If you play soccer long enough, sooner or later you'll do a tournament that is far away. I'll be adding ideas and tips on what to do so you can travel, have fun, yet still be rested and focused to play your games.

Save money on travel

Although tournaments can be fun for the kids, they require extra planning and often extra expense for us parents. I’ve found that transportation and hotel costs vary widely depending on how you purchase tickets and reserve rooms. With a little extra effort I’ve saved anywhere from 10 to 50 percent, not to mention some of the headaches, by doing these simple things:

• Ask around – there’s always someone who just got a great deal and will share how they got it, or who travels more than you who can give you the inside scoop.

• Explore your memberships – for instance, many hotels and rental car companies offer AAA Autoclub member discounts.

• Go up on the web – there are a number of sites that, if you book through them, provide deep discounts. The deepest discounts come with caveats, however. For instance, hotwire gives you great rates, but you can’t specify which company you want (and still get that price). But who cares provided you get the type of travel you want and a quality hotel to rest at in-between games. If you need a specific hotel, I use Expedia or Travelocity. Be sure to compare this price to what you’d get booking with AAA.

Wherever you go and however you get there, be sure to enjoy the time you spend with your kid, cheer for your team, and have fun.