Preparing for travel

It is likely that some travel arrangements will be necessary even for training camps at home. For matches overseas, your Union may have an internal or  appointed travel agent that you can work with and for some tournaments, the tournament organisers might be booking your flights. 

If you are travelling overseas and the flights are being booked by the tournament, a little research in advance might prove useful. Can your team depart from multiple cities in your country or just one? If it is a single point of departure is that already fixed or can it be adjusted to better suit a pre travel camp. Can you be specific about a route or preferred airline? Can the organiser issue you with a travel grant rather than book the flight on your behalf, giving you perhaps more control over flight changes. These are all worthy questions worth discussing with your tournament managers. 

Whether a camp in your home city or a tournament on the other side of the world, ensure you understand your obligations as team manager. Communicate clearly with the squad members as to their obligations and the agreed travel/arrival dates. 

Should you need a visa to enter another country, it is vital you are clear on the process as quickly as possible, along with what, if any, assistance you can expect from your hosts. Most Terms of Participation will state that visas are the responsibility of each individual or team (viewed in the same way as passport documentation) but organisers can issue letters of invitation/confirmation as required. 

Top Tip: Set reminders of when passports, visas other travel documents are close to (a couple of months) expiration date!