Regardless of the sport, traveling for away games and tournaments is an essential part of a successful season. As a coach or manager of a sports team, you’re responsible for getting your team to and from away games. There’s a lot that goes into traveling with a large group, which is why it’s important to make careful travel arrangements ahead of time. Here’s what you need to know about traveling with your team.
Budget the Trip
Traveling with a team can get expensive, and it’s important that you make a budget beforehand. As you start planning, consider the cost of meals, transportation, and hotels. It’s also essential to ensure that you collaborate with others when creating your team’s budget. Input from the team and colleagues can help guide you in prioritizing expenses—separating the wants from the needs. Beyond that, planning for these expenses ahead of time will also make it easy to book accommodations and transportation in advance.
Plan Transportation
Oftentimes, the best way to transport your team to an away game is by bus. Bus transportation is both comfortable and affordable, and you’ll be able to get to games relatively quickly this way. Depending on your budget, you can travel with your team in style by booking a luxury coach bus—which comes complete with onboard restrooms, power outlets, DVD players, and air conditioning.
If you’ll be traveling long-distance, then this option will make for a painless journey. Bus transportation facilitates team bonding and also provides added safety since fleet drivers are held to specific driving certification standards. If necessary, you can also arrange for flights. Just keep in mind that you will still need to arrange for ground transportation once you arrive.
Arrange Accommodations
If the game is in a city that’s too far for a day trip, then it’s important to make sure that you arrange a stay at a hotel near to where the game is located. It’s often possible to get better deals on hotels by booking in advance. That’s yet another reason why it’s important to plan ahead.
When it comes to booking accommodations, you should look for hotels that allow you to book larger rooms. Large rooms that can accommodate multiple people allows members of the team to stay in the same room. This allows you to save quite a lot of money in most cases. Beyond that, sharing a room with teammates is yet another way for players to grow together as a team.
In many cases, booking a hotel online can be a tremendous money-saver. That’s because there are sites that offer discounts on hotels, and they often allow you to book rooms in advance as well. This will make finding and booking accommodations relatively stress-free.
Choose the Right Foods
If you’re traveling a significant distance with a sports team, then it’s likely that you’ll need to stop for meals along the way. The food choices you make are important for maintaining team performance and for sticking to a reasonable budget.
That said, you should choose foods that will provide your players with good nutrition. Choosing the right foods before a game can help to ensure that athletes have enough energy to perform at their best. Here are some foods that you should consider:
- Complex Carbs. Simple carbohydrates tend to produce a short burst of energy, but complex carbohydrates can supply the body with energy over a longer period of time. In fact, complex carbohydrates should make up 70 percent of the team’s diet during the three days prior to the game.
- Fluids. It’s essential to make sure that the team has plenty of fluids prior to, during, and after the game. Make sure that the team has sports drinks for the game itself—this can help to replenish electrolytes that are lost.
- Protein. While it is important to avoid loading up on meat right before the game, meat can often provide essential nutrients that can be beneficial the evening before the game.
Now that you know what foods to prioritize, it’s important to consider your budget. If you are eating at restaurants with the team, the bill can get quite expensive. Therefore, it’s ideal to choose foods that can be purchased in a grocery store and brought with the team on the trip. In addition, you can often save a significant amount of money by using coupons when you’re doing your shopping. That said, a meal at a restaurant can be a good way to celebrate a victory and come together as a team. You may want to consider budgeting for a celebratory dinner.
Summary
For successful team travel, take steps to ensure that your team’s away game is well planned. Your budget, transportation, lodging, and meals for the team are the most important things to consider. Proper planning not only makes the trip go smoothly, but it can also lead to your team performing better on the day of the game.
Set your team up for success by booking comfortable transportation. Pegasus Transit provides transportation options to suit a range of group travel needs. Contact us today to learn more about your options.
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