A little planning ahead can enrich the Rep Basketball roadtrip experience
Rep Basketball Tournaments will sometimes take place in another town, city or even country. It's a fun and enriching part of the competitive sports experience.
We live in Toronto, and our first travel tournament was only a few hours away, but with our first game on Friday night and second game early Saturday, the team had a block of hotel rooms available for parents to book.
This gave players the opportunity to review the game together afterward and prepare together for the next, and with all the fun of staying at a hotel with all their teammates.
If you're financially well off, this is nothing but pleasure, but for those of us on a budget, things can run up a bill pretty quickly.
Here are some tips we've found useful to keep things on budget:
Carpool if possible. Finding another family that is going who have room in their vehicle to share the price of gas to and from the tournament can save both families money.
Pack healthy meals and snacks for the trip there, including drinks.
Typically, if the team is getting a block of rooms, they will get a team discount. If the price is still too high, you may wish to find a hotel on your own close by, and bring your player to where the others are spending time during the evenings so they aren't missing out on team building.
Confirm the appliances in your hotel - in most cases, they will have a mini fridge, microwave and coffee maker.
When you arrive, visit a local grocery store to pick up food for lunches and snacks during the tournament and during downtime at the hotel, Things like microwave popcorn, bread/buns, cheese, cold cuts and fresh fruit can be purchased for a fraction of the price of restaurant dining.
I would recommend budgeting to go out for dinner with teammates as the social experience is part of the bonding process. Save instead on lunch, snacks and breakfast by buying from a grocery store, preparing and packing. This also ensures you don't have to leave the gym during tournaments.
A little bit of planning goes a long way.
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