The confessions of a Wales Away fan

Sean Mills by his own admission has the Wales Away bug, but this isn’t something you need to see a doctor about, although your bank manager might want to have a chat at some point.

No, Wales Away is resolutely a state of mind, a chance to see the world, party with like-minded souls, and make the most positive impression possible wherever you don your bucket hat.

When 4,000 Welsh fans descend on Brussels for the World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Monday evening, they will be representing their nation – and they will be having the best time of their lives while they’re at it.

As the chant goes… Wales Away, ah, ah, I like it!

Sean certainly does. The 31-year-old from Llantwit Fardre has fallen in love with following Wales on their travels and as a keen photographer he’s documented many of his adventures around the globe.

Here the keen snapper and Cymru supporter gives us the lowdown on the high times he’s experienced as part of the Wales Away experience.

What was you first Wales home game and first Wales away game?

My first Wales game was all the way back in 2000 when I was only 6. My Dad and Uncle took me to see Wales vs Brazil. My mum then regularly took me throughout my childhood and I was there for wins against Italy and Germany amongst others, before I had a bit of a hiatus until 2014 when I started going again. I’ve not missed a home game in Cardiff since.

My first away game was Wales vs Northern Ireland in EURO 2016. I ended up going back the following week for that famous win against Belgium in Lille. My ticket cost €195 but it was comfortably worth every penny. My first non tournament away was China. On that trip we visited the Great Wall, saw the sights of Beijing and even managed to head to Vietnam for a few days. That same trip we beat China 6-0 and Gareth Bale scored a hattrick to become our all time top scorer. It’s easy to see how I got hooked.

What have been your favourite moments following Wales away?

I’ve done 16 away days now (plus 3 more tournament / neutral games) and every trip has been incredible. It’s hard to look past beating Belgium in EURO 2016 as the defining moment, but two of my other favourites are Nathan Broadhead’s last minute equaliser against Croatia in Split, and beating Latvia 2-0 in Riga. The crowd was incredible that night. David Brooks’ last minute equaliser against North Macedonia, on the most recent trip, was a pretty special moment too.

Do you get a sense that you are representing Wales on the world stage? I always think of the Welsh fans as special envoys representing the nation!

Yes definitely – and we’re always well received by the locals. We always travel well, often taking thousands, yet any negative incidents are few and far between. It’s an honour to be able to follow our great country around the world.

If you were going to advise anyone on what to do / how to cope with their first Wales Away trip – what would you tell them?

Definitely try and plan the trips yourself. It might seem overwhelming at first, but I think you get so much more value from these trips by looking at various routes there. As an example, for Armenia away, I was expecting flights to cost hundreds, but we found flights to Cyprus for £22, stayed there a few days, saw Cyprus vs Spain, then flew onto Armenia for another £22. Look around and you can find some real bargains. In terms of what to expect, there’s usually pre-match parties which will be full of Welsh fans for you to have a few beers with. Make sure you see the sights too though – this is an opportunity to see the world, so don’t forget to do that. If you’re struggling to know what to do, looking at TripAdvisor for different tours on nearby is a good starting point.

And finally, what’s next on your Wales Away odyssey?

Well, I’m getting married in under a fortnight so I won’t be at Belgium away, sadly, but I went in 2022 and I know the Welsh fans are in for a great time. I’ll be at Kazakhstan, England and Liechtenstein away later this year though, a real mix of away days there. We’re hoping to do a mini tour of Central Asia when we do Kazakhstan. Central Asia has long been a dream location for me, so it’s safe to say I can’t wait for that one! Before that though, a wedding and honeymoon in Mexico is on the cards for me.

CHECK OUT SEAN’S BRILLIANT THREAD ON X OF ALL HIS AWAY GAMES – INCLUDING SOME STUNNING PICS

Wales away trips are one of my favourite ways to see the world, so here’s a thread of every Wales away I’ve done so far, the destinations I visited and some football and travel photos from each trip 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Only included away trips, and not tournament or neutral games. pic.twitter.com/Cx5mR1gRMs

— Sean (@myftblpictures) May 31, 2025

Follow Sean’s football pictures page on Instagram