Oslo ’26 is officially in the books, and what a way to kick things off!

For the past four seasons, attending the Women’s Champions League Final has been our ultimate tradition. It’s the perfect excuse to watch the absolute best teams in Europe whilst visiting a brand-new city. But over the years, something funny happened. Our little travel group of friends and family grew from 3 people to over 30.

Seeing that massive appetite for women's football travel is exactly why we started this business. So, we decided to use Oslo as our unofficial launch trip ahead of our website going live next month! Armed with a suitcase full of business cards, custom flags, and Football TravelHER merch, off we went.

And honestly? It was a massive success! We had random people asking for info, taking cards, wishing us well, and our social media following took a beautiful little jump. But let's be real—the actual trip was pure, chaotic comedy. Here are the highlights:

☀️ The City Where the Sun Never Sleeps (And Neither Did We)

Oslo is an absolute stunner of a city. Because it was summer, the daylight hours were completely insane. The weather played ball, and night after night we’d be wandering around the harbour, walking across the roof of the famous Opera House, or checking out the Royal Palace, only to look at our watches and scream, "Jeez, it’s 1am?!"

We had a crew of 16 of us this year, ranging in age from 25 to 70+, and the banter was top-tier. Every evening was spent sitting outside the harbour bars, reminiscing and laughing. Though, a quick word of warning if you ever visit Norway: pack a second mortgage. We knew it was going to be pricey, but extortionate doesn't even cut it! 💸

🏟️ The Game: York City Shirts, BBC Waves, and Half-Time Oranges

The stadium was a beautiful, tense split of Barcelona and Lyon fans. We were all kitted out appropriately—with a few notable, hilarious exceptions:

Heather’s Hometown Pride: Co-Director Heather completely ignored the European heavyweights and proudly wore her famous hometown York City FC shirt. You know, the team that went viral worldwide after scoring in the 113th minute to seal promotion? Yep, she brought that energy to the Champions League.

The Arsenal Protest: Corinne’s mum was fiercely determined to wear an Arsenal shirt after missing the Lisbon trip in 2025. It actually paid off, though! We were sat right near the BBC broadcasting box, and after some frantic waving, she managed to get a direct wave from famous Gooners Lianne Sanderson and Alex Scott. Worth it? Apparently!

As for the match itself, Lyon definitely dominated the first half. But whatever Barca put in their half-time oranges clearly worked because they turned it on in the second half. A massive shoutout to Salma Paralluelo for her first goal of the game—an absolutely incredible take that got a well-deserved standing ovation from most of the stadium, ourselves very much included!

🚂 The 2-Minute Train Escape

Hats off to Oslo because the pre/post-match transport logistics were elite. Unbeknownst to us, trains were leaving the stadium back to the city center every single two minutes.

It was so efficient that it actually caused a tactical split in the camp. A few people in our group managed to walk just a few steps ahead of the rest of us. They stepped onto the train, the doors instantly hissed shut, and we were left standing on the platform watching them wave a slow-motion, tragic goodbye through the glass as the train pulled away. It was like a scene from a movie, and the rest of the group absolutely lost it laughing... and on reconnecting with them in the city they informed us that strangers on their train had a good laugh at their expense! thankfully it was members of the group that were confident navigating on foreign soil.. if it had been others we may never of seen them again!!

🥶 The "Floating Liquid Ice" Experience

Many months ago, we made the executive decision to book a "must-do" Oslo activity: hiring a private floating sauna right in the main harbour. The plan? Get nice and sweaty, then dive into the fresh water.

10 brave (or stupid) souls from our group of 16 volunteered. After a couple of alcoholic drinks to calm the pre-jump nerves, we made it to the deck. The next two hours were an absolute blast of sliding and jumping off the main deck. A few of the braver ones even jumped straight off the sauna's roof!

We also learned the hard way that a "quick harbour dip" in Norway is actually just a swim in liquid ice. Hence our new seasonal nickname: Football Travel-brrrr 🌊🧊.

Naturally, we had the Football TravelHER flag proudly on display the entire time. In a stroke of marketing genius (or pure luck), a massive cruise ship docked right next to us while we were waving it, giving us some prime, well-timed free advertising to thousands of tourists!

Warsaw ’27, We’re Coming for You!✨

All in all, the trip was the perfect foundation for everything we are building. The momentum is officially real, the bar has been set incredibly high, and all 16 of our travelers have already demanded that Football TravelHER officially coordinates the Warsaw '27 trip for next year's final.

We are so ready. Just... maybe with fewer ice baths next time.