You already run practices, manage game schedules, track uniforms, answer parent emails, and still find time to coach your players.

When a tournament, competition, or away event requires an overnight trip, it’s one more major responsibility stacked on your clipboard. If you are stepping into the role of travel planner or simply overseeing it there are a few things every coach or group leader should know before the wheels hit the road.

This guide will help you avoid the most common mistakes, anticipate the needs of your team, and set everyone up for a smooth, focused, and memorable travel experience.

1. Your Travel Plan Starts Earlier Than You Think

Most coaches wait too long to start booking travel. They’re waiting for finalized brackets, numbers from the AD, or a green light from admin. The problem is, by the time those things come in, the hotels are full and the prices have spiked.

Start early. As soon as you suspect travel will be required:

• Identify dates and general location

• Estimate your roster size, even if it’s rough

• Reach out to a group travel specialist or begin scouting hotel availability

Early planning gives you more room choices, better rates, and time to communicate clearly with your athletes’ families. It also reduces the number of late-night stress texts you will get the week of the event.

Pro tip: If you’re attending a state-of-play or sanctioned event, check whether you must book through their official hotel block. Knowing this early saves you from scrambling later.

2. Booking a Hotel is Not the Same as Booking Rooms

Individual bookings are not group travel. If you send parents a hotel link and ask them to book on their own, you are inviting chaos.

With group travel, you need:

• A signed room block agreement (to secure pricing and availability)

• Clear cancellation policies
  

• Proximity to the venue
  

• A way to track who is staying where
  
  Hotel staff may make verbal promises, but only a written group contract locks them in. That’s why working with travel professionals who understand youth and group travel is often your best move, you stay focused on game prep or event details while someone else handles the logistics.

3. You Need a Communication System Before the Bus Leaves

Once your team is en route, you become the go-to for everything. If you do not already have a plan for communication, your phone will become the crisis center.

Before the trip:

• Set up a group text system for chaperones and players

• Create a shared document or PDF with the itinerary, hotel address, packing list, and emergency contact numbers

• Send one master email to parents with all travel details

Establish a few rules, like when players should contact you directly versus speaking to a chaperone. If possible, delegate one adult to field minor questions from parents so you can stay present with your athletes.

4. Every Minute of Downtime Is an Opportunity for Disruption

Travel exposes your team to unfamiliar environments, flexible schedules, and long stretches of unsupervised time. That’s when problems start.

Build structure into the travel plan:

• Set curfews and lights-out policies in advance

• Schedule team meals, even if it’s just pizza in the hotel lobby

• Assign rooms strategically to balance behavior and supervision

If there’s time between games or events, offer optional study hours, team meetings, or even a quiet activity in a shared room. The more your athletes know what to expect, the better they will handle the unpredictable moments that always arise.

Pro tip: At Li+Me Team Travel, we offer a microsite service where all updates, itineraries, and resources are stored in one place. It becomes the single source of truth for your group no more digging through dozens of emails or scattered texts.

5. This Trip Will Be About More Than the Game

Team travel has the power to shape athletes far beyond wins and losses. They learn independence, accountability, time management, and how to represent themselves well in new places. They also bond with each other in ways that can’t be recreated at home.

That’s why how you plan the trip matters. You are setting the tone not just for logistics, but for culture.

You are also modeling balance. If your athletes see you prepared, organized, and steady in the face of a schedule change or room mix-up, they learn more from you than they would in any practice.

You do not have to carry it all. You just have to lead it well.

Bonus: What Coaches Forget Most Often

Here are a few things we see coaches forget all the time:

• Confirming if the hotel has bus parking

• Creating a backup plan for meals in case of delays

• Assigning who carries medical forms and meds

• Requesting early check-in if you arrive before noon

• Confirming if the hotel has bus or trailer parking

• Bringing a copy of your tax exemption form if your school uses one

These small oversights can lead to unnecessary delays or costs. Having a checklist helps, and working with a travel professional who understands school group needs can make all the difference.

Final Thought: Your Team Needs You Focused,
Not Frazzled

You are not just the coach. On the road, you become the manager, the parent figure, and the problem-solver. The more you can offload what doesn’t belong in your lane—like booking hotel blocks or negotiating contracts—the more present you can be with your athletes.

Let the trip reflect your leadership, not your exhaustion.

Want help booking your next team trip?
Visit www.limeteamtravel.com to get started with hotel coordination and travel planning support made for coaches.