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Vinny Lecavalier: World Traveler

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 18, 2007

Photo Gallery: Lecavalier On Vacation

TAMPA - Think about what a normal summer vacation might entail and conjure up some images. Maybe packing some shorts and a bathing suit into a duffel bag, strapping a rooftop carrier onto the family trickster, filling up the gas tank and perhaps heading up the highway to Hilton Head for a week at the beach or taking in the sights of Washington, D.C.

Maybe a family trip to Central Florida to visit the most famous mouse in the world was in order, like the trip Vinny Lecavalier took with his family when he was 4 years old.

No matter the destination, no doubt some sight-seeing and relaxation are on the itinerary.

Lecavalier tried that. He hung out at some first-class resorts along the Mexican coastline and in the Bahamas during his first couple offseasons after he reached the NHL.

Being a tourist, Lecavalier figured, was all right. For him, however, it was like that steady winger who shows up every night and puts together a solid effort without finding the score sheet on a consistent basis. Lecavalier was looking for a little more than a run-of-the-mill experience.

"I wanted to do something a little bit different. I wanted to see a little bit of the world," he said. "I want to do all sorts of activities. I don't want these trips to be boring side trips. I want to be able to do things."

His vacation destinations certainly have been anything but ordinary.

Swimming with sharks off the coast of Africa, including a planned encounter with a great white shark. Riding camel-back through the Moroccan desert. A three-day safari through the bush lands of South Africa, where he ate breakfast with elephants in the foreground and monkeys eyeing the dinner table over his shoulder. Cliff diving and surfing the clear blue water off the coast of Hawaii.

All those activities have been on Lecavalier's docket as he ventures to various locations, seeking a temporary escape from the hockey world.

"After all the time during the season it's nice to just kind of - whew - and exhale a little bit. You get a sense that the season is over, even if it all went well or not," he said. "It's just a chance to get away to somewhere where you don't even think about it."

Change Of Philosophy

The idea for Lecavalier's barnstorming summer trips began after a trip to Tahiti with his girlfriend, Caroline Portelance. Though the two-week trip had its share of good times and good scenery, along with plenty of time to relax, it might have been too much.

So when planning a summer vacation in 2004 - the year the Lightning won the Stanley Cup - Lecavalier ventured to Southern France and Italy. And though the usual tourist stops were on the itinerary, including 1 1/2 days in Rome to see the Colosseum and other sites, it was the out-of-the-way locales, the small-town stops and lesser-known restaurants dotting the vacation trail that were the attraction.

Lecavalier said he does all the travel arrangements himself, surfing the Internet for off-the-beaten-path activities. He has received tips from others, such as agent Kent Hughes, who offered advice on some of the small Italian towns, and a photographer Lecavalier knows who lives in Morocco.

Setting things up on his own has led to some thrilling adventures that must make chasing down a puck into a corner with 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara seem like a trip to the sandbox.

African Adventures

While in South Africa, Lecavalier took to the air, land and sea for a thrilling trio of memorable experiences.

After hanging out in Cape Town for a couple days, the air adventure came first in the form of skydiving, followed by taking to the water to swim with sharks - the small version and the man-eating variety, while housed inside of a cage, of course.

"Your heart is beating fast and you can hear the captain above saying, 'He's coming, he's coming.' Then you go down in the water ... inside the cage because when great white sharks hunt they hunt at the surface," Lecavalier said.

"So they put a huge piece of tuna right in front of the cage so it's right up against the cage, bumping into it. So it's pretty scary the first couple of times it comes up to the cage. Then you get used to it and just kind of admire the animal. You look at it and it's just beautiful."

More close-ups were on hand during a three-day safari into the bush lands - a trip where a small airplane lands in an open field - that included encounters with zebras, lions, cheetahs and some food-seeking monkeys while eating breakfast with elephants grazing in the foreground.

Lecavalier also has gone surfing and cliff diving off the coast of Maui, rode on the back of camels through the deserts of Morocco and braved the sometimes treacherous streets of Marrakesh, where Lecavalier said he felt like he truly was in a different world.

But of all his travels and encounters, the time that made him sweat the most might have been the most innocent as he trekked to villages and cavernous areas in Morocco.

"We were driving through some of the mountain areas in Morocco and the roads are only about four feet wide," Lecavalier said. "Our driver was whipping around the corners and you look down at how far of a drop it was. ... My hands were literally sweating the whole time."

Down The Road

Nothing has been plotted for the summer of 2008, but Lecavalier is constantly on his computer and talking things over with Portelance to determine the next destination.

Vacation spots on his radar include South America (to visit the rain forest regions, although venturing too deep is something he's not too keen on), Thailand and perhaps Australia and New Zealand, although the thought of visiting Down Under during their winter months has him hesitant to spend his vacation time in a cold climate.

But no matter the destinations Lecavalier plans out, you can bet the days will have full itineraries, and most likely ones any local concierge might not recommend.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

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