5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SPORTS TRAVEL
Why managing travel for athletes is in a league of its ownMANAGING THE TRAVEL FOR SPORTS TEAMS AND ATHLETES IS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE WITH MANY MOVING PARTS.
Sports travel is not as simple as getting a tennis star or professional football team from A to B. Booking flights and reserving hotels is just one cog in a complex machine that works to maintain sporting performance, enhance wellbeing, and react to split-second changes to schedules.
At Gray Dawes Sports, our experts have first-hand experience navigating the quirks of sport and travel. Here are five things you might not know about them both.
1
GAME SCHEDULES CHANGE… A LOT
It’s quite incredible how frequently game schedules shift, and how much it impacts logistics behind the scenes. Unlike ordinary business travel, where itineraries are often locked in months in advance, professional sports teams often have to deal with weather delays, television scheduling, and injuries.
These shifts affect more than just the athletes. A single schedule change can trigger a domino effect: flights may need to be changed or rebooked, hotel rooms adjusted, buses rescheduled, training facilities rebooked, and meals rearranged. Equipment must arrive on time, even if the team doesn’t, and every change carries cost implications and potential stress on the team’s recovery and performance windows.
This is where the specialist experience of a travel management company becomes so important. By offering easy-to-use technology, such as our YourTrip online booking tool, real-time travel alerts, and established relationships with hotel or flight suppliers, a TMC is well placed to respond quickly to changes and minimise disruption.
At Gray Dawes Sports, our “Always On” service is well suited to the fast-paced world of professional sport. By being available to athletes and teams no matter when or where they are in the world, they don’t have to worry about last-minute rebooking and can stay focused on their performance.
2
THERE’S MORE TO A TEAM THAN MEETS THE EYE
While the athletes may take the spotlight, behind every successful game day is a legion of professionals working tirelessly in the background – coaches, medics, analysts, physiotherapists, media staff, operations personnel, and even chefs. These individuals are essential to the performance of the team, and they all travel with very specific and often time-sensitive needs.
Performance and medical staff, for example, may need to arrive ahead of the team to set up training areas, recovery equipment, or treatment rooms. Their schedules are tightly linked to athletes’ physical readiness and injury prevention, so timing and access to facilities are critical.
Analysts and video coordinators often carry sensitive equipment and require secure, quiet spaces to process game footage or prepare data visualisations, sometimes within hours of arrival. Coaches may need private meeting rooms for tactical briefings, team talks, or one-on-one sessions with players, often with secure AV setups and minimal distractions.
A TMC can account for staggered departures, varied accommodation types, custom baggage allowances, and on-the-ground logistics at the destination. The challenge lies not only in precision, but in understanding the unique demands of each role and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
3
PERFORMANCE STARTS BEFORE THE GAME’S FIRST WHISTLE BLOWS
From the moment athletes begin their journey, every detail of their travel experience becomes part of a broader performance and recovery strategy. Sleep schedules, nutrition plans, hydration, and muscle recovery routines all need to be supported from day one of the trip, not just upon arrival.
Flight times are selected not just for convenience, but to minimise disruption to circadian rhythms and ensure athletes arrive rested. The timing of long-haul flights may be planned to align with natural sleep cycles, and layovers are avoided when possible to reduce fatigue. Even seat configurations matter – extra legroom, lie-flat options, and proximity to teammates or staff can make a significant difference in recovery during transit.
Time zone management is another critical factor. Jet lag can measurably affect reaction times and general cognitive function. To combat this, travel schedules are often paired with light exposure strategies, melatonin timing, and gradual sleep adjustments in the days leading up to departure. Athletes may also be placed on specific sides of a hotel to avoid early morning sunlight, or in rooms away from elevators and public areas to reduce noise.
Sports travel is approached with a performance-first mindset, where decisions are made through the lens of not just cost and convenience, but athletic readiness and recovery. When the margins between winning and losing are razor-thin, getting the travel plan right is just as important as getting the game plan right.
4
KIT AND EQUIPMENT POSE A SPECIAL CHALLENGE
From high-performance technology to physical therapy gear, teams bring along a surprising amount of equipment that is often highly specialised. Unlike typical corporate travel, where a laptop bag and carry-on might suffice, professional sports teams transport everything from GPS tracking vests and heart rate monitors to massage tables, resistance bands, portable recovery units, and even inflatable ice baths. Some teams also travel with their own nutrition supplies, medical kits, and video analysis equipment.
This gear is essential for training and recovery. For instance, missing or damaged GPS equipment could mean lost data for performance analysis, while a delay in recovery gear could disrupt post-match protocols that help reduce injury risk and speed up healing. In sports, preparation and performance are tightly linked, and having the right tools in the right place at the right time is non-negotiable.
Transporting this volume and variety of kit presents complex logistical challenges. Items can be irregular in shape, heavy, or fragile, making them unsuitable for standard baggage handling. As a result, sport-specialist TMCs will work closely with airlines to secure excess baggage allowances, prioritise cargo handling, and often book additional freight space for oversized items.
It’s a behind-the-scenes operation that requires detailed planning, coordination, and contingency strategies. A missed shipment or delayed customs clearance can throw a team’s preparation off balance. That’s why sports travel experts play such a vital role, ensuring every item – no matter how large or awkwardly shaped – gets where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.
STATS ABOUT THE NUANCES OF SPORTS TRAVEL
The tonnage of equipment that Formula 1 teams have been known to move via jumbo jets within a 36‑hour window of a race, according to an article in the Review of Managerial Science Journal.
%
The percentage drop in athlete performance, particularly in activities such as running and sprinting, when crossing time zones, according to a literature review from the University of Ferrara.
Elite Teams often travel with 2 to 3 times more support staff than athletes – i.e., 40 – 60 support staff members in an athlete group around 20 strong – according to an article from Quartz Mountain.
5
PRIVACY AND SECURITY ARE PARAMOUNT FOR SPORTING STARS
Athletes can be high-profile public figures, often with global recognition and devoted fan followings. As such, their movements attract attention wherever they go, and that visibility brings with it a unique set of challenges. From media scrutiny to unwanted surveillance, privacy and personal safety must be considered at every stage of a team’s journey.
Teams may use private terminals or secure entrances to avoid public exposure and media crowds. In some cases, they board planes via back entrances or during off-peak hours to limit visibility. Ground transport is often carefully managed to ensure routes are secure, direct, and free from potential interference or delays.
Hotel selection, too, goes far beyond room availability and proximity to venues. Teams often require accommodations that offer private floors, secure check-ins, and minimal public access. Hotels with previous experience hosting high-profile guests are usually preferred, as they’re more likely to have established privacy protocols and discreet staff trained to handle sensitive situations.
A TMC experienced with sports travel understands that keeping athletes safe and undistracted isn’t just about moving them efficiently; it’s about shielding them from unnecessary stress and maintaining a controlled environment that allows them to stay focused on performance. This often involves contingency plans in place for anything from unexpected crowd situations to data protection risks.
SPORTS TRAVEL IS OFTEN HIGH-STAKES, HIGH SPEED, AND HIGHLY SPECIALISED. IT CAN BE A LOGISTICAL MINEFIELD.
Getting sports teams and athletes from point A to point B is just the first step in a successful trip. Whether it’s navigating sudden schedule changes, managing multiple groups with very different needs, or fine-tuning sleep, nutrition, and recovery protocols across time zones, every detail counts.
The complexity of moving a professional team isn’t purely logistical. Athletes need to be protected from disruptions. Equipment must arrive intact and on time. Security and privacy have to be tightly managed. And everything must support the ultimate goal of the trip, whether that be performing at a tournament or warming up for a future game.
The environment athletes travel through affects how they play, how they recover, and how they mentally prepare. The most successful teams are those that understand the power of the finer details, including the way they travel.