Are You Planning That Team Trip Of A Lifetime?

There are a number of very important ingredients needed to organize an international sports tour.
Unlike family holidays to domestic resorts, international travel requires fine tuning by the coach or administrator to insure success and reduce the “I didn’t knows” as the tour moves from an idea to actual departure.
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Some Things You Should Do

First schedule a meeting with all parents or a college administrator to discuss the relevancy of a trip. During the meeting get a consensus that all in attendance think it is a great idea and it is worth time to develop an itinerary and costing goals.
Blending sport, culture and fun into an international tour can become indeed a trip of a life-time.
Then move to select firm travel dates. Don’t go too far out with a long, drawn-out experience. Try to select dates using 12, 10, or eight nights at your foreign destination. Don’t get hung up on locations! The dates determine the best location to travel to.
For example, from a majority of parents you might have selected the United Kingdom for June 10-19. However, in the UK this month is called the “Closed Season” for soccer, whereby all natural grass pitches are shut down to team play and most teams are on vacation as their season ended usually in May.
Is it better to travel to a youth tournament or have a custom tour organized by a professional international tour operator? The answer is evident within the mix of people traveling.
The more guests, parents, and siblings are involved the direction is toward a custom tour. And furthermore, friendly games, pre-organized mini tournaments, and pro training can be better supported by a custom tour.
Kids usually will not remember scores or the game they played against the Texas ODP team (sorry to say!) and got hammered. They do remember fun on the bus, the antics of the guides, and great food. They remember the pro training sessions, the pro game, and the visit to the fan shop.

A Time To Ask Questions

First ask for references from a tour operator; how many years in business; and is the operator insured with liability and fraud protection insurance. Never select a tour operator if the salesman has a foreign accent and knows Stephen Gerrard.
According to an article by Harvard Sports Management, few travelers ever check references. Take the time to check the highest level references, e.g. college coaches, as their jobs depend on the success of an international tour company’s performance.
Ask the tour operator for sample itineraries from a number of countries or regions of the world to be evaluated. The key with sample itineraries is to make sure you study the “inclusions” on the back of each itinerary- line by line- these listings represent the product which you are buying.
Ask about timelines for refunds, and how friendly matches are developed versus local competition. Can you go ‘Behind the scenes’, attend a professional game, and best if all, can you deviate to create your own vision which better serves your players needs first, then coaches, and guests.
You should be ready to go somewhere! Be thorough, check references using head coaches, and make sure your dates fit soccer schedules overseas for a tour of a lifetime using an international tour operator.

Developing YOUR Itinerary

Then after reviewing the sample itineraries and establishing firm dates, ask the operator for “your” itinerary and costs. A top notch operator will sk for “best guess estimates” of players, staff, and guests for your custom tour. These estimates are essential to develop an accurate quotation. Not all tours are the same, yet the INCLUSIONS reveal the extent of the success of a custom international tour.
Do you need fundraising support? The best tour operators sometimes can provide fund raising support by providing raffle tickets, prizes, free travel, and much more to get your group organized and moving ahead to meet the financial goals for your international tour.
“Go get ‘em”, but use a custom tour operator to insure success for ALL travelers-it’s your money!