Anyone do travel sports with their kids? Tips to make it more affordable?

[Mdragger88]

I’m new to the intense & expensive world of girls club volleyball & traveling the country for all these massive sports events. Really struggling with how to afford it on top of high school ball which includes an impending Orlando/universal trip. She received a scholarship for the club tuition but that doesn’t cover all this travel (accommodations/parking/event tickets/meals).
Any Tips/ tricks/hacks aside from sleeping in your car & eating pb&j’s the whole time?
I’m all ears. Fire away! I’ve got another year & a half to go before it’s college time. Not sure if I’ll make it!

 

[JJ_Tex]

No tips, but you certainly have my sympathy. Its unfortunate that kids activities have become profitable businesses for many people, from paid coaches to dedicated travel agents.

My daughter is in band and on top of the thousands of $ in fees, lessons, instrument rental, travel to games and competitions, etc. during the season, they are going to Disney for a few more thousand $ this spring.

At our last board meeting, I brought up that they always need volunteers and they should provide incentives for the parents and kids to volunteer. For example, if you want to Chaperone a bunch of kids going to Disney, then you get a discount on your kid's trip. They looked at me like I had 2 heads

Good luck, and let me know if you find the magical answer.

 

[kul]

For example, if you want to Chaperone a bunch of kids going to Disney, then you get a discount on your kid's trip. They looked at me like I had 2 heads

That does sound fair! Unfortunately, from my experience as well, volunteering gets 0 discounts.

@Mdragger88 perhaps for travel maybe carpool or share a room with another family on the team? There’s also “couch surfing” type options, if that’s in your comfort zone. Also maybe a small time side gig for the kiddo if time allows.

 

[Mdragger88]

It’s definitely a racket! These tournaments are money makers for sure.
The parking is also crazy. $20-$30 a day at the hotel & then $20-$30 a day at the venue! Almost $200 just in parking for a 3 day tournament!

 

[Newdude]

if you want to Chaperone a bunch of kids going to Disney, then you get a discount on your kid's trip. They looked at me like I had 2 heads

Or even a discount on the Parents trip. Here parents pay full price and get put to work. Either charge me for the vacation and I'll walk around like a tourist, or comp me and I'll gladly work for it.

Any Tips/ tricks/hacks

Sorry sis. If I needed to stretch a budget crazy thin, I'd come to you. This is kinda like the time @ajw22 had his equipment pad lightning strike / power surge and we normally would have called on him to help so it was nothing but him running the play by play and the rest of us hanging out with the crickets.

 

[Mdragger88]

That does sound fair! Unfortunately, from my experience as well, volunteering gets 0 discounts.

@Mdragger88 perhaps for travel maybe carpool or share a room with another family on the team? There’s also “couch surfing” type options, if that’s in your comfort zone. Also maybe a small time side gig for the kiddo if time allows.

We were lucky to stay with family for the atlanta trip & hopefully for the next Atlanta one.
The recent st louis one I checked out of our disgusting & expensive hotel after 1 night & stayed at another parent’s air b n b. After my experience I found out that no one uses the hotels they suggest because they are always terrible.
We are carpooling & sharing a vrbo for the next one.
For The universal trip (which is for school) I am trying to determine if I can just stay somewhere else with other parents, buy my own park tickets etc. & not do the $1600 “parent package”
I don’t know how it works really as they only push the all inclusive thing. No info on what it costs to get in to the tournament or parking.
The kids must fly & stay with the group in their designated rooms but I will be driving if i go & likely carpooling. I have a hard time with her going that far without me but I may have to. I trust her coaches & the other moms that are going.
For the club stuff the kids stay with you.

 

[ajw22]

I’ve got another year & a half to go before it’s college time.

Oh! You think college time will be any easier? Ha! Hahaha!

Not sure if I’ll make it!

We all make it one way or the other.

 

[Homebrewale]

I feel for you. I don't have any advice. I went through it when both my daughters competed in hunter/jumper horse competition.

 

[Leebo]

We are carpooling & sharing a vrbo for the next one.

I would jump up and down encouraging this! Between the oldest doing band and the middle doing cheer, band, softball, and every other sport we’ve spent the few years running with the kids. We’ve found splitting a house often cheaper than a hotel but watch the “cleaning fees” that many vrbo’s are starting to add on. I’ve seen them in the past where they were almost equal to the house itself. The main way you’re able to save some cash here is by eating “at home.” On the drive spend some time with the housemates and make a grocery pick-up order so when you get there you’re able to have a stocked fridge. Reminder items such as cereal or pop tarts if you’ve got younger kids as it makes breakfast a snap in the mornings. Also remember snacks like popcorn for the evenings as often you want something little once you return after the days games, but NOBODY wants to cook. To save on parking at the games look at taking an Uber to the games, especially if you’re somewhat close to the stadium. That said, we almost always end up driving ourselves and pack every family in that we can. We’ve been known to even “double stack” a few kids to make sure everybody fits into the van.

As for game day, enjoy it as they’re LONGGGGG days. Eat a good breakfast and have something in the crockpot for when you return. Remember, NOBODY is gonna want to cook once you’re done. Shredded chicken tacos is one of my favorite as it’s able to sit in the pot for hours unattended and it’s just fine if you’re not “home” when you thought you would be. Just make sure to add plenty of liquid. At the games remember some chairs and a cooler. Enjoy the time with the other parents and BS most the day. Your daughter is having a blast doing her thing….forget about her and do your thing. One wise investment we made for these tailgating parties is a nice battery pack as it’s helpful to be able to charge all your devices, run a blender , or power whatever during the day.

Last off, and most important, make sure your daughter loves playing. Make sure she’s not feeling forced to do things as many parents are spending thousands of dollars pushing their kids to do things while the child really isn’t enjoying themselves. Make it well known to your daughter that this is a path you fully support and want to spend money on…….but if she’s not loving it you’ll fully support her stepping aside too.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I feel for you. I don't have any advice. I went through it when both my daughters competed in hunter/jumper horse competition.

I have a friend who had a daughter who did hunter/jumper competitions. She was able to get a scholarship out of it, but my friend fails to mention that he had to spend $200k+ on a horse for said scholarship

One wise investment we made for these tailgating parties is a nice battery pack as it’s helpful to be able to charge all your devices, run a blender , or power whatever during the day.

Very true. I drive a hybrid that has many plugs in the back and was perfect for all-day competitions. I started off bringing a TV so we could watch college football and by the end of the season we had several parents pitching in with crock pots, blender, keurig, fans, etc. It helped make the 12 hour days more palatable and was probably the most fun you can have at an alcohol-free tailgate.

 

[Leebo]

Another tip is to pay attention to the fundraisers the club may do. Hopefully the team is mindful of these expenses and help fundraise some cash to offset the price tags of the trips. If they don’t, maybe it’s in your best interest to help organize a few. The old fundraisers of selling candy or peanuts sucked as so much of the revenue went to companies to pay for the items themselves. There’s several ideas floating around the net now that are a lot more efficient and really help the parents bring in some cash. I can think of at least 2 right now that offer the child an opportunity to return 75%-80% directly to their account.

• Gift Card Raffle
  • All children donate one $25 gift card. All cards are put into a basket which is raffled off. $5 a ticket for a chance to win $____ worth of gift cards. Here, the only item the club themselves needs to find are tickets and a basket, all the rest is profit that goes to the child’s account.
• Booze Wagon
  • Go buy a wagon and fill it with booze and booze related items. Beer, wine, hard alcohols, coolers, and whatever else. $10 a ticket and you win the wagon. This is slightly more pricey in materials the club needs to buy, but I promise people LOVE this one.

If your daughter’s club isn’t doing effective fundraising…..get on their case. Offer to even organize some.

 

[Mdragger88]

Thanks @Leebo ! & everyone! Great tips!
Unfortunately all our venues are indoors and many have strict no outside food/drink policies. We do make snack bags for each girl to keep in their bags but have had them taken before. One that’s local will make you pour your morning coffee out ! There were some madddd mommas at 6am! Some places are a bit lax though so I always bring my stuff but leave it in the car then retrieve it later if I can. I tailgate by myself in the Rav between matches & sneak drinks & snacks in for the girls
She absolutely loves volleyball & quit school basketball to focus on it after receiving the club scholarship. She had been begging to also do club since middle school since many of her school teammates play but we just couldn’t afford it so she did multiple school sports instead. Our school is very shoestring budget friendly when it comes to sports unlike many in our area. Her part of the universal trip/tournament will at least be partially funded by fundraising/booster. I know many are on the hook for thousands per sport at some of the schools around here.
She works very hard at school, sports, & her jobs (at sonic & cleaning houses with me) so I hope to be able to cover the cost myself without asking her to contribute. I was totally prepared to do so till the club thing came along.
They only do this big trip every 3-4 years. Its also sort of a reward for them winning state championships back to back as well. It will be at the beginning of her senior year next year.
The school coach likes to give every girl the opportunity to go at least once in their high school tenure.
Some of the schools in our district go there every single year!
I will be inquiring about club fundraising but so far I haven’t heard anything about it. As far as I can tell most of these other people can afford it but even with the scholarship its quite the stretch for us. The mom I’m rooming with is sort of in my same boat so hopefully we can help each other out for most of these tournaments. Her daughter also plays on the school team.
I’m really trying to make the club thing happen because it is so important to my daughter. She feels like it’s the only way you get a real chance to be seen by major college recruiters- sadly she’s not totally wrong. Although I don’t think that’s quite right & feel she’s pretty spectacular all by herself. She was so excited when she was offered the club scholarship I just couldn’t tell her no.
My kids don’t ask for much and there’s alot worse things she could be doing at 17 than playing volleyball so i’ll certainly take it.
Its just overwhelming and then the thought of college around the corner! She’ll be traveling the country without me soon enough
She already has an offer for a local jr. college so at the very least she’ll travel all over the southeastern US I’m slowly coming to terms with it.
I thought babies were hard!! These teen years are stressful!

 

[Newdude]

These teen years are stressful!

I gave mine 3 options tonight

1) drop the attitude
2) move out
3) pay the bills so I could move out.

 

[phonedave]

Thanks @Leebo ! & everyone! Great tips!
Unfortunately all our venues are indoors and many have strict no outside food/drink policies. We do make snack bags for each girl to keep in their bags but have had them taken before. One that’s local will make you pour your morning coffee out ! There were some madddd mommas at 6am! Some places are a bit lax though so I always bring my stuff but leave it in the car then retrieve it later if I can. I tailgate by myself in the Rav between matches & sneak drinks & snacks in for the girls

That is horrible. I spent a lot of weekends in ice arenas attending synchronized skating competitions (I am sorry, but that is a VERY tedious sport to watch, especially at a younger level). Most of the arenas did not allow outside food, but they were fine with each kid brining in a snack bag. We used to make them as a team. It would rotate between the parents with 2 or 3 parents making up snack bags for each comp. I have access to a restaurant supply warehouse, so it was easy when our turn came around. A LOT of synchronized skating comps is sitting around waiting for your time slot, and kids start to get bored and want to buy stuff. Snack bags were a life (or money) saver

Some families did double up in hotel rooms, but there was no option to choose a different hotel. Our synchro team and it's contract was very strict. All kids in the same hotel, on the same floor by age. Mandated team dinner at a restaurant (Nothing outlandish, things like a Red Robin, but still mandatory), mandated lights out. Scheduled time for hair and makeup (by approved parents, so it would be consistent).

We just looked for savings where we could. Packing snacks, driving when possible (most of the venues were drivable), aside from mandated team dinners, keeping dining out to a minimum, etc.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Dance! I have two kids in dance with my youngest in full on competition craziness. Competitive dance is also a huge money sink. We’ve only been able to not bankrupt our savings by sharing AirBnB’s with multiple families and splitting up food costs. Thankfully our studio is run by an owner who did dance her whole life and understands how crazy expensive it is. She makes sure to reuse costumes as much as possible and to do all of the embellishments, with parents helping, themselves to keep the costs lower. Obviously not the same in sports (except gymnastics which is whole circle-of-heck crazier than dance).

Get with parents and share the costs as much as possible. We knew one sports family that would find campsites near where the competitions were or trailer parks and they bought a used fifth-wheel and lived out of a camper to offset costs. It was way cheaper to haul a camper full of food with them than pay airfare or hotels. Really long distance stuff required the AirBnB sharing but anything remotely drivable got the camper experience.

 

[phonedave]

Dance! I have two kids in dance with my youngest in full on competition craziness. Competitive dance is also a huge money sink. We’ve only been able to not bankrupt our savings by sharing AirBnB’s with multiple families and splitting up food costs. Thankfully our studio is run by an owner who did dance her whole life and understands how crazy expensive it is. She makes sure to reuse costumes as much as possible and to do all of the embellishments, with parents helping, themselves to keep the costs lower. Obviously not the same in sports (except gymnastics which is whole circle-of-heck crazier than dance).

Get with parents and share the costs as much as possible. We knew one sports family that would find campsites near where the competitions were or trailer parks and they bought a used fifth-wheel and lived out of a camper to offset costs. It was way cheaper to haul a camper full of food with them than pay airfare or hotels. Really long distance stuff required the AirBnB sharing but anything remotely drivable got the camper experience.

Now I am having costume flashbacks. Synchro is the same. Every new comp / routine has a new costume.

 

[newbie919]

I’m new to the intense & expensive world of girls club volleyball & traveling the country for all these massive sports events. Really struggling with how to afford it on top of high school ball which includes an impending Orlando/universal trip. She received a scholarship for the club tuition but that doesn’t cover all this travel (accommodations/parking/event tickets/meals).
Any Tips/ tricks/hacks aside from sleeping in your car & eating pb&j’s the whole time?
I’m all ears. Fire away! I’ve got another year & a half to go before it’s college time. Not sure if I’ll make it!

Finishing up with my youngest. Best plan is to stick to one hotel chain get points. From one year to the next you can use points for half your stays. WE EAT BREAKFAST AT hOTEL EVERY MORNING. Lunch is on road or sandwiches. Dinner is at hotel. Hotels with kitchen setup are affordable and will save $2-300 on meals. Many hotels have grills you can use. Pool food costs with other parents and grill nightly. Drive whenever possible and stop at supermarket. Save wristbands as they recycle from event to event,

 

[newbie919]

I’m new to the intense & expensive world of girls club volleyball & traveling the country for all these massive sports events. Really struggling with how to afford it on top of high school ball which includes an impending Orlando/universal trip. She received a scholarship for the club tuition but that doesn’t cover all this travel (accommodations/parking/event tickets/meals).
Any Tips/ tricks/hacks aside from sleeping in your car & eating pb&j’s the whole time?
I’m all ears. Fire away! I’ve got another year & a half to go before it’s college time. Not sure if I’ll make it!

If venue says no outside food wife played Kosher card. There are plenty of ways to get around the insane costs. Let me know if you need any help. We found lots of ways to save loot while travelling with 2 boys in opposite directions.

 

[newbie919]

If venue says no outside food wife played Kosher card. There are plenty of ways to get around the insane costs. Let me know if you need any help. We found lots of ways to save loot while travelling with 2 boys in opposite directions.

Are team coolers allowed? drinks on top pb&J on bottom. Orange bananas etc. We were always allowed a team cooler

 

[Mdragger88]

Dance! I have two kids in dance with my youngest in full on competition craziness. Competitive dance is also a huge money sink. We’ve only been able to not bankrupt our savings by sharing AirBnB’s with multiple families and splitting up food costs. Thankfully our studio is run by an owner who did dance her whole life and understands how crazy expensive it is. She makes sure to reuse costumes as much as possible and to do all of the embellishments, with parents helping, themselves to keep the costs lower. Obviously not the same in sports (except gymnastics which is whole circle-of-heck crazier than dance).

Get with parents and share the costs as much as possible. We knew one sports family that would find campsites near where the competitions were or trailer parks and they bought a used fifth-wheel and lived out of a camper to offset costs. It was way cheaper to haul a camper full of food with them than pay airfare or hotels. Really long distance stuff required the AirBnB sharing but anything remotely drivable got the camper experience.

I’ve seriously contemplated the camper thing! I think the sharing lodging is the way to go - it would be great if we can get 1 more parent on board too.