By Alfie “Tito” Garcia, founder of Ares Elite Journeys and a relationship-first travel advisor focused on thoughtful planning and dependable logistics.
For a sports team, getting to the competition can be almost as demanding as competing. Flights may originate in several cities, hotel policies can differ, equipment must arrive safely, and a schedule change can affect an entire group at once. When athletes are self-funded, every decision also carries a personal financial consequence.
I have seen that pressure firsthand as the travel partner and sponsor of a U.S. national handball team. I coordinate the team’s travel to international competition, from negotiating group hotel rates to arranging meals around training and match schedules, along with the requests that fall outside a typical booking. Talented athletes may be balancing training, work, fundraising, and the cost of reaching scheduled events. Good travel planning cannot solve every funding challenge, but it can reduce confusion, expose costs earlier, and help a team make decisions together.
Start with one source of truth
Before comparing flights or hotels, create one approved trip record. It should include:
- Competition location and official schedule
- Required arrival and departure windows
- Traveler names exactly as shown on identification
- Departure city for every traveler
- Rooming needs and accessibility requirements
- Equipment or oversized-baggage requirements
- Ground-transportation plan
- Payment deadlines and cancellation terms
- Emergency contacts and the person authorized to make changes
Scattered text messages and separate spreadsheets make it easier for important details to be missed. One current record gives the coach, manager, travelers, and travel partner the same information.
Price the complete trip—not only the airfare
The lowest airfare is not necessarily the lowest-cost option. A realistic comparison should consider checked and oversized baggage, seat assignments, airport transfers, hotel parking, resort or destination fees, meals, and the cost of arriving too late for required team activities.
For self-funded athletes, showing the complete expected cost early is especially important. It gives each traveler more time to plan, fundraise, and raise concerns before deposits become nonrefundable.
Establish deadlines and decision authority
Every group needs clear answers to three questions:
- Who can approve an itinerary or price change?
- When must each traveler submit information and payment?
- What happens if someone misses a deadline or withdraws?
Those decisions should be documented before reservations begin. A travel professional can coordinate options and logistics, but the organization must still define who has authority to commit the group.
Plan for travelers arriving from different cities
Many teams are not traveling from one airport. When athletes originate in multiple regions, the goal is not necessarily to place everyone on the same flight. The more practical goal may be to create reliable arrival windows, coordinated transfers, and a contingency plan for disruptions.
That means evaluating each traveler’s route while protecting the team’s shared schedule. A single delayed arrival should not leave the entire group without transportation or prevent everyone else from checking in.
Protect the team’s time at the destination
Competition travel is not an ordinary vacation. Hotel location, breakfast hours, laundry access, ground transportation, and proximity to the venue can matter more than amenities that look impressive online. Recovery time and predictable movement should influence the itinerary.
The team should also know what support is available if a flight changes, a rooming issue appears, or equipment is delayed. Problems are easier to manage when responsibilities and contact paths are established before departure.
Give fundraising a concrete target
Fundraising becomes more meaningful when supporters can understand what their contribution helps accomplish. A documented travel budget can translate a broad request for support into specific needs such as transportation, accommodations, or participation costs.
Organizations should follow their own financial, sponsorship, and disclosure requirements. The travel plan provides the cost framework; the organization determines how funds are raised, accepted, and allocated.
When to involve a travel logistics partner
Outside help becomes valuable when the team has travelers from several cities, complex rooming needs, equipment requirements, uncertain schedules, or limited administrative capacity. The right partner should ask about the competition requirements and the people involved—not simply offer a destination package.
At Ares Elite Journeys, my role is to understand the moving parts, organize the questions, and help groups evaluate practical travel options. Every team is different, and the first step is a conversation about what the athletes and organization actually need.
Prepare before the next event
If your team, sports organization, or nonprofit is planning competition travel, begin before prices and deadlines create unnecessary pressure. Bring the event schedule, estimated traveler count, departure cities, and known requirements to an initial planning conversation.
Related service: Explore sports-team travel planning and logistics.