Since I turned 50 years old in 2004 I have travelled to a number of countries around the world to watch ‘The Beautiful Game'.Before 2004 I had been to an assortment of places, often for work. Countries such as South Korea for the Summer Olympics, Cuba for the Pan American Games and New Zealand for the Commonwealth Games.But since 2004 my travels have been for pleasure only.And believe me when I say travelling to a sporting event for pleasure is far better than travelling to one for work except that when you go to a major event for pleasure it is on your own coin.However don't get the idea that going to a World Cup or European Championships is just about watching the greatest players in the world perform and drinking beer (or in my case rum).It can, and should be, much more than that.One should try and take full advantage of the country you are in and it is safe to say that the people of the country hosting a particular sporting tournament are even more friendly than they normally would be. They are proud that the world spotlight is on them and usually go out of their way to lend a helping hand.Also, don't worry about any language barriers when going to a major football tournament because football is the international language of the world. Believe it.Some of the places one may visit during a tournament are beautiful and awe-inspiring like watching the wonderful Lippizaner horses at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria during Euro 2008.Some of the places hit home hard like watching the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires who march every week demanding to know what happened to their children, husbands and fathers during Argentina's ‘Dirty War'.And some other places absolutely shock you like visiting Dachau concentration camp just outside of Munich during the 2006 World Cup.***2004A couple of months after turning 50 in 2004 I flew to Portugal for the European Championships and based myself in Porto which is located along the Douro River estuary in the north of the country.They say that Lisbon is the city that parties and Porto is the city that works but during Euro 2004 everyone was partying.Porto is one of the oldest European cities and is in fact a registered World Heritage Site. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. And it is here that the famous port wine comes from.During the six games I watched during Euro 2004 (won by Greece) I managed to see a bit of the country but one place stuck out for me Coimbra where I watched England beat Switzerland.It is a beautiful city and served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages but it is more known for the University of Coimbra, which was established in 1290 and is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world.Many residents of the city were very nervous when they heard that they were to host the notorious England fans during the tournament but no trouble occurred after all England won and their fans were happy very drunk but very happy.***2005A year later myself and some others, including Bermuda Hall of Famer and former West Ham striker Clyde Best, travelled to Argentina to watch one of the best grudge matches in world football Argentina against Brazil in World Cup qualifying.What a wonderful city Buenos Aires is. Wide boulevards, stunning football, stunning women, great local wine and beer and excellent steaks if you are a vegetarian you may be out of luck here.The game itself was a cracker 3-1 to Argentina. As it was I was sitting (or standing would be more accurate) with the Brazil fans and rumour had it that it was not unknown for bags of urine to be tossed down from the Argentina fans on to the Brazilians. But that would probably only happen if the five-time world champions won. Thankfully Argentina came out on top although to be honest the Brazilian fans took the loss in stride since they knew they would be in Germany the following year anyway.Although the city and people of Buenos Aires were magnificent, it was watching the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo march on a Thursday lunchtime that proved to be one of the most humbling and moving experiences that I have ever witnessed.Many of the women are grandmothers now and over time they have become the conscience of that country. For more than 30 years the “Mothers of teh Disappeared” have fought to know what has happened to their children, husbands and fathers during Argentina's “Dirty War” from 1976 to 1983 when many were abducted by the brutal military government forces to be tortured and killed many being thrown from planes alive into the River Plate. The “Mothers” say the number of disappeared is close to 30,000.***2006With World Cup qualifying over with it was time for the real thing in Germany one of the best countries I have ever visited and I have been to many.It is clean, quite beautiful and the people are friendly although a little reserved which is certainly OK by me.And everything works!With 10 matches to see there were times when one is on the go all of the time and then times where one can discover the delights of Berlin, Munich and rockin' Hamburg. But Berlin is my favourite. It is a city that saw many of its buildings destroyed during World War II but much of it has been remade. And of course there are sights such as the Brandenburg Gate one of the landmarks of the city and the country as is the Reichstag which is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, renovated in the 1950s after severe war damage.And of course there is the Tiergarten which is Berlin's largest park located in Mitte sort of Berlin's answer to Central Park.World War II is always there in the background when visiting Germany you can't really get away from it and often it is right in your face especially if you visit Dachau concentration camp as I did outside of Munich.Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany in 1933 shortly after Hitler took power. The entrance gate carries the words “Arbeit macht frei”, meaning “through work one will be free” and while from 1933 to 1938 the prisoners were mainly German nationals detained for political reasons, the camp subsequently was used for prisoners of all sorts, including of course the Jews.A visit to the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin is also an interesting trip even if there are no sports going on there. As it was, I managed to see the likes of Brazil, Croatia and the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina at the magnificent renovated complex. Germany won after an extra time penalty shootout what a game and what a celebration in downtown Berlin afterwards! Germany then went on to just lose their semi-final against eventual winners Italy. I meanwhile had travelled to Munich to watch France beat Portugal in their semi-final at the futuristic Bayern Munich stadium.But unfortunately I didn't make it to the final staged in Berlin . . . but I would four years later in Johannesburg.***2008Vienna, Austria is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is the city of Mozart and you really can hear music students practising the great master's works from open windows while walking around the city's pleasant streets.Vienna was also one of the main host cities of Euro 2008 and it was where Spain rightfully took its place as the best team in world football.And Vienna is the home of the famed Spanish Riding School where riders on their Lippizaner horses perform in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg and have been doing so for four centuries.Even if you have absolutely no interest in riding, you will come away will a sense of amazement after watching the performance.***2010Most people are at the very least curious about South Africa and many want to visit the country.Last year I did on account that South Africa was hosting the World Cup.Between watching 12 matches I actually did find a number of things to see and do although there was so much more I simply didn't have the time for.While I did spend a fair bit of time in Johannesburg where the final was staged, it was Cape Town and the Cape itself that was the best attraction.Cape Town must be one of the most charming cities in the world and is famous for its harbour as well as such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Not surprisingly Cape Town is also Africa's most popular tourist destination.A tour down to the Cape of Good Hope and through the Cape Winelands of Stellenbosch shows you the rich and lush side of South Africa.If you have time it is well worth it to travel to Fairy Glen Game Reserve which is just over an hour outside of Cape Town in Worcester.There you will see the Big Five in a government conservancy. The Big Five refers to the elephant, leopard, lion, rhinoceros and buffalo.Johannesburg, or Joberg as it is commonly known, is not the nicest city in the world not by a long way. And it can be very dangerous. But there are some things to see there like the Nelson Mandela Museum and the sprawling township of Soweto.If I were going to South Africa now I definitely would spend a week or so at the magnificent Kruger National Park. Now that's a real safari.But unfortunately I didn't have the time too much football to watch.