@fenwaysouth posted:My wife and I made every effort to get to most of his college games when logistically possible. We were 8 hours away from his home games, but fortunate that most of the Spring Break games were in our area. In some cases we had to get creative with our travel plans. We sacrificed a lot, but it was worth it because the time is fleeting. I know my son enjoyed seeing us, and that is what it is all about. I do it all over again the same way in a heart beat.
JMO.
As usual I agree with RJM and fenway... Regarding travel I would add:
- Budget a lot more than you think for travel. Plan on taking your son and some of his teammates along with their parents out for meals/drinks after the games.
- Make friends with Sr/existing parents during the first games and learn about the travel ins and outs and what hotel the parents tend to stay out. They will also have advice on local restaurants around the campus.
- See if there is a booster club that coordinates travel and plans. Even if there is not a formal club usually there is a parent who keeps a roster of kids and parents. (and their names
) - Look at the calendar and plan out your travel for the year when the schedule comes out, look for long weekends or midweek games that are linked, try to maximize your time time with the team and your son based on the schedule.
- Plan around conference, or larger tournaments. Tournament games are so much more fun than the regular season. If the team gets to regionals or a CWS it is a bonus. Those games are the most memorable, but in the case of regionals you may not know prior to a few days where you will be going, which drives up the cost. All I can say is GO!
- Research airlines schedules and get their credit cards to maximize bonus points. I got a Southwest card and quickly earned a free companion pass which saved us thousands over the 4 years.
- Join hotel rental car affinity memberships.
- Rent cars away from airports if possible. Most people don't realize that car rentals charge a lot more for rentals onsite at airports, for long trips this can add up to hundreds of $.
- We ended up seeing so many places in this country that we would have never visited otherwise, so take advantage of this opportunity and go to away games if they fit the schedule.
- As others have already posted; sit down, shut up, and enjoy the game as a fan, not a parent!