Athletes are among the world’s premiere travel experts. Their work trotting around the globe in the name of sport—something that more and more travelers are pursuing—means that they’ve had to master the art of taking care of their bodies on the road. Strained muscle? You’ve got to deal with it on the bus. Need a good night’s sleep before the championship match? You’ll need to get it on the red-eye. It’s something we love to ask them about when we get the chance. Basketball player Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty team can’t travel without “Voltaren gel from Germany. It’s great for sore muscles.” Of his favorite hotel amenity, tennis star Carlos Alcaraz told us “blackout curtains are key.” Snowboarder Brenna Huckaby still thinks Canada’s mountains are underrated amongst travelers. The latest sportsman to let us in on how he travels? None other than footballer Kylian Mbappé, a forward for Real Madrid and the captain of the France national team.
Mbappé, who will soon represent his home country in the upcoming FIFA World Cup—set to go down in stadiums across Canada, the United States, and Mexico this coming June and July—is now also the first-ever wellness ambassador for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. As one of the most famous athletes in the world, he’s interested in expanding the approach to wellness, saying in an email: “Well-being is not limited to [recovery.] It’s a more holistic approach: moving, recovering, breathing, recentering. What I love is this idea that we can take care of ourselves anywhere, without constraint, whether it’s in a spa, outdoors, in a wellness room, or simply by taking some time. It’s an approach that truly integrates into the way of traveling.”
This partnership with Fairmont is part of a larger wellness campaign that will see each property in the portfolio push their wellness offerings beyond traditional spas in accordance with their distinct regional offerings—think forest bathing at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Canada’s subarctic woodland, or a cricket match at India’s Fairmont Udaipur Palace. Mbappé’s favorite destination and Fairmont is the one in Marrakech for the “calm, peace, and nature.” He also appreciates the bubble that the Faena in Miami Beach creates.
As for a country—beyond his own, of course—in which he particularly enjoys playing football, he says, “Without hesitation, Spain. The football culture is deeply rooted there, with an incredible passion that can be felt in every match. My experience there also allowed me to discover a pleasant living environment, conducive to performance while allowing me to feel good on a daily basis.” So, on the whole, when it comes to wellness—as in, just feeling good—being on the field counts too.
