Being named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the best female goalkeeper in the world comes with its perks. Lucky for Lioness Mary Earps, soon-to-be Mary Earps MBE, there's a particular highlight that is one close to her heart – travel.
Whether it's jetting off to Australia and New Zealand with her England teammates for the World Cup this summer or enjoying some hard-earned time off in the Greek sunshine, travel is one of Mary's greatest off-pitch passions, making her latest venture feel totally on-brand. The star player has revealed that she is working with Hotels.com as a travel expert.
It won't come as a surprise that the Lioness has experienced many memorable hotel stays in her time and yet, she tells us that it is a hotel in London that still tops her list. "My favourite was ME London by Melia," the footballer, 30, reveals. "I just had so much fun there." But who could blame her for loving ME London, which is a five-star hotel in Covent Garden that offers a 24-hour gym, luxury roof terrace and stunning city-view rooms?
Though globe-trotting comes with the territory for one of England's most followed players, it is the downtime and sense of personal growth that travel affords that is important to Mary. "I feel like just in general when you get to experience the world and travel, you learn about yourself a lot," the footballer says. "You grow up a lot, you mature, you experience different cultures, you see how other parts of the world do different things and it allows you to experiment with what you like, but also with what's important to you as a person."
She remembers living in Germany between 2018 and 2019 when she was playing for the then-Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg, recalling fondly this time when she says she learned the most about herself. "Being so far away from home, yeah you can jump on a flight but the reality of it is that you're far away, you can't just nip home. You've got to figure things out for yourself," she tells us.
"And just little cultural differences, what time the supermarket shuts, or them not being open on a Sunday and not speaking the language and having to ask for directions. It gives you a sense of independence and resilience to figure stuff out."
But gaining that independence through figuring it all out doesn't mean leaving all her home comforts behind. Mary tells us: "I've figured out how to make a home away from home and make the most of my time on the road."
Key to this feeling of home is having a few essentials in her travel bag, though it's worth noting overpacking is not something Mary is often guilty of. Whether travelling for work or play, the footballer tells us taking a peek in her bag will always reveal "my [Amazon] TV stick, passport, bikinis, some good outfits, good trainers are really important."
The Lioness says sunglasses are also top of her packing list, insisting that she keeps the goodies in her suitcase to a "bare minimum" as a self-proclaimed fan of the "simple things". "I'm not big on dolling up to the nines when I'm on holiday. I'm just about different bikini rotations, different short rotations and getting as much sun as possible," she says.
Part of the excitement of travel for Mary is looking forward to the next trip, especially those with her Lioness teammates. When asked who she would take with her on a long-distance trip, it is 24-year-old forward Alessia Russo that comes to Mary's mind, and for the most heart-warming reason. "She's super chilled, super easygoing," she says. "I think we've got a lot in common in a lot of ways but she was also born the same year as my sister so I kind of look at her like my little sister and as family so that would probably be super easy to go travelling with her."
The goalkeeper tells us why working with a brand like Hotels.com feels right for her. "I feel like it's a really natural fit," Mary says. "I love travel, love experiencing the world. I think as you grow older you learn about what you like, what you don't like, what you don't like in a hotel. You know what you want in a hotel and I've used Hotels.com many times before to book things so it's just super easy."
In her Perfect 10 interview, Mary revealed that she loves spending time in the Instagram-worthy Mayia resort in Greece and indulges in a spot of reading by the pool at the Viceroy Riviera Maya in Mexico.
Top of Mary's travel bucket list is a location many of us dream of, though it's just the tip of the iceberg for the travel fanatic. "I just like anywhere hot really but probably on my ultimate list is the French Polynesian Islands so Tahiti and places like that. That's somewhere I really want to go," she says and we totally get it. Walking along a picture-perfect beach under blue skies after hours spent on the training field is more than deserved.
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Learn more about Mary's ultimate travel highlights and habits in her Perfect 10 interview for Hotels.com.