Wife wins dream trip after missing out on holidays due to husband’s love of sport
A WOMAN who hasn’t had a proper summertime holiday in eight years due to her husband’s dedication to sports has been treated to the trip of a lifetime – without him.
Hayley Hayes, from Newport, Wales, hasn’t been on a getaway over the summer for almost a decade, as their plans were often made around key sporting events so husband Anthony was able to watch them, meaning they have had to travel at other times of the year.
In some instances, their holiday destinations have even been determined by the sporting events taking place nearby, with one trip to India in 2024 coinciding with test match cricket.
The couple – who wed in 2016 – found themselves back in India a year later, this time during the Six Nations.
Despite the time difference, Hayley donned her Wales rugby shirt and joined her husband for late-night and early-hours match screenings from their holiday accommodation.
But now, the 60-year-old retiree has been given the chance for a trip of a lifetime to Svalbard, Norway – a cold weather landscape that fascinates her – but with her friend Rebecca, leaving sports-loving husband Anthony, 66, at home to keep up with the sports fixtures.
Hayley was chosen as the winner of giffgaff’s Fair-play Summer Fund, which was designed to help people overcome the barriers standing in the way of a great summer and make the season feel a little fairer.
Speaking about her trip of a lifetime, Hayley said: “I was literally both bouncing up and down and crying with excitement when I found out I’d won and would be going on a cold weather summer holiday I could only previously dream about.
“I’m fascinated by the landscapes of Svalbard, and in particular the varied wildlife that calls the island home.
“Since my husband absolutely does not tolerate the cold, a wintry weather trip was never going to be on the cards for us, so this prize delivers on two fronts.
“Summer is turning into a whole new adventure for me.”
Juggling sports and summer holiday plans isn’t just a balancing act for Hayley and Anthony, as research found over a fifth (21 per cent) of holidaymakers regularly check the sporting calendar before booking a trip.
A poll of 2,000 holiday-goers found 22 per cent have booked, changed or adjusted their travel plans because of a sporting event, with 42 per cent of those scheduling activities around matches.
Some fans have gone even further to avoid missing out, with 24 per cent returning home early from a trip and 14 per cent admitting they’ve cancelled a holiday altogether because of sport.
Meanwhile, half of all respondents have watched or streamed live sport while away, according to the OnePoll findings.
Of those, a quarter have tuned in from a restaurant, while 14 per cent have followed the action poolside.
Time differences don’t stop dedicated supporters either, with 21 per cent waking up early or staying up late to catch their favourite team in action.
And some admit to going to surprising lengths to avoid missing a moment on holiday – with five per cent of all those polled confessing they’ve watched while in the middle of sightseeing.
Others have been willing to spend extra to stay connected, with 10 per cent paying for Wi-Fi access and nine per cent using mobile data despite incurring roaming charges.
giffgaff internal data backs up this demand for watching sports abroad, as it saw large data roaming surges during the football this summer with international matches seeing uplifts of up to 90 per cent for key matches.
Kate Dohaney, CEO for the mobile and broadband provider, which is currently giving data boosts on SIMs starting from just £8 per month, said: “We launched the Fair-play Summer Fund following new data that showed many of us feel like summer doesn’t always play fair.
“From rising costs and hidden charges to missing out on experiences that matter, we wanted to help tackle some of these.
“This season, we’ve provided even greater value on our SIM plans so our members can stay connected for less.
“We’ve also helped 200 people solve their summer sting via our Fund, and are delighted to be sending Hayley to Norway as her fairness fix so she doesn’t have to miss out on the summer trip she’s always dreamed of.”