The Sports Travel Revolution: Fans Planning Trips Around Games

This episode takes you inside the booming world of sports travel for 2026, where global events like the FIFA World Cup are driving fans to create unforgettable journeys. Rachel Satow and Ashley Martinez share their personal experiences and industry expertise on event-led travel, fandom, and the evolving opportunities for travel and loyalty brands. Discover how families, superfans, and brands are navigating rising prices, creative trip planning, and the emotional highs of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Tune in for practical insights, engaging stories, and fresh perspectives on the intersection of travel, passion, and community.

[00:00:00] Welcome to Travel Buddy, presented by Switchfly. In this podcast, we talk about all things travel, rewards, and loyalty. Let's get to it. 

Brandon Giella: Today we're talking about sports travel. This year, 2026, is the year of sports travel because we've got the FIFA World Cup, we've got the Winter Olympics, already passed, sorry, great time, and then we've got the World Baseball Classic coming up this year, and a lot of other events, including our dear F1.

Rachel, I didn't know you were an F1 fan. Huge fan. I see you're wearing a Ferrari hat. And Ashley, we have an Argentina jersey on, so we've got everything represented here, including the great state of the US of A. And so I am excited to talk about sports travel because I've been wanting to go to an F1 race, and I would love to build an itinerary around that.

Ashley, you are attending a World Cup match in Seattle, so I'd love to talk about that. But Rachel, I wanna start with you. Set us up this year. Why is this the [00:01:00] year of travel, and why is that important for, travel brands, loyalty brands, and what we're talking about on the show here?

Rachel Satow: Yeah, I mean, the year of travel is really being caused because there's the alignment between the Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and a bunch of other major sporting events are all coinciding this year, and I think that's a super unique thing that really hasn't happened before. I mean, you have the annual, the annual sporting events that always happen, but this is one of the years that, you know, there is a, a, a mass, demand for travel specifically around these events. and they're, you know... We have this, unique opportunity, I think, to see how fans show up and, you know, we're all repping our teams right now, different sports, different teams. But we-- think one of the really unique things about 2026 is just how visible, fandom is going to be in travel. [00:02:00] And one of the biggest things that I personally find fascinating is how that detail can really shape, an entire trip, not just for the traveler, but for the brands that are involved in that trip planner, that, that itinerary. And, I have to give a shout-out to my friend Abigail, who lives in Austin, has been in Austin for a couple of years. But we, she and I got talking, and I think one of the things about this year that isn't so unique is that event-led travel ha- nothing new. If you look back at the Eras Tour, people were traveling all over the world

Brandon Giella: Yes

Rachel Satow: Taylor in concert, all over

Brandon Giella: Yes

Rachel Satow: And I think one of the things that, going back to the, to the idea of sports, is we're seeing that level of fandom come out in, in across all of these different events the same as we did when [00:03:00] the Eras Tour was on. And she-- I'm gonna tell her story. Obviously, this is, just a, just an example of just how amazing it can be when, when people- Connect a trip to something that they truly love. But she traveled to London for the Eras Tour, and she traveled with Delta. She used travel rewards in order to do so, most of that plane was traveling to London for the Eras Tour.

Brandon Giella: Yep, I believe it

Rachel Satow: her, her friend that she went with was handing out bracelets for, to like everyone around, the entire staff. And the pilot of that plane took the opportunity to make a song related announcement and, like, totally connect it into this thing that they knew everyone was traveling for.

And I think when we circle back to the idea of sports and, like, later in this conversation when we're talking about how brands can really capitalize on that, it's making sure you know who is in the seat or in the room and what they're traveling for [00:04:00] is going to be so important because you have such a unique opportunity to connect to something that they truly care about. that's why 2026 is, is such a unique opportunity both for travelers and fans, but also from the perspective of brands.

Brandon Giella: And we send our condolences to the middle-aged man in business class that had to endure that flight all the way to London just going for business.

Rachel Satow: Do not fool

Brandon Giella: But yes.

Rachel Satow: was going to that tour too.

Brandon Giella: Oh, for sure. You know he was an inner Swiftie. no, y- that's real. so my wife went to the Dallas show, and I have many regrets in life, and you ought to live your life without regret.

I have several. One of them is I didn't go to the Eras Tour, and I didn't make it more of a, a thing that I should do because it was like, it's like Woodstock. You, like, had to be there, And I didn't. So later on that year, we looked at, ticket prices around the world because New Orleans was like $1,500.

We ain't doing that. So we looked at, like, somewhere in Eastern Europe, I think, and we were like, "Man, we could go for [00:05:00] the same price. We could just drive to New Orleans and get a hotel and all that. We could fly to Europe and go see her and do all..." I mean, we really mapped this out. Ended up not working, but yeah.

But yeah, you plan a whole trip around this thing and all the stuff that goes into that

Rachel Satow: I think there's something to be said when the trip anchor is something that people care about, whether they're traveling or not. Like, if you are making the effort to, whether it be a concert, whether it be to see, a unique installation for an art exhibit, whether it be a sporting event, It is such an interesting thing when the trip takes shape solely because the game, the event, the concert is giving you the reason to travel. you know, a unique emotional ploy too. these are things people are living and breathing and enjoying in their time off at home, and now they have the opportunity to go enjoy those things elsewhere. and from a branding perspective, that's, [00:06:00] it's such a unique way to be able to, like, tap into that, that thing that they love regardless of whether or not they're in XYZ city

Brandon Giella: Yeah, and it's evidence to show that, people always look for a reason to travel. And what's interesting is these ticket prices for these events, like an F1, I, I looked at the F1 ticket prices for Austin, it's like over $1,000 just for like general, like to walk into the gate. That's nothing else included.

and they're sold out, these tickets. All these kind of tickets for all these events are getting so expensive, and everything around it is getting so expensive, and they're sold out. And so it's a huge opportunity, I think, to figure out how to, gain some more benefit if you're a travel or loyalty brand around these events, 'cause it's just a, a, yeah, it's just a huge opportunity.

So, uh, shifting gears, Ashley, I wanna talk to you real quick about the World Cup. T- talk to me about this. I know nothing about soccer, but I know the World Cup is coming 'cause I live near Dallas, and everybody's building... They're, like, rebuilding the city awaiting the World Cup. so talk to me about, how you're thinking about trip [00:07:00] planning there

Ashley Martinez: Your girl for all things soccer. I have played soccer my whole life. I am a dear and loyal soccer fan. I am repping the Argentina jersey, as Argentina and Messi were the winners of the '22 World Cup. I would say... So this is a topic, I mean, I can, I'm so excited to talk about this. This is a combination of my passion for travel and my passion for sport.

So, ex- excited to of do a deeper dive here. But I think when we think about what, how you're mentioning, Brandon, the ticket prices, I think that really aligns with the trend of investing more in m- experiences, event-led travel. These are... It just shows that people are willing to invest in experiential awards, than material things, and we're really seeing that from, in a travel trend as well.

We luckily enough, got tickets for the Seattle World Cup. So my fiance and I, it was very competitive to get [00:08:00] tickets. There's a lot, a whole lottery system. and luckily enough, my dad and my uncle won on the lottery as well.

Brandon Giella: Nice

Ashley Martinez: all four of us will be traveling to Seattle, in a matter of weeks to go to the World Cup. But what's interesting, some of the travel trends that we're seeing is this idea-- two things, this idea of a spillover market. So as going back to prices, the ticket prices, also the prices for accommodation, in suit, and we're, we're seeing higher prices for accommodation, for flights, all those things. So this kind of new idea of spillover markets are what's around the area that maybe I could fly into, for example, flying into Seattle. Is there somewhere close by I could fly into and stay there for a part of my trip or my vacation and then go to Seattle for the game? So that's actually exactly what we're doing.

We're going to... We're extending our trip, so it's not just the dates of the, of the event, but we're going to Snoqualmie, which is outside of Seattle, and we're staying there for a majority of our trip and then coming into Seattle for the game. [00:09:00] and it's not just us, it's also my cousins are coming, extended family who are not going to the game, but we're really making it a whole family trip. So I think that's really, on a personal level, it aligns with what we're seeing from travel trends, that it's expanding the area and it's also expanding the duration of stay and also who's traveling as well. It's not just attendees of the event.

Brandon Giella: That is such a great point. I wanna talk more about that toward the end of the show, where we can focus on who's buying this ticket, who's going to these events, because I think whether it's a, you know, premium traveler or somebody with kids, like that trip is gonna look different. But I think that point about expanding that, if you will, like the geographic option, the accommodation option, the transportation options around that event is really, really key to think about.

And of course, it takes a lot of data to do that and a lot of thoughtfulness. But, but yeah, that's, that's a great point. I'm curious, so when you are thinking about, you know, going to this trip in Seattle for this event, what are some of the [00:10:00] other things that it's not just obviously the, the ticket to the match, but it, it is a lot of those other options.

Like, what are all the things that you have to consider to really build out an itinerary? And where I'm going with this is when you're a, you know, a travel leader, a loyalty leader, there are so much ancillary revenue and so many different kind of bundles and packages you can put together to think through this entire trip.

So ta- so walk me through what all the different components of that trip might look like.

Ashley Martinez: No, so obviously starting with the event itself and event led, I think a great example of a brand that capitalized on the opportunity is American Airlines Vacations. So Switchfly actually powered the ability through AAV or American Airlines Vacations, you could spend your loyalty miles to redeem FIFA tickets. They knew

Brandon Giella: I didn't know this.

Ashley Martinez: are,

Brandon Giella: Cool. Okay

Ashley Martinez: They sold out within hours.

Brandon Giella: Hmm

Ashley Martinez: successful, campaign. And, but I think that just speaks to the brand new there [00:11:00] is a ticket or there is a highly desired item people are-- need to find or, or looking to find a way to make it accessible, and American Airlines did a great job with that. Marriott Bonvoy also did a similar campaign where they did this concept of one point drop, so it accessible for anybody. If you just had one Marriott Bonvoy po- point, you could apply for a World Cup ticket. And that's a great way to engagement. As, you know, Marriott as a hotel accommodations brand, they said, "If we can get the traveler in with the event ticket, then, you know, then we can get that share of wallet and hopefully gain their stay." mm, those are ways to make it accessible and things to think about. I, I think lowering that barrier of entry, 'cause it might be overwhelming. How are we gonna get tickets? How are we gonna pay for the accommodation, transportation, the, the flight, getting there? what are we gonna do while we're there? So obvi- all these different elements. one, one way I was trying to get creative with, obviously that these flight prices and are [00:12:00] exorbitant just given a- of course, also the, the, well, economics and, and global state of the world. But I was using mileage points to fly from Seattle to Denver on one airline, and then I was gonna fly from Denver to New Orleans on another airline using different mileage points just to try to maximize and, and get creative to make this accessible. I, I think there's a lot of things to think about, but my takeaway or my encouragement or-- but, in the spirit of fandom, if there's a will, there's a way. And I, I think brands that are capitalizing on how can we make this accessible, as we know there's a need in the market, those are the ones that are gonna succeed.

Brandon Giella: There is so much to these kinds of trips, the, the emotional weight, the loyalty, the identity. So for example, Rachel, we will practice, visualization techniques and imagine that you are going to see Charles Leclerc race in Monaco [00:13:00] this weekend. Talk to me about the emotional weight of what's going on with some of these trips and how brands might be able to capture some of that.

Rachel Satow: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, for those that are not in the F1 fan club, this is the home race for Charles Leclerc, and Charles Leclerc happens to be my driver. and I think, you know, if, if I were to put myself in those shoes, if, you know, Ashley, if I could have off this weekend, like, let's talk. but, but in reality, you know, there is such, there's such a weight because people get invested in people's stories, right? I love Charles Leclerc's story. I think that,you know, being able to watch him potentially win a race in his hometown would be a once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully not a once in a lifetime experience for him, but

Brandon Giella: that's it, yeah

Rachel Satow: for me, it would be like one of those moments where like, okay, now I have to... Like, I have this [00:14:00] opportunity to go see this race.

I have this opportunity to, potentially upgrade my tickets. I have this opportunity to now I need to figure out the flights, the transportation, the restaurants I'm going to see, the, hotel that I'm going to be at, how am I getting to and from the airport? There are so many different asks, aspects of that trip that once that excitement of like, I secured the tickets is done, the rest of it comes, comes down. So you get this, like, weird dichotomy of emotions happening for the traveler, because they're so excited that they secured the event tickets. They are so s- so excited to see whatever it may be. For me, it would be seeing Ch- Charles Leclerc race in Monaco. for Ashley, it's, maybe an Argentina win, who knows? but there's so many like the endorphins are going once that, once that ticket has been secured, that then it's a very steep, oh, we have to figure out the rest of the itinerary now. And I, being a AAA person that I am, [00:15:00] I, I would immediately start doing all of those things. So for, like if I secured the tickets, the first thing I would be doing is starting to research how am I getting there, where am I staying, what is around? it's very quick, that shift from I'm excited about this, and now I need to sort everything out. It, like, becomes a little bit almost like an anxiety, of I need to figure everything out. And I think brands have an opportunity to ease that friction point by making sure that they are aligning with the traveler's goals and the traveler's, excitement over surrounding that trip

Brandon Giella: That's right. That's right. It helps that he is a beautiful man, and we all wanna see him succeed in life. but there, there is, to your point, there is a real, premium to getting to these events and all of the activities around it because you, you do have, "Okay, I got the ticket. I gotta get there." And [00:16:00] so I, I would encourage, I would argue for if you're a loyalty leader, travel leader, to think about like, "Okay, this is gonna be more expensive.

This is gonna be costlier to put this together. But if I can make it easy and make that person's dream come true by seeing Taylor Swift or Charles Leclerc, then we can, we can make a real win-win." You know, the traveler's gonna be super happy, and the brand is gonna be super happy 'cause they just, you know,we're able to capture that moment and that experience for them while making a, a good margin.

So I think there's a lot to it, for sure, and I, I... It's exciting to see how we can, you know, kind of package these things together.

Rachel Satow: Yeah, I think I would say don't underestimate the emotional motivation that travelers have during this timeframe. It's really one of the things that makes sports travel and event-led travel so powerful because when you think about it, like fans are not, they're not buying access, just buying access to a game.

They're buying [00:17:00] idea of being surrounded by people who love the same things they love. They're buying that belonging, that, memory, that feeling of being in a community, you know? And I think that alone is so powerful for brands to capitalize on

Brandon Giella: Right. And maybe there's an, an additional,you know, upgrade or something you can offer to people like Rachel when Charles Leclerc loses to Kimi Antonelli this weekend, and then you can make their trip home feel that much better, you know?

Rachel Satow: putting

Brandon Giella: Just

Rachel Satow: into the ether.

Brandon Giella: it does depend though on the traveler and their particular situation. Like why are they going? How are they going? And of course, you don't have data on all of these things, but there's some things that, can make a package or a bundle or something like that really sing. So for example, if you have a really premium traveler, you know, what are the VIP access upgrades we can provide for them?

Or if you have somebody with young children, as I [00:18:00] do, what are the ways you can make my life easier so that my three-year-old and one-year-old can join and have a great time? so there's a lot that goes into that. So I would wonder, Ashley, if you could speak to that. If it's, h- how would you advise folks to think about building a, a package or a bundle depending on the traveler and their particular circumstance?

Ashley Martinez: Definitely. We've seen a rise of a concept called hospitality packages. This specifically, I'll give an example within the EPL. European or in, in England, the English Premier League, there's a lot of Americans or travelers from around the world that wanna go to these events, but it's very overwhelming.

How do I secure tickets? How, where do I stay on a game day? All of those things. So there's been a lot of a rise in what's called a hospitality package, and it's your ticket, accommodation, transportation as well, and kind of almost a concierge the day of to how to navigate all those things. And those, those rise of those packages have been really popular, especially with American travelers, as it can be [00:19:00] really overwhelming, just as Rachel said, "Okay, we secured the s- the ticket, but now what?" the English Premier League is actually really interesting. To get-- to secure a ticket to that game, you have to be part of the club. So if I wanna go to a Liverpool game, I need to be a certified registered Liverpool fan to even have access to get tickets. So it's really complicated to get tickets to some of these events. F1, there's a ton of packages as well, just as you mentioned, Brandon, th-those VIP experiences. It's a more luxury, once in a lifetime item. So how can we create a, curate a whole experience over the whole weekend? Maybe you're getting VIP access before to maybe meet your favorite driver or,you know, back in s- scenes of everything that goes into the event, you know, a doupl- couple days before, how they're setting up.

So I think there's a lot of opportunity to capitalize on end-to-end experience and really alleviate some of those travelers' concerns as of these events are... It's not necessarily people are going to events in their own [00:20:00] backyard. a lot of People are traveling specifically to these events in, in new locations and new places.

So alleviating that sense, or navigating that process to how can we make this as seamless as possible. And, I love that idea of how you said, on the way back, if, if there's a loss, you know, how do we think about that? But on the way there, how do we encapsulate or encourage in that excitement and c- and capitalize off that opportunity?

So I think packages are an end-to-end, from a travel agency perspective, an OTA, a travel agent curating a package that really leans into, to around the whole event is, is a great idea.

Brandon Giella: Yeah, I love that. I just want an easy button. Like, we had, f- tickets to the Paris Olympics last year, and I love Paris, as I've said many times on the show. so it's like, yeah, absolutely, any excuse to go to Paris, it's always a good idea. I'm gonna go there. I'm gonna see the Olympics. We had tickets to, it's like the Polish volleyball match, I think.

It was like $65 a ticket, and we were like, "That sounds great," 'cause everything else, [00:21:00] again, was sold out. Everything. so we got an Airbnb and, but then it was all the things, all the food, the transportation, getting around the city. We were expecting it to be super crowded, and it was gonna be hot 'cause it was like in June or something, and we had a, at that time, two-year-old and,kind of, we were thinking...

Yeah, this was last year, right? Two years ago? Maybe it was two years ago. Anyway, we had like a two-year-old, and that one's been really hard. So we ended up not going because there was no easy button, and so I gave up. That's one of the other regrets I have in my life is that I didn't go to the Paris Olympics.

but it was because there was no easy button. If, if it was like, "Hey, here's your package. Here's everything taken care of, your flights, accommodations for you and your children. Here's restaurant, you know, vouchers or whatever, transportation voucher, whatever it is." Everything was secured, I would've pushed that button, and I would've done that.

That's what stopped me

Rachel Satow: Yeah, I would say, you know, loyalty programs and brands, you know, pr- brands in the travel industry can support, the traveler by really giving [00:22:00] them those flexible ways to use the points. So not just using them for hotels, cars, flights, but also being and cognizant that sometimes, you know, fans are going to look outside of host cities.

Ashley, you're one of them. You're staying outside of the host city for most of your trip. and it's really because they're still value driven, and I think that's something that, can't be ignored even though fans are typically very emotional about specific event, you know... If, if the event is the catalyst for why they're traveling, yes, they are emotional regarding that, and they are excited regarding that.

But passionate does not mean that they're price insensitive. And they sh- like, you have an opportunity to not only give them flexibility in how to use points, but also to curate it, curate recommendations because at the end of the day, they will look to you as the expert. Like, the rest of us are going to sit here with 47 tabs open, ChatGPT telling us where we can and cannot stay, and, like, all of [00:23:00] these other things.

So it's, if you do create that quote unquote easy button, you automatically make the experience so much better while also leaning into some of that emotional loyalty that, that will be- come along with just being connected to event that they're really passionate about. and I, I think it's important that, you know, a fan, a traveler, they may really want to be there, but they're still going to compare hotel rates.

They're still going to watch the flight prices, and they want to make sure that they're using points. My example with Abigail, she used points to get to London to see Taylor Swift, and it's because bec- even though she was so excited to go and she had the ticket, she was still, you know, being very conscientious, and I think being, like, the, the financial conscientious traveler still comes into play even though there's this catalyst for the travel

Brandon Giella: I wanna dive deeper on that. No, go ahead, Ashley

Ashley Martinez: I wouldn't say, I think the [00:24:00] travelers are gonna find a way, and the brands just need to make be the way and make

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Ashley Martinez: and capitalize on, you know, if everybody is at the same price point, maybe make it a little more economical and, you know, then the travelers can take advantage of that.

So I, I think there's of course different strategies, but I, I think at the end of the day, travelers, especially when they're event driven, are going to find a way. and I think the brands that win was just the ones that will make it more accessible and easier to do that

Brandon Giella: Yeah, I totally agree. We've, we've been talking about the, the focus, the, the loyalty, the passion for the event or the team, but I kinda wanna flip it around, dive deeper on this, this topic for a second, which is the, the passion or loyalty for the brand helping them get there. So, as an example, when I watch the F1 races on Apple TV, praise the Lord that is available now, and I can watch it there, and it's-- And it always says when it cuts to commercial break, during some of the pre- pre-show stuff, [00:25:00] it has Presented by American Express.

And I'm like, "Oh, well, I'm a American Express card member holder, their platinum card, big fan." so I feel like I have made a good choice in my credit card selection. And then you see on the race,on the advertisements on some of the drivers as well as on the, the race, and one of those, like, tunnel things that they go through, it says American Express.

And I'm like, "Oh, cool. Great." I, again, chose a great card. If American Express was like, "Hey, you're in Texas. There's an Austin race coming up. We know that you're an F1 fan because we can see your purchase history, and we have put together this whole experience for you," and I get a notification or email about that, and they can take care of all of that and do the finance part of it.

They can, like, put it on a payment plan or whatever, and just I click a button, and I got all the things set up. I just have to show up. I would feel like American Express gets me. You know what I'm saying? So I would just love that, and I, I know, [00:26:00] again, tons of data involved in that. It's d- probably difficult to pull off.

Lots of things, m- lots of moving parts there. But the idea that a brand can help you achieve this dream that you have by knowing a little bit of data about you and then putting a bundle together. I'm curious what you guys might think about that, and if you, you've seen any examples of that of a brand kind of putting these, these things in place like that, that, that could be useful.

Ashley Martinez: I've seen it, so this is something that's near and dear to my heart since I am recently engaged. But you think about life events, and we'll talk, you know, sporting, it, it is a, a pivotal life event. But when someone's navigating that change, for us, we're actually looking to open more credit cards to capitalize on intro bonuses and points. And so I, I do as well have the Platinum American Express. Amex could see on my purchase history, oh, she's starting to buy bridal things, maybe recognizing, you know, that I'm about to go through a, a big life event and capitalizing on that instead of [00:27:00] me going to open the Chase Sapphire Reserve, right?

And so, and, you know, rewarding me for being loyal, instead of going elsewhere. So

Brandon Giella: Yes

Ashley Martinez: and brands are starting to be re- of course, there's the topic of, you know, how personal data usage, how much is, oh, are

Brandon Giella: Of course.

Ashley Martinez: and,

Brandon Giella: Yep

Ashley Martinez: that. But I do think if they were to recognize on their side, "Hey, you're going through this big life event," or you're buying a new home.

I know Rachel, uh, buying, purchase behavior that mimics that and being able to reward and recognize that, I think that's the next level, next step.

Brandon Giella: Yeah, it is, it is a question riding the line of like what's creepy and what's helpful, so I totally get that. But it's like I know they can see my purchase history anyway. It's on their card, you know? So if they just help me out a little bit on the back end, I, I might be okay with that, you know?

I think one of the, the challenges there that brands will face is, how do they do it in scale? Yeah, of course

Rachel Satow: you're, you a very unique scenario in that you are a [00:28:00] fan of all of these things, but you are also, a f- you're a family. You have y- little children that you need to, to take into account. so I think, There becomes this, this choice, this operational choice of how do we balance... Like, is the segment large enough for us to invest in curating something like that? Because if the segment isn't large enough for us to go after that, then unfortunately that level of pers- like, personalization might just not be on the table because there has to be a, a, a, some sort of ROI for them. but in an ideal world, that would absolutely be a thing that they could, you know, take a look at some purchase history. They could see, you know, combine it with potential, platform searches or you've been redeeming in the past, and then also recognize how, there are certain things that you've purchased for your family outside of this thing you're passionate about, outside of F1, outside of, the World Cup, etc., and [00:29:00] be able to curate. it be, like, the full package, I don't know that that's something that, that could be fully attainable, just like I said, because you need to be able to balance segment size with the return on investment. But, I think, there's definitely an opportunity where they...

If they can get you like 50% of the way there, that's a game changer

Brandon Giella: I don't know why you gotta poop on my party. I mean, I'm really, I'm running a perfect, idealized situation. They should know me. I feel like I support American Express single-handedly with the amount of formula I buy. So I feel like they can hook me up sometimes, you know?

Rachel Satow: We're just gonna

Brandon Giella: No, I'm with you.

Rachel Satow: to Am- American

Brandon Giella: I know.

Ashley Martinez: I know. Yeah

Brandon Giella: CEO, Mrs. CEO, help me, help me out

Ashley Martinez: the easy way brands could do that is, I mean, we're all wearing gear, merchandise, or a jersey. Is there UC behavior you purchase a ticket to event? Or is there an offer that you can curate that [00:30:00] to something that complements your trip? So I mean, that can be on, on a scale, if you wanna take it one step further, I'm going on a family vacation to the beach.

Is there something that complements maybe what I'm doing there? But that, that concept can be applied to sports for sure, as well as merchandise and fandom is real- is closely tied to, merchandise as well, and jerseys and all those things. But I, I think there's little things that brands can do that are not necessarily event or travel specific related, but that complements the trip

Brandon Giella: That's right, totally. So I, I think, I think where we're going, if I, if I could have a takeaway with this, it is that, the American Express people, if you're listening, I would like Toto Wolff to be my life coach and surrogate father, and I really want a signed Mercedes T-shirt by him and Kimi Antonelli, and I want you to fly me out to the next trip, to the next race, 'cause I'm r- I'm ready.

I'm ready to go.

Rachel Satow: know, I don't think you're asking for too much, truly.

Brandon Giella: No, absolutely not. No. I, I, I know exactly what I [00:31:00] want, and it's not that big a deal, you know? I feel like they could make it happen. No, I, I'm, I'm with you though. I, I think, I think this year is the year of sports travel. It's something that I have seen just anecdotally, watching friends do different things, watching ticket prices for different things.

I'm like, "Oh, that's kinda interesting. I'm, I'm interested in that." like going to the Masters or something like that. I could go see family if I went and did that. Or I thought about, going to the, Kentucky Derby, 'cause we have family in Frankfurt, you know, which would be really awesome to go to Kentucky and see all that.

but yeah, but it's, it's just this, like, really growing fandom, and I think it's a huge opportunity for a lot of brands to figure out how to put that easy button together, which I know Switchfly, you guys can help with in different ways. And so really grateful you guys are, are working on these things with big brands and, yeah, it's, it's exciting to see come together the rest of the year.

Any closing thoughts from Rachel, Ashley? Anything else that we should talk about?

Rachel Satow: To recap this whole thing is the, the game, the event may be the reason that [00:32:00] people are going, but the full trip is what they're going to remember. it's not going to just be, "Oh, I spent two to four hours watching this game, and I was there when XYZ, you know, won the match."

It's I, you know The, the surrounding aspects of that event are also going to really, play into the memory there. And so for, for travel and loyalty brands, there's the, a huge opportunity to make sure that fans can turn that live event, can turn that, that match into something that's a little easier, something that's more personal, and something that's just overall rewarding for them

Ashley Martinez: I need it to be known I am a USA fan. I'm, I'm a Messi fan, and so that is why I'm wearing an Argentina jersey.

Brandon Giella: Same, apparently.

Ashley Martinez: put that out.

Brandon Giella: Same.

Ashley Martinez: I'm going to the US, Australia game in Seattle, so I just need to, to, to clarify

Brandon Giella: Okay.

Ashley Martinez: But I think at the end of the day, [00:33:00] these are once in a lifetime, extremely memorable experiences.

and just as Rachel said, capitalizing off the whole trip, maybe your team doesn't win, but at the end of the day, you know, what do you remember? And that's, you know, we had a great trip wherever we went, and we made meaningful moments with family, with friends, with new friends that we met in our c- community.

So I th- I think that's really the power of travel combined with the power and passion of sports. I mean, it's an, an incredible, topic, and it definitely levels up the experience and the trip. So I'm extremely passionate about it. Can't wait to tell you guys about Seattle and about the World Cup. It'll be my first World Cup game.

So as a, let's say, a player and a fan, obviously in this industry, and extremely a fan of, of both of these topics, um, could not be more excited, for this year of travel.

Brandon Giella: Can you imagine for the 250th birthday of America, the United States wins and you were there with your family and got to see, like, take part in that? That would be [00:34:00] so special. Like, what would you pay to go do that? Like, you know, that'd be so cool. I would just ... Anyway.

Ashley Martinez: You're gonna make me emotional, Brennan. I

Brandon Giella: A, a girl can dream, you know?yeah, I just, I think it'd be great.

Well, thanks so much, for this conversation. I'm very excited about your travels this year to Monaco, Rachel, and to Seattle, Ashley. Very excited about, uh, to hear how it goes, so we'll talk about it next time

Rachel Satow: Thanks, Brandon

Ashley Martinez: Thanks, Brandon