Summer 2026 F1
Formula 1 has become a passion of mine ever since I watched “Drive to Survive” during COVID. The show broke down the sport in a way I was able to understand, spark a desire to learn more about it, and drive me to go to races in person. Fortunately, the races are in great places to visit.
This year, Windstar, a small boat cruise company had a trip starting in Rome and ending in Barcelona that included a ticket to the Monaco Grand Prix - the most famous and storied race on the F1 calendar. I talked to my mom about going and her response was “if your Dad were here, you’d both be going, so go”. A few phone calls, texts, and emails later - the cruise was booked. I told a few close friends and joked to one “Want to meet me in Barcelona at the end of my cruise and go to the Barcelona Grand Prix?” to which I got a shocking “Actually, yes”. And thus an adventure was born.
The trip was an 8 night cruise on Wind Surf out of Civitavecchia (port near Rome) then 5 nights in Barcelona.
To get there, I found a Premium seat on British Airways from Atlanta to London using 52,250 Avios (45,000 Chase points transferred with a bonus) plus $200 in taxes and fees. I then bought an economy ticket London to Rome for $255. While direct from Atlanta to Rome is very possible, it would have cost $800+ one way in economy.
ARRIVAL
In Rome, I used my AmEx Delta Stays credit to book a hotel for the night. I got into Rome late due to weather and was happy to have a convenient hotel to the train station. I woke up early knowing I had just a few hours to see Rome and make at 12pm train to the port. I made my way around Rome quickly to see as many sights as I could: Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Capitoline Hill, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant’Angelo, and Vatican City. I stopped for some pastries and got a slice of pizza that went into my pocket until closer to lunch. I took the bus to help for some of the longer distances and to protect me from a thunderstorm. Best €1.50 I spent all trip.
After a quick morning, it was off to the coast and board the ship!
The Cruise
The Wind Surf by WindStar is a sailing yacht that was a fun way to travel the Mediterranean coast. Our itinerary included Bastia, Portofino, Monaco, St. Tropez, Collioure, Roses and Barcelona over 8 nights. Each evening we would sail (literally) out of port and watch the sun go down over drinks or dinner.
I’m always more at peace on the water so traveling by ship to each destination was exceptionally calming and peaceful for me. Being on a sailing yacht reminded me of family trips to the lake and my dad sailing us around. The cozy nature of Wind Surf only enhancing the peacefulness. My cabin was comfortable with 2 port holes that I was surprised to find was in line with the tender platform while exiting the bathroom from showering one morning.
Waking up to epic sunrises as we pulled into the next port is something I’ll never forget. One particular sunrise I ran up the steps to an outside deck to see more clearly (almost forgot to pull on some pants too!)
Bastia and Portofino were beautiful little towns to explore on my own. My style of sightseeing when solo is: walk to place, look at thing, take selfie (sometimes), leave, and repeat until I’ve checked off all the things on my list. If it’s interesting enough, I’ll watch a documentary on it later to get more of the story.
The real joy and excitement of the cruise was the Monaco Grand Prix. Traditionally not a super exciting race to watch on TV however, I could not have had a better time. The seats that were provided from WindStar were incredible. We got to look out at the marina and got a spectacular view of the track coming out the tunnel to the turn at the pool. Being my second F1 race, I was prepared with ear plugs and they were needed. The sound was incredible coming from all around as the roar of the engines bounced off the mountains around us. Somehow the F2, F3, and Porsche Super Cars sounded even louder but a loudness I craved.
After 2 full days of racing (and sunburn - oops), we were off to St. Tropez, Collioure, Roses and Barcelona. The remaining towns were cute but the weather turned on us a little. It would be nice to get off the ship during the day but I found myself skipping St. Tropez. There was a fun “Shopping with Chef” outing that I did - the chef of the boat led a bunch of us through a market and gave us samples of local ingredients (cheese mostly!) he was getting for that evenings dinner.
Arriving in Barcelona was bittersweet. I was sad to get off the ship but I was excited to meet up with some friends from home to explore Barcelona and go to another race!
Barcelona
I joined up with my friend at the hotel. I searched a large number of hotels in Barcelona trying to find the best value while still being semi-nice and ended up at ONIX Rambla with breakfast included. It was convenient to food, subway lines, and attractions at a modest price.
The first three days in Barcelona were focused on the Barcelona Grand Prix practices, qualifying, and race. The track is a long way out of the city and we were advised to get the Sagales bus pass which proved to be a wonderful choice (it was hot and the buses had air conditioning). I sat in the Carlos Sainz stands and got a free hat and flag at the track. Behind the stands was a DJ making sure everyone was there to have a great time. Watching Lewis Hamilton win the race was a highlight for sure.
Heading home
The trip home was quite uneventful. I booked a one way ticket on Air France (Economy Barcelona to Pairs then Premium Paris to Atlanta) using 40,000 points and $300 in taxes and fees.
