Budget
Travel For Martial Arts Karate Tournaments
Once
martial
arts competitors and coaches decide to follow one of the large karate
circuits like NASKA or NBL, it will soon be realized that participation
in this sport can be very expensive. Many years ago, I attended a
seminar conducted by Charlie Lee and he said that the only main
difference between many national and local competitors is that the
national ones have the funds to travel. I’ve been on both the NBL and
NASKA circuits. I’ve also dabbled in international overseas competition
as well so I’ve learned a few tricks over the years to help save some
overall costs involved in competition.
Competition Fees
Most
karate tournaments offer some savings through pre-registrations. With
many promoters adding online registration capabilities recently,
pre-registering is a snap. Of course, there’s the risk of losing your
entire fee if for some reason you don’t show up at the event. Even if
you have made commitments to attend certain tournaments, other
circumstances can prevent you from going. For example, I have missed
tournaments due to flight cancellations because of bad weather. It is
also possible for flights to be delayed or missed due to reasons beyond
your control. Of course, unforeseen emergencies at home can always
cause trip cancellations. So even though one can save some good money
over the course of a year by pre-registering for all events, it is a
risk to take.
Hotels
Most
tournament promoters also work out a special room rates at designated
tournament hotels. These special rates usually range from about $100 to
$125 which are quite good considering that most event hotels are top
major chains like Hyatt, Sheraton, Hilton, etc. However, I have found
that if one is willing to do some research, even more significant
savings are possible with accommodations. I almost never stay at event
hotels anymore. Instead, I will do research to find out hotels that are
close by. The maps facility at the Yahoo site is wonderful for this.
Just go to Yahoo and click on ‘maps’. Then enter the address and city
of the tournament hotel. Do a search of other hotels close by and the
site will show you where they are on a map as well as how far they are
from the event hotel.
I
also use
travel websites like Travelocity and Expedia to verify other nearby
hotels. Many hotels are often much less expensive especially the ones
that are one level lower in quality. In addition to the travel
websites, I would also check room rates directly with Choice Hotels
(Comfort Inn, Econolodge, Quality Inn), Holiday Inn, Days Inn and Motel
6 via their websites. The rooms at these chains are not as luxurious as
those at major hotels but they are clean and comfortable. They are not
the bottom of the barrel like some independent motels are. Rates can be
50% lower than even the tournament rates at the event hotels. My
average rate for rooms has been about $50 and that often includes free
breakfasts which event hotels seldom offer.
Many
lower priced
hotels are within walking distances of the tournaments. Even if a hotel
is not within walking distance, a small cab fare is usually worth the
room savings. I’ve even stayed at airport location hotels and then
utilized the free hotel shuttles of both the place I was staying at as
well as the event hotel to get around. Of course, all this is not as
convenient as staying at the event hotel but if you are willing to plan
ahead a bit, good savings are possible. Of course for events where I’m
extending my stay for vacation purposes, a rental car will allow me to
stay wherever I want.
Another way to chop off half of your hotel expenses is to leave
right after your competition is over. You will miss the evening shows
but if you don’t mind that, then you will have to stay overnight for
only a single night rather than two. Over the course of a year, single
night trips can result in significant savings.
Flights
Driving
would be the most economical way to travel to tournaments but if the
locations are too far, then flying would be the most realistic way to
get there. One could also explore trains too. As for flights, one could
wait for seat sales to purchase tickets. Another strategy is to fly in
or out of different airports that are nearby the event city. There
could be significant savings in prices for flights if you are willing
to use alternative airports. Some cities have more than one major
airport in the region. Alternative airports can reduce travel costs for
competitors who have to cross the US-Canadian border as well. Canadians
driving to US airports right across the border could save up to 50%
sometimes for flights. Travelers should join all frequent flyer
programs but try to stay with one or two main airlines if possible.
Points do add up which can result in future free flights. Of course,
points from hotel stays, car rentals and credit card use also help.
Transfers
As
mentioned previously, I try to use free hotel shuttles whenever I can.
If my hotel doesn’t have a free shuttle and it is close to the event
hotel, sometimes I would take the event hotel’s free shuttle and then
walk to my hotel. I often use the event hotel’s shuttle to catch a ride
back to the airport too. Just hang out at the event hotel lobbies so
that you look like a guest and nobody should question your use of the
shuttle.
Many cities where large tournaments are held have very
efficient and safe transit systems right from the airport. For example,
instead of paying for cabs or airport shuttles that charge, taking the
local bus or subway train for about $1.50 will get me to the tournament
just as easy.
So as you can see, there are different ways to take a bite off the
overall expenses of karate
tournament travel. You just have to do your
research for every trip. As for meals, you could always stuff yourself
silly for a very reasonable price at those Chinese buffets found almost
everywhere.
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