re the ones where I challenged myself, however big or small that challenge happened to be.

For me, sport gives a trip purpose. It doesn’t have to be an ultra marathon or some huge physical challenge. It might be signing up for a local 10K, booking a surfing lesson with friends, joining a yoga retreat or tackling a mountain hike you’ve always talked yourself out of. Having something to work towards changes the whole rhythm of a trip. The destination is still important, but increasingly it’s the experience that shapes the journey.

I’ve also realised that sport has a way of revealing places most tourists never get to see. Cities look different at six o’clock in the morning when they’re waking up alongside you. Coastlines feel different when you’re looking back at them from the sea. Even reaching the top of a hill you’ve climbed yourself gives you a connection to a place that simply can’t be recreated through a photograph.

One of the most powerful aspects of sport-led travel is its ability to help people create connections with those who have a common interest.

Travelling alone can feel intimidating, but turning up to a running event, fitness retreat, cycling tour or open-water swimming festival instantly gives you something in common with everyone around you. Conversations happen naturally because you’re already sharing the same experience. I’ve found some of the best recommendations, stories and friendships while travelling have come from those moments rather than anything I’d planned.

That’s another reason these trips stay with me. I don’t just remember the place. I remember the people I met there.

Perhaps the biggest reason that experiences continue to win is that they change how we feel. A new purchase might feel exciting for a while, but experiences leave something behind. They shift your confidence, your perspective and sometimes the way you think about yourself.

Sport is full of those moments. The first time you run further than you thought you could. The first wave you catch. The first summit you reach after hours of climbing. They become more than memories. They become proof that you’re capable of more than you gave yourself credit for.

That’s why I’ve stopped thinking about travel as simply visiting somewhere new. For me, the best trips aren’t measured by how many landmarks I ticked off or how many photos I took. They’re measured by how deeply I experienced a place.

Because long after the suitcase is unpacked, I won’t remember what I bought.

I’ll remember how that place made me feel.