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Step 1
Most teams often have to travel long distances to get to sports tournaments. When traveling far away from home make sure that you get complete directions long before you leave. Highway construction and traffic can slow your progress and prevent you from reaching your games on time. This is especially true for families that leave the day of the tournament to reach their destination. The best solution for avoiding these mishaps is to leave a day before and stay the night in a hotel. For some this can be an expensive option, so if you don't have the money make sure you check with tournament officials who are familiar with the area to make sure that you have a contact in case you run into traffic or get lost.
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Step 2
Confirm your hotel reservations before you leave. After traveling all day or night the last thing you want is to arrive in your tournament city and realize you dont' have hotel reservations. Sports tournaments are often large and hotels might be sold out for the weekend. So make sure you have your reservations and that you understand all the terms of the hotel, such as check in and check out times. Some hotels will cancel your reservations if you don't get there on time, especially if hotels in town are full.
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Step 3
Bring an ice chest with everything that you and your athlete might need for the weekend. It should include ice, light snacks such as fruit, small first aid kit...etc. By having these items with you, you won't have to hunt down a store in a city you are not familiar with. Also if your athlete has little time in between games he/she may not have enough time to leave the complex and find food or supplies.
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Step 4
Always bring extras. You never know when there might be a problem. So always bring extra shoe strings and other items that the athlete might need to compete.
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Step 5
If the event is outside bring an umbrella for the rain or heat as well as a rain suit. You can keep these items in your car if you don't want to carry them around.
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Step 6
Keep cash on you. Many large tournaments make money from parking and often do not have card machines. Also tournaments often sale t-shirts and other items at the park and do not have credit machines.
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Step 7
When you arrive in the city ask locals where the restaurants you like are located as well as grocery stores and big box stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens...etc.
