Planning the Travel for your Sports Team. Can it go smoothly?
Whether you’re planning sports travel for individuals or a high school, college or professional major-league team, finding cost saving travel solutions that will keep the process running smoothly from beginning to end is a must. Dealing with flight reservations, transportation arrangements, lodging, meals and other important details can be stressful, especially when you’re responsible for managing a team, coaches and other staff who all have different preferences.
Sports Travel Agencies Can Help
A sports travel agency offers comprehensive travel management solutions that can help you take care of all these things and more at the local, national and even international level. Some of the travel services that these types of travel management companies offer include:
- Getting the lowest prices on airfare, bus fare, train fare and car or van rentals
- Securing housing and/or hotel room blocks at discounted group rates
- Assistance with budgeting, planning, scheduling and logistics
- Quick turnaround on travel planning for last-minute events such as post-season, tournament and playoff games
- Assistance with planning, organizing and executing events, outings and awards ceremonies
- Taking care of the special requests of players, coaches, athletic directors and staff
- Transportation/shipping of sports equipment, uniforms and other important items
Hire a Dedicated Team of Sports Travel Agents
Regardless of whether you’re planning just one trip or a whole season, sports travel management companies have teams of experienced sports travel agents that can assist you with anything you may need. If you’re traveling internationally, they know the ins and outs of dealing with customs, passports, visas, & travel warnings and can provide emergency travel services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
These highly trained sports travel agents will get to know your organization’s travel style and specific needs while providing personalized attention to keep you travel running smoothly. Travel agents who have been in the business a long time know how last-minute travel needs often pop up in the world of sports–scouts may have to travel to games to check out the hottest new talent, and inclement weather and other logistical nightmares can present unique challenges that need to be solved fast. Sports travel agents can even take care of details like helping players get transportation to and from doctor appointments.
Online Self-Service
When an organization uses a sports travel management company, self-service travelers can use an employee portal to make fast, secure online reservations from anywhere with their smartphone or other devices. Managers, owners and staff can also view real-time reports online that can allow them to accurately track spending and get valuable insights into policy management, travel procedures and cost savings.
Give a Sports Travel Agency a Shot
Whether you’re attending a tournament halfway around the world or traveling to the big game a few hours away, working with experienced sports travel management companies and a dedicated, knowledgeable team of travel agents can allow you to focus on the business of managing your team and hitting a winning season out of the park.
