nICE TO MEET YOU

Hi, I’m Martin, Tino to friends, a self-confessed football addict with a taste for beer and an overseas adventure. Born and bred in Manchester I took the unwise decision of not supporting Manchester United during what was to be a 20 year period of domination. However a strong dislike for them lead me to having a soft spot for almost every other team and a huge interest in every aspect of the game (other than winning Premier Leagues). Football has been a huge part of my life as long as I can remember whether it be playing, watching, studying, researching or just simply talking about it.  It made sense that the next logical step would be to write about it. So here we are.

MY INSPIRATION

As with everybody, life has had its ups and downs. My turning point was in 2013 when my partner of 7 years and wonderful fiancé Emma was diagnosed with Cancer 6 months before our wedding. After a brave battle she passed away eleven months later. Without doubt this destroyed me in every way imaginable. Over the next months and years I found solace in travel, football and new adventures. The first of which was the World Cup in Brazil, my first ever solo trip aged 28.

SO WHY NOW?

This incredible experience in Brazil – despite the England performance – opened my eyes to a whole new world of football travel. My
addiction was born and since then it’s been hard to stop with the following being my adventures so far;

Two years of absolutely naff all due to COVID

After all these trips and seeing that friends and family enjoyed following my adventures on Social Media I thought ‘Why not collate them all in one place?’ Whilst making a great diary and record for myself, the thought of people reading and thinking they could enjoy similar adventures of their own or even better come along with me for the ride, is what really encourages me to write.

HOW?

Previous trips have been funded by savings and allowed for with work sabbaticals or extended holidays. Fortunately I have a flexible part time job which gives me regular larger than average windows to enjoy these breaks, and also my hunt for Financial Independence allows me to top up this income with a variety of forms of passive income.

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