Travel tips for new travel ball family

Hotels:

Apply for a credit card with reward points and/or sign up for the reward program at hotels that you may stay.  I have switched to HiltonHonors recently and have found they have great rates and price points. Plus, I get points for free rooms.  Marriott Rewards  is a good choice as well, but I refuse to pay a yearly credit card fee.

I have successfully used Priceline several times for tournaments and have saved quite a bit per stay.  Check www.betterbidding.com for hotels in locations you are traveling.  Priceline will only guarantee double occupancy, but I have not had a problem calling the hotel and getting two beds.  But, that will depend on your location and the occupancy rates for that event. 

Make sure your hotel has a laundry facility and breakfast included.  Saves time and it is one less thing to pay for.  Bring quarters and your own laundry detergent and Iron Out.

Food:

I always keep a bag in the car with a loaf of bread, peanut butter, knife and paper towels. We have had delayed games more than once, at locations without concessions, and I set up and make sandwiches for any of the players (or me!) that want one.  Keep protein bars, snack bars, Lance crackers, and Gatorade handy, and make sure your player has his own water jug filled each day. I try to make sure my player has a snack of some sort in his bat bag (as well as an extra pair of contacts).  I knew a family that took a crock pot and plugged in dinner before they left for the day, but I like to find local places to eat and explore.  Check www.tripadvisor.com for reviews of restaurants.

Other:

Make sure you have an updated GPS.  Plug in your field locations before you leave.

Pack: Sunscreen.  Bug spray.  Umbrella. Cell phone charger.

My player travels and stays with the team now, so I make sure he has a copy of his medical insurance card.

Many tournaments venues will not allow outside food or drink.  I have a Thermos cooler that actually looks like a handbag which has served me well in the past.  

In addition to all the great suggestions keewart provided you, I would make a point to stop by some of these colleges (between home and destination) to check them out.  Even if it is "curb tour" it can give your son a chance to see some schools that he might not ordinarily see.  The summer is a great time to see these schools as there is not usually a parking issue as there is with school in session.  Enjoy, and take a tour if you have time.

Great tips, I'll add this:

Get to know the other families as early as possible in the season. Don't isolate yourself in the stands. You'll make some great friends...and have more fun.

Great tips! 

We also found that bringing a cooler with ice and small towels / washcloths from the hotel was essential for the summer games in FL/GA.  Our northern boys needed those icy wet cloths to cool down their heads between innings! (esp the catcher!) 

My 'thermos bag' was my best friend for many many tournaments where no outside coolers were allowed.

Have fun --- my travel ball days are over, this will be the 1st summer in 6 years that we can actually take a family vacation that doesn't involve dusty fields, cheap hotels and stinky cleats. Yes I am going to miss it!

Great advice so far.  Extra props for suggesting online sites.....priceline, hot wire etc....just made a trip to GA and found what I need that way for half of what others staying in the area for paying for.  Cooler bag is a MUST!  Think about getting some type of electrolyte replacement other than your typical sports drinks.  I use a product that I used during intense outdoor training at work.  It helps a lot with dehydration, cramps and headaches.  i have my son use it during summer ball.  PM me and I will tell you about it so you can check it out.

Great advice from above, but I'll add:

Have fun, pack the night before,  and get a good camera. :-)

My husband and son have been able to umpire together some recently. Son has taken notice of parents behaving badly - he's been saddened by kids hanging their heads, etc. This led to a nice conversation about how much fun we had over the years. 

The camera provided an excuse to get away from parents when one of us needed a break, and don't forget to share! Plus years later, it's so much fun to relive "the moment"! 

Assuming your player is a bit young, I'm also going to suggest a shade tent if you don't already have one. While many venues provide water in the dug out, under no circumstances should anyone drink it! (let's just say, it gets dirty) Definitely provide your player his own water. 

Thanks some good suggestions here.

what about ways to eat healthy? Tired of concession food. What travels well?

how about bringing meds?dont want to be looking for a drug store in an unfamiliar town. What should I prepare for there?

for eating healthy. we packed a small coleman grill. we grilled chicken (as well as hamburgers) in the parking lot often. Once it caught on, a couple other parents did as well and team made a picnic inbetween games. We had a couple small pans to put something hot veggie would could cook easilt as well. We packed fresh fruit and veggies such as apples, banana, strawberries, baby carrots, broccoli, etc. Our own fruit and veggie trays.

Most away tournaments, one of first our trips to was to local grocery store or walmart to stock up on the above items (so we didn't have to pack and haul it all. we had some from traveling to start but not a weeks worth).

We, also, had blue ice (the kind you freeze then use as your ice) when we went to park in our thermos bag. worked great for fruit and veggies without making them sopping wet 

best $89 I ever spent was on a 12 x 12 canopy.  get the metal frame kind that takes 15 seconds to set up and fold up.  this weekend it saved me from getting fried Saturday and soaked Sunday.  you will make a lot of new friends and the whole team will be piled up under it in between games

Lots of great replies above.  As far as eating healthy.  That can be trying on the road.  Especially when the kids always want to go to B-Dubs.  Recently our team has been trying to stay in Residence Inns or something with a kitchen/kitchenette.  That way we can cook at least one healthy meal a weekend for the team.  This works well if you are on a team where everyone hangs out together. I have seen some teams which only come together for the tourneys and basically do their own thing when they are not playing.  May not work in a situation like that. 

+1 on the grill. 

Our intent is to have it fired up almost every night.  Easy for folks to bring their own food over to it and lots cheaper and healthier than eating every meal out.

We usually towed a camping trailer and stayed in a camp ground nearby for tournaments. It gave us a home away from home atmosphere. If son wanted to get away from his team for a night, A rarity, we would take him back to the campground for a night of fishing, s'mores and campfire.

When it was just Mom or Dad we could rent a cabin so we did not have to set up a the trailer. Saved quite a bit of money over the team hotel.

In addition to all the other good ideas make sure you have a comfortable chair. There was a chance of up to six games some weekends. We brought six game undershirts for my players. For real hot days we brought the ice packs used for injury. I would buy them by the case. The ice packs were $1 each. They feel great on the head and neck and keep body temperature down when it's blazing out.

Its not hard to eat well if you stay away from the concession stands and restaurants. We brought the first days lunch and went to a local store Saturday night to buy items for Sunday's lunch. We would often grill for dinner. The only garbage meal (McD's, BK, etc.) would be the one heading home Sunday night.

Its not hard to sneak beer down the sidelines even though its usually against the rules. Alcohol on a hot day in the sun is a good way to wear yourself out.

One other thing I thought about. You may want to purchase extra uni pants.  My kid has two different uni's.  We have 3 pairs of pants for each uni.  He also has about 6 pair of sliding shorts.  This keep us from having to do laundry in the hotels. 

Nope, dirty uni's are a badge of honor

We did come up with a short check-list of everything the player absolutely needed to have to play the game (full uni parts, cleats, glove, bat, etc.).  He had to pull it out prior to each trip and was responsible for it.  We did use/do much of what else has been mentioned but didn't sweat it.

Fenway is spot on.  Don't think it is "too early" to do this.  You player can get a feel for what is a small school, large school, big city, rural, etc.  

For my guys, I was surprised by how important it was for where the closest Chick-fil-a was located! 

A few additional learnings from a long-time travel ball family:

- bring footballs or something the boys can play with between games and at night.

- know going in there's a LOT of down time. Be prepared.

- stay with the team if it makes your son happy but don't hesitate to stay on your own if he needs his space. We camped and son fished a lot.

- if he has siblings -- particularly sisters -- keep them top of mind, too.

- and finally, if he's on a good team that wins a lot, plan to take off Mondays if you can. Those late night Sunday treks are killer!

Have fun, enjoy it and most important, let him be a boy. He'll hate losing but will get over it quickly. You do the same

oh and more thing, if you look now, you may be able to find a Mr Heater Buddy. A small heater that runs on a small propane tank like for camping. 

It's a must have for the cooler months.   

Don't automatically discount taking the Xbox/ps3. If you get in a situation like we did last weekend where we traveled 3 hours only find out Fridays games were cancelled and that we would be notified Saturday around noon if we would play at all It will help to keep the kids occupied. Ended up being rained out all weekend. Thankfully they notified us early enough on Saturday and we were able to head back home  

Also cards and poker chips for the dads and dice for the moms. 

My wife who is an RN always brought a little medical bag she put together with band-aids, wraps, larger bandages, medicines for stomach aches, sunburn, bee stings,eye drops, allergies, etc. Multiple times she helped out an opponent or one of my boy's teammates who had a bad cut or something like that.

Enjoy the ride !

Bring duct tape and rope for your smaller kids. My son (five years younger) was a PITA at my daughter's softball tournaments.

We carried a tarp and bungee cords to use as a shade at some venues as it could cover a whole set of bleachers.  We had the pop up shade tent as well. You can never have too much shade on a hot day especially if you are in the middle of nowhere and it isn't convenient to drive back and forth to your hotel/home,   Zip lock bags are always handy to make your own ice packs or carry wet towels with ice for the heat.  We always carried a "first aid" bag also.

Be sure you know the cancellation policy of your hotel. Sometimes they require 72 hours if they are set up through the showcase organization.  We have used a Coleman cooler on wheels with an telescoping handle that has been extremely handy (purchased it at Walmart:Coleman 42-Can Soft Cooler with Wheels). Son takes it into the dugout if spectator coolers are not permitted. It has also been used as a carry-on when we fly. A large bag of peanuts. Everyone loves them and don't worry about the shells. Every stadium I have been in allows/understands that it's just part of baseball. As far as dining goes, check out the university cafeterias. It can be a great option to experience college food. At some places in includes drink, dessert, lots of choices, space for the whole team and NO TIP required. Some will even give you a group discount if a parent takes the lead and coordinates it. VA Tech was a great experience for us and known for their food service excellence.

As a Baseball Event Organizer Internationally and Nationally for 30 years, I remember our journey from California to St Louis for the AAU '16 and under Nationals and then to Waukegan, Illinois for the Continental World Series. No parents traveled with our team of 11 players to St Louis and Waukegan.

Hotels, laundry, rental van, airline ticketing and coaching was my responsibility. Our team won both National tournaments.

In Waukegan, our 1st hotel was near Great Lakes and the parking lot was littered with broken bottles. The Sheraton was 100% filled, however I negotiated with the Hotel Manager to rent 2 meeting rooms and I rented 13 rollaways and our team had dorm style at the Sheraton. Clothes were washed in the tub and dried in the swimming pool area.

Always have the buffet breakfast included in the hotel room rate. Negotiate for wireless and free internet at the hotel.

Now I carry my mini-i-pad and I can communicate to all the parents at home and make daily changes including photos to our web site from any area in the World.

For 30 years, we have traveled to China, Japan, Korea and Australia with 60 players and I am always prepared for the "hicups". 5,000 players and only 1 missing passport.

Enjoy your summer travel experiences, "stay loose", have fun! Remember "it is only a game"!

Bob

Goodwill Series Inc.1983-2103

Area Code Baseball 1987-2004

This is by far the best thing I have ever bought...

It carries everything!

http://www.homerunjunkie.com/jugs-instant-cart

You're getting excellent advice here. Local chambers of commerce are great if you're traveling for a week and you'd like to rent a condo. They're terrific for helping you know the central location to your fields and give you lots of tips.

Have to second a couple of things. 2013's younger sister loves baseball and has really enjoyed all of the travel. That said, there weren't always other sisters around and the down time could get old. Finding a local spot for a mani-pedi usually did the trick for her!

Also bungie cords. I can't tell you how many times we have saved the day because we always carry one of those bags with assorted sizes . . . large ones help strap lots of stuff to a cooler, and the tiny ones nicely affix a golf umbrella to the chain link at the top of bleachers!

This should be a Golden Thread!

What we started doing the last few years is if the tournament is out of town; our family doesn't stay in a hotel but finds a cabin on lake or rental house for the weekend.  It allows the family to spend time together and eat together and better.

Thought of another thing.  Depending on the type of tourney and the age group there maybe some down time.  We have played in tourneys where we had pool play on Tuesday, had Wednesday off, and then played a DH on Thursday.  This has happened to us more the once.  If we think we are in a tourney that may have a schedule like this I spend sometime before heading down there looking for unique things in the area for the kids to do.  One year we were in Columbus, IN so on the off day we took the kids down to Louisville (about 45 min) for the bat factory tour.  Another year we contacted the local AAA team for group sales.  The group sales people called us back and invited us to have the kids take BP before the game and then take some infield practice before the teams came out.  They then introduced our kids with their starting line up.

Most tourneys are pretty busy but some do have some downtime and we have found that it helps to fill in that time for the kids.

I bought a spare battery and charger for my Android phone, which gets crummy battery life. I charge it night before and then swap in during middle of day at the field. No reason to suffer without Internet access.

Travel tips for new travel ball family

This may seem like common sense but worthy of mentioning...its not a good idea to go deer hunting at 3:30am during a state tournament.   Your son will get really run down, and fall asleep in the dugout.   Trust me, I've seen it.