Following our favorite sports team always requires a certain level of sacrifice. We know that we are going to spend a certain amount of money on tickets, travel, and merchandise (even if you are not one of those people who feels the need to buy the new kit every year). We know that we are going to be setting ourselves up for a certain amount of disappointment every year, even if you are lucky enough to support a winning team. You can’t win every game, after all. And dedicated fans know that you are going to be spending a fair amount of time on the road going to away games.
Travelling away to see your favorite team battle it out in another team’s stadium in another city can be some of the most fun you can have as a supporter, but you know it can be a bit of a pain sometimes too. You need to arrange the travel, whether you are going by public transport, driving, or going on a coach with your mates. You need to budget carefully, given how much more expensive things are these days. You need to remember to pack everything that you need, particularly if you are going to be staying the night. And you need to think about the downtime that you are going to have, whether it’s sitting in traffic on the way or killing time in the hotel room at the end of the day. Here are a few of the essentials that every fan needs to remember for those away days.
1. Know Where You’re Going
Here is one that we have all forgotten at one time or another. It is so important to make sure that you know exactly where you are going on your away trip. If you are staying the night, do you know where your accommodation is? This is especially important if one of your friends has organized it, you do not want to be relying on them being on hand with the crucial information! Look at what the best way to get the stadium is. Find out what the parking situation is if you need it or find out what kind of public transport you could be using.
2. Factor In The Down Time
On every away day trip there is always going to be some time to kill. Those long hours on the coach as the adrenaline of supporting the team starts to wear off and you know you still have a long way to go before you get home. The night in the hotel when you are trying to think of something to do before you go to sleep. If you are looking for ways that you can keep the spirit of the game going when the sport has called time, then you could think about spending a bit of time at an online casino. Online casinos are accessible and easy to use, and you don’t need to take your laptop with you to play a quick game. If you have never dipped your toe into the world of online gambling before, then you should check out a casino guide. This guide on how to play Book of the Dead, for example, breaks down everything that you need to know. PlayLive review guides are good for both beginners and veterans, and they offer a huge number of online games to help you stay entertained.
3. Take Your Phone Charger
It is the one thing that we know that we are always going to need if we are leaving the house for longer than a few hours, and yet it is one of the things that so many of us manage to leave at home. It does not matter how many times we have told ourselves to pack our phone charger, the chances are so high that it will be sitting on the desk where we left it when we realize that we need it. If you are one of these people, then it may well be worth investing in a second charger that you keep in your travel bag. You can also think about buying a power pack if you are worried about your phone running out of juice while you are on the move. It is a fact of life that cellphones start to lose power more quickly as they get older, and if you are not buying a new model every year then you will be more than familiar with this.
4. Stay Hydrated
This point is particularly important if you are following your team in hot weather. We are seeing more and more soaring temperatures and extreme weather events right now, and dehydration can be a real issue. If you are heading out on the road following your team this summer, then you need to think seriously about what you can do to make sure that you are getting enough water. The best thing that you can do is to buy a reusable water bottle. This is the most responsible thing that you can do for the environment, cutting down on plastic waste, and it will also save you money as it will cut down on the number of bottles that you need to buy.
5. Make Sure That You Have Insurance
When we head out on the road, none of us like to think about something bad happening. But the truth of the matter is that there can be a whole range of different scenarios that we could not have anticipated. Whether it is an accident, an injury, sickness or theft, there are a lot of different ways that you could find yourself out of pocket. Healthcare costs can be brutal, and if you lose something important like your laptop, then you could be looking at a hefty bill to replace it. This is why it is so important to check your insurance before you go. Could you get travel insurance if you are travelling by train, plane, or bus? Are your goods covered by your insurance when you travel? Double check your policies to be as confident as you can be.