Your First Travel Tournament: What To Expect

Part 5 of 6

WHY I WROTE THIS SIX-PART SERIES:: When your season starts, it can be a lot — mentally, emotionally, and logistically. Whether you’re brand new to the club scene or heading into another season, the chaos hits fast. Less Frazzled, More Focused: A Club Season Survival Guide offers a little more clarity, a little less comparison, and a few real tools to feel more present along the way. Because we all want the same thing: to support our athletes without losing our minds in the process.

There’s something about the first travel tournament that feels different.

You’ve booked the flights. Reserved the hotel. Paid admission and parking. Bought the merch. Maybe pulled your kid out of school early and sent that careful email to the teacher explaining, “Yes, it’s for volleyball.”

It’s exciting.

Travel tournaments elevate everything. Volleyball suddenly extends into airports, hotel hallways, long days in convention centers filled with dozens of portable courts, and weekends that feel bigger than anything you’ve done as a sports parent before. Here’s how to prepare for the new experience.

When You Arrive

Teams usually check in with a coach or team mom once everyone arrives — sometimes it’s a quick text confirming you’ve landed safely, other times the team travels together and checks in as a group. Either way, that first night is when everything shifts from travel mode to tournament mode.

There’s often a team meeting or team dinner that evening. Logistics may be covered there or earlier in an email or group text. The coach or team mom typically reviews expectations, uniforms, and the weekend schedule before everyone turns in for the night.

Team moms may send out requests for volunteer parents to do tasks like washington uniforms, helping back snack bags or running out for special team treats.

This is also when schedules start to feel very real.

Understanding the Schedule (This Takes a Minute)

Most tournaments post pool play schedules a few days before play begins. Depending on the league or organization (USAV, AAU, etc.), you’ll follow along using AES or the tournament’s app or website.

At first glance, it can feel confusing.

You’ll see match times and court numbers, which are usually very clear. You’ll also notice abbreviations in parentheses showing what region each team is from, sometimes along with seed numbers. There are often symbols or columns indicating whether your team is playing or assigned to officiate — scoring or line judging.

It takes a little time to learn how to read it, but once you’ve followed a match or two, it starts to make sense quickly. Asking another parent for help is part of the learning curve. Everyone remembers their first schedule scroll.

Keep in mind that times and court assignments can change daily based on wins and losses. By the final day, schedules usually move to a bracket format — win and advance, or go home.

A Quick Pause (This Is Where Preparation Helps)

Somewhere along the way, I realized I was packing the same things every travel weekend — not because they were fancy, but because they actually helped. After years of tournaments, I finally wrote it all down.

If it’s useful, I’m sharing my Travel Tournament Packing List here so you can save it for your next weekend away.

The Long In-Between

Travel tournaments include a lot of waiting.

Long gaps between matches. Athletes stretched out on gym floors or camped out on blankets. Half the team might be ‘reffing’ while the other half eats or naps. Headphones go on for a little quiet time. My daughter used to try and tackle homework assignments she had to miss due to travel. Parents spend the time quietly tracking court numbers, and finding the time for their own snacking, hydration and decompression.

This downtime matters. A small blanket gives athletes a place to reset. Quiet-time options like AirPods, books, or homework really do help them regulate in loud, unpredictable environments. And yes — venue food is expensive. I always made a grocery run as soon as we landed.

One Travel Lesson I Learned the Hard Way

Early on, my daughter was 13 and playing in San Jose. Based on our previous tournaments, we booked a 3:30 p.m. return flight. We were usually done by noon.

Except this time, they weren’t.

They went on a winning streak and suddenly found themselves in the championship match against the top seed at 2:00 p.m. Phones came out. Airlines were called. My husband — a frequent flyer for work — went into problem-solving mode. Luckily, we were able to leave later without extra costs.

They finished second in the tournament.
What a ride.

That weekend taught me this: when you book travel home, plan for success. If you can, book later flights on the final day — after 5 p.m. is ideal. Sometimes the best-case scenario actually happens.

What These Weekends Really Become

If you ask my daughter — now a college volleyball setter — she’ll tell you travel tournaments are where some of her best memories were made. It’s where players start to see their practice show up, face unfamiliar teams, adjust on the fly, and learn what teamwork really looks like on the road.

And on the sidelines, something similar happens.

Parents help each other navigate schedules, watch bags, save seats, and share small hacks they’ve learned along the way. There’s a quiet teamwork happening there too.

Most of this isn’t mastered in one weekend. You learn it over time — by showing up, paying attention, and figuring things out as you go.