Each fall, when the first cool mornings signal the start of hockey season, travel experts unveil their annual “Where to Go Lists” with the same fervor that pumpkin spice lattes return to café menus. These glossy roundups spotlight buzzy destinations, but my 2026 itinerary was never going to be about what’s trending. For my family, the only list that matters begins and ends with hockey.
This season, the sport has taken over our family’s lives more than ever. My oldest son now attends Delta Hockey Academy, a commitment that brings long drives and a schedule packed tighter than an arena on game night. Anyone with a hockey player in the family knows how all-encompassing it can feel. But the rewards are immeasurable — discipline, resilience, and friendships that last long after the final whistle.
Our connection to the game deepened several years ago when we began welcoming Kamloops Blazers players into our home. These billets became part of our family. They filled our kitchen with stories and laughter, joined us for pre-game rituals around the dinner table, and late-night debriefs after tough losses, sharing in the emotional highs and lows of chasing a dream on the ice. When they moved on, the relationships stretched across borders as the players built careers far from Kamloops.
Hockey on the Shores of Lake Zurich
In 2022, our family boarded a flight bound for Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, to watch former Kamloops Blazers Defenceman Inaki Baragano play for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. The town sits on the edge of Lake Zurich, a serene tableau of mirrored water and snow-dusted peaks.
The arena rests just steps from the lake, where the crisp alpine air is pierced by the sharp clang of cowbells, ringing out in celebration after goals and game-changing plays. Inside, the sound reverberates off the stands in a way that feels electric.
Inaki became our tour guide beyond the rink, showing us the Switzerland he calls home. He led us up to a rustic chalet in the mountains where fondue bubbled over open flames, onto the storied steps of Rapperswil Castle, its stone walls whispering centuries of history, and through the sleek, chocolate-scented halls of the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Zurich. We lingered over lunch with his parents, who had driven hours from their hometown of Yverdon-les-Bains to see us, their voices carrying the same mix of pride and excitement we felt.
Rapperswil-Jona carries another tie to Kamloops through Jared Aulin. A former Blazer who once played for the same team, he now serves as the Director of Skills & Performance at Kamloops Minor Hockey. He coached my sons during their time at KMHA, passing on his knowledge to the next generation of players chasing the same dreams he once pursued.
If You Go:
A 40-minute train ride from Zurich delivers you to Rapperswil-Jona, often called the “City of Roses” for the gardens that bloom along its lakeside promenade. Stroll through the medieval old town, take a ferry across Lake Zurich, and cap the day with a hockey game where local passion rings out in every cowbell strike.
Roller Coasters and Tapas
The following summer, we met up with Inaki again, this time in Barcelona, Spain, a trip born from countless dinner table conversations back in Kamloops. When he lived with us, he often pulled up YouTube videos of PortAventura World, showing us rides so daring they seemed to defy gravity. We promised we’d go together one day. And we did.
Between the thrills of PortAventura and the hum of Barcelona itself, the trip was everything we’d hoped it would be. By day, we walked through the city’s neighborhoods, past the facades of Gaudí’s masterpieces and bustling open-air markets. By night, we gathered at tiny tables tucked into narrow alleys, plates of tapas arriving one by one as the city glowed around us.
If You Go:
Barcelona’s direct flights from Canada make it an accessible European getaway. Visitors can pair a few days of sightseeing with a day trip to PortAventura,which features six themed worlds, including Ferrari Land’s record-breaking roller coasters. Booking ahead is essential to skip the summer crowds.
Looking Ahead to 2026 – Slovakia and Lausanne
\While Inaki’s career has taken us to cities like Rapperswil-Jona and Barcelona, Former Blazers Goaltender Dylan Ferguson has always felt like part of our everyday hockey life, even when he was playing half a world away. Next March, we’ll travel across the Atlantic to Slovakia to see him take the ice in a new arena, marking another chapter in a relationship that began years ago in our Kamloops home.
Our first stop will be Nitra, Slovakia, where Dylan now plays for HK Nitra. We’ve cheered for him as he played in countless rinks over the years—Las Vegas, Chicago, Fort Wayne, Toronto, Ottawa, Belleville, Minsk, Minnesota, Iowa, and most recently at Vancouver Canucks training camp in Penticton.
When Dylan first arrived in our home, our oldest son was five. At that age, hockey heroes feel larger than life, and Dylan was a living, breathing example of what dedication looks like, of what it means to dream big. Somewhere in those early mornings and game nights, my son decided he wanted to stand in the crease too.
As Dylan’s career carried him to new teams and countries, he never stopped cheering on my son from afar. A quick text after a tournament win, a message before a big game, small gestures that kept their bond alive. This past summer, before leaving for Slovakia, Dylan began mentoring our son more closely, helping him prepare for his first season at Delta Hockey Academy.
When we sit in that Slovakian arena, watching Dylan defend his net under the lights, it will feel like witnessing two stories intertwine: the player who once inspired a little boy and the young goalie now charting his own course half a world away.
If You Go:
Nitra, one of Slovakia’s oldest cities, lies about an hour from Bratislava. A hilltop castle overlooks winding streets lined with cafés and wine bars. The city’s compact size makes it easy to explore on foot, while day trips to Bratislava or even Vienna offer a chance to pair game nights with world-class museums, architecture, and dining.
From Slovakia, our travels will take us back to Switzerland, this time to Lausanne, where Inaki now plays for Lausanne HC. The city rises from the edge of Lake Geneva, its hillside layered with vineyards, historic spires, and narrow streets that slope down to ferry docks. Lausanne blends French sophistication with youthful energy, shaped by its universities and Olympic heritage. Cheering for Inaki here will carry the same thrill we felt in Rapperswil-Jona, though the backdrop will be different. The cowbells replaced by the hum of a cosmopolitan crowd, with the Alps stretched wide beyond the rink.
If You Go:
Lausanne sits above Lake Geneva, its hillside location providing sweeping views of the water and the Alps beyond. The Olympic Museum celebrates the city’s sporting legacy, while the Lavaux vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, invite visitors to stroll between stone terraces and sample local wines. Direct trains connect Lausanne to Geneva, Montreux, and even Paris, and ferries make it easy to explore neighboring lakeside towns.
Where Hockey Leads Us
For our family, travel has never been about the places themselves, but about the people waiting at the other end. Hockey has carried us across borders and oceans, turning unfamiliar cities into places that feel like home. Next year, we’ll sit in the stands in Nitra and Lausanne, cheering for Dylan and Inaki, remembering the nights they skated beneath the bright lights at Sandman Centre. The game links Kamloops to the world, carrying us to far-off arenas and back again, proof that its reach extends far beyond the ice.