Plan ahead
Hotels
Flights
Travel safely
Travel
Prep & Safety
10
Plan ahead
It ’ s a good idea to make travel plans several months in advance . Work with your club director to obtain travel dates and hotel information . Know exactly what time your club expects your athlete to arrive at the competition .
Hotels
Determine which competitions will require a hotel stay . Before making arrangements , check with your club owner to determine if there are specific housing requirements for the competition . For example :
• Does the event producer require teams to book hotels through a specific housing company ?
• Does your club owner already have a block of rooms for the team ?
• Can you book independently from the club ?
• When is the awards ceremony for your team ’ s division ? Awards ceremonies sometimes occur late on the last night of the competition .
Flights
Determine which competitions will require a flight , check rates early and consider booking at least three months in advance . Check with your club director to learn the requirements and timelines for travel . For example :
• When is your team ’ s last at-home practice or show night before the competition ?
• Are you required to arrive the night before the competition ?
• When is the competition awards ceremony ? Many occur late on the last night of the competition .
• Consider booking flights that can be changed , allowing you more flexibility . Being flexible is key to planning .
Travel safely
FLYING
• If possible , book a flight that arrives the day before the competition . This allows time to handle delays or cancellations . Plan ground transportation along with your flight ( shuttle , taxi , or rental car ).
• When flying during winter months , try to avoid airports prone to weather delays or cancellations .
• The week of travel , keep an eye on the weather for all cities you will be traveling through . Check in advance for possible reroutes due to weather .
• Arrive at the airport two hours before your scheduled flight .
• If you have flight issues , airline employees will do their best to help you arrive at your destination , especially if you remain professional . Try multiple forms of communication if you have several people in your party . Have one person call the airline and another work with the airline staff at the airport . One method may work better than another at finding a solution .
• Pack your uniform , costume and anything you absolutely NEED in a carry-on bag and it have with you at all times !
DRIVING
• A good rule of thumb is to take the estimated travel time and multiply it by 1.5 — if it takes six hours to drive somewhere , allow at least nine hours .
• Make sure your car is safe to drive . Check the oil , tire pressure and have inspections up-to-date .
• If you are running late , communicate with the coach or club contact as soon as you know things are not going as planned so that they have as much advance notice as possible .
• Bring cash as many venues have cash only parking .
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