It's opening day - and I'm not talking about spring shopping. Of course, I'm talking about the major league baseball season.

When I was a kid, my grandparents had box seats right behind home plate at McDermott Field. During the season, we spent many nights watching the Idaho Falls Angels and then the Idaho Falls A's take the field against local teams, wondering which player we were watching would ultimately make it to the show. My grandparent's cafe became a lunchtime destination for the players when they were in town, and from those summers on - I was hooked. I love live baseball.

Granted, being in a town without a major league team probably makes me romanticize it all, but what better reason to take a trip than to catch a game?

The internet opens up a wealth of game opportunities, but know that your chances of getting a seat for a game between big hitters - like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox can cost you a pretty penny. The good news is, single seats are more likely to be available than having to buy two or more seats together. If you shoot for games that are mid-week rather than on popular vacation days, or even day games and double-headers, you can save yourself some money both on the plane fare and hotel. Plus, you'll save the travel stress of navigating airports on days when there are lots of business travelers.

You can check Ticketmaster for tickets to any major league game. Simply choose "sports" and search by the city that you're interested in going to. Don't forget to check out StubHub.com - you can buy and sell event tickets there. I also like StubHub because you get to see a range of ticket prices more easily than on TicketMaster.com. Shop around for flights, and select a date range for your plan. I would recommend that you buy your event ticket prior to buying your plane ticket, but be flexible. If the event ticket isn't as important, you can just check for tickets after your flights are confirmed.

I don't mind watching baseball on television, or most other sports, for that matter. But nothing replaces the feeling of having the ticket in hand, walking through the gates, buying a program, and heading up to a seat number somewhere in the stadium to take in the game. I don't even care if it's in the nosebleed section. It's the atmosphere. It's paying way too much for a hot dog and a beverage, just to have the chance to watch the best of the best pick up a bat, walk to the plate, take a swing that may win the game, and soak it all in with the rest of the fans.