Jet off on a sporting holiday on your travels
If you have been inspired by our Olympic heroes like Helen Glover and Ben Ainslie, maybe it’s not too late to go for gold yourself. Helen had famously never touched an oar before the Beijing Olympics and now she's an Olympic Gold medal champion.
So to get you set, here are five ideas for holidays from travel search site Skyscanner to get you off the blocks and on the road to Rio. Maybe you could be an Olympic hero at Rio 2016, who knows?
Rowing in Slovenia
Rower Helen Glover won the admiration of the nation when she won Team GB’s first gold medal of London 2012 in the women’s pair with Heather Stanning. Yet four years ago, Glover hadn’t even got in a boat. Now she rules the waves. Follow in her wake by taking a crash course in rowing in Bled, Slovenia. Bled boasts both one of the world’s most renowned rowing training centres and a World Championship course with a spectacular setting on picture-postcard Lake Bled. But don’t be distracted by the scenery - your goal is gold.
Athletics in Spain
Can’t run for the bus? Don’t give up at the first hurdle. You could be a winner in 2016. After all, pole-vaulting sensation Holly Bleasdale only took up the event in 2008 after watching the last Olympics, while Lawrence Okoye took up discus throwing 18 months ago. Get out of the blocks straight from the starter’s pistol by signing up for a fitness boot camp La Manga Club Resort in Murcia, Spain. Royal Marine fitness instructors take the camp and will make sure you’re putting in the effort. You could aim to drop a dress size in a week, or smash the Olympic record. No sweat!
Swimming in Florida
'Honorary Brit', 15 year-old Ruta Meilutyte, who trained at Plymouth College, came from nowhere to win Lithuania's first ever Olympic swimming gold in the women's 100m breaststroke. If Ruta can do it, so can you, so throw yourself in at the deep end at a swim training camp at the National Training Centre in Clermont, Florida. The world's top coaches will teach you stroke technique and race strategy, while advanced sports science testing to turn you into a winner. If swimming isn't enough of a challenge, there’s always the triathlon.
Sailing in Croatia
The most decorated sailor in history, Ben Ainslie competed in his first Games at just 19 years of age. So, if you’re idea of sailing involves sunbathing, champagne and a crew in matching outfits, perhaps it’s better to pass your Olympic hopes on to the next generation. Your kids could be the next Ainslie, or Shirley Robertson, so make them read Swallow and Amazons for inspiration and send them to Croatia to get in training. Croatia’s Dalmatian coast is ruggedly beautiful, dotted with over a thousand islands, the perfect practice ground for Olympic champions of the future.
Beach volleyball in Brazil
If all this sounds too much like hard work, then how about a holiday on the beach? Bikinis are optional but we’re not talking sunbathing here. We’re talking flinging yourself around in swimwear while trying to preserve your dignity – yes, it’s beach volleyball. You could of course just go to Skegness, but you need to acclimatise for 2016 so head to the spiritual home of the sport, Rio. Train to be the next Alison Cerutti at one of the many beach volleyball schools on iconic Ipanema and Copacabana beaches.
Have the Olympics left you inspired to take up a new sport on your travels? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
FemaleFirst
Shabana Adam @Shabana_FAM