Alex Scott’s exotic holidays around the world, from relaxing on private yachts to her love for daredevil sports
WELL-travelled Alex Scott is a real globetrotter.
The BBC Sport host, 39, often chronicles her travels on Instagram.
And she enjoys a variety of holidays, from relaxing on private yachts to climbing mountains, and snorkelling.
Scott was raised by her mum in east London, where she dreamed of going abroad.
Her eyes were opened when a family friend took her to the Dominican Republic.
When she became a professional footballer with Arsenal, that allowed her to travel around Europe.
While with England she played in a World Cup in Canada and games in China.
Now, with more time on her hands and money, Scott is able to go on more adventures.
Working abroad helped feed her curiosity seeing the rest of the world.
US years
In 2009, after winning countless trophies with Arsenal Women, Scott moved to the US permanently with the American Pro League side, Boston Breakers.
It gave her the opportunity to explore the States.
“I fell in love with Boston’s vibrancy and diversity,” she told The Times.
“I lived in Cambridge and I would cycle along the river to our base at Harvard. At weekends we’d go to cities including New York, Washington DC or over to the west coast.
“I spent a lot of time in Los Angeles with friends during the off-season. There are beautiful mountain hikes, especially around the Topanga area.”
Solo traveller
Last year, Scott embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Peru.
She is a keen solo traveller, who loves the opportunity to go on adventurous treks.
That includes climbing mountains and seeing the world’s most incredible sights.
“As soon as the off-season starts, I like to take myself off on an epic solo adventure,” she said.
“Travelling alone takes you out of your comfort zone and I wouldn’t have connected with so many wonderful people if I were with friends.
“Last year I went to Machu Picchu. I met an amazing group of women in Peru who took me under their wing and invited me to join them climbing the colourful, banded layers of Rainbow Mountain.”
Scott has embarked on plenty of solo trips during her lifetime.
All ticked off the bucket list are Cambodia, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Brazil and the Caribbean including Jamaica, which she did when filming Who Do You Think You Are?
And there’s more solo trips in the pipeline.
She revealed: “During lockdown, I had Spanish lessons three times a week. I’m keen to explore South America, including Argentina, the W Trek in Patagonia and the Galapagos islands.
“It’s not been easy to schedule, but I’m planning to go to Spanish school for an intensive course in Guatemala for three weeks.”
Scuba-diving breaks
Watersports and scuba-diving appeal to Scott’s adventurous nature.
A snapshot of her Instagram shows she is all-action – jet-skiing and hoverboarding in the sea.
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She revealed she also earned her diving certificates, which encourages the football pundit to seek out holidays where she can go under the water.
But, she had to overcome her fears first.
“I only learnt how to swim properly a couple of years ago because I was scared of water,” she revealed.
“On a two-week holiday in the Maldives I decided to be brave and took diving lessons.
“It’s probably my competitive nature, but by the end of the trip I had certificates in open water and advanced scuba diving.
“Now, wherever I go in the world, I try to get in some diving, which I find really meditative.”
European vacays
Scott doesn’t need to travel half way around the globe to enjoy herself.
In recent years she has enjoyed going on short trips to Europe.
Croatia, she admitted, “completely took me by surprise” when she visited Hvar, Split, Bol and other islands.
She also fell in love with the culture and history of Rome.
It was a mother/daughter vacation in Ibiza that recently gave her lots of happiness.
She said: “My mother and I went to Ibiza and she told me her cheeks were hurting so much because she couldn’t stop smiling.
“That filled my heart with happiness. I feel so lucky that I’m now in a position where I can take my mum away.”
Usually, it’s not always glam. However, Scott couldn’t help but take up former Arsenal co-chairman David Dein’s kind offer of using his boat in Greece.
“I don’t usually stay in high-end places, but I hold my hands up and admit I did Greece in a fancy way,” she said.
“David Dein, Arsenal FC’s former co-owner, who is a father figure to me, invited me to join him on his boat. We would island hop each day and I got off at Santorini for a couple of nights.”
With adventures like these, it would seemingly be criminal not to give Scott her own travel programme today.