Travel Guidlines

Travel Guidelines

Local Travel – Players and/or their parents/guardians are responsible for making all arrangements for local and travel events. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements.

Travel Policy for the Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club

The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club has teams that travel regularly to play in tournaments, and teams that do not travel other than local travel within our own state.

Safety Protocols:

The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club prohibits all types of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, threats, harassment, and hazing, all as described in the USA Volleyball SafeSport Handbook. The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club has established policies to guide our travel, minimize one-on-one interactions, and reduce the risk of abuse or misconduct.

Adherence to these travel guidelines will increase player safety and improve the player’s experience while keeping travel a fun and enjoyable experience. We distinguish between travel to training, practice, and local tournaments (“local travel”) and team travel involving an overnight stay (“team travel”).

Local Travel:

  • Local travel occurs when teams participate in an event within our state.
  • Players and/or their parents/guardian are responsible for making all arrangements for local travel.
  • The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club and its coaches, managers, or administrators have no responsibility for arranging or coordinating local travel.
  • It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements, including but not limited to: a valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with applicable state laws.
  • The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club employees, coaches, and/or volunteers will not drive alone with an unrelated minor player.

Team Travel:

  • National travel occurs when teams participate in an out-of-state event.
  • Players and/or their parents/guardian are responsible for making all travel arrangements for travel events.
  • The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club and its coaches, managers, or administrators have no responsibility for arranging or coordinating indiviudal or team travel.
  • It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements, including but not limited to: a valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with applicable state laws.
  • The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club employees, coaches, and/or volunteers will not drive alone with an unrelated minor player.
  • A travel coordinator is provided to help with hotel blocks. The travel coordinator will provide a travel notice and will be the point of contact for the Arizona Sagfuaros Volleyball Club.

Regardless of gender:

  • A coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangements with a minor player (unless the coach is the parent, guardian, or sibling of the player).
  • The coach or his/her designee will establish a curfew for the team, by which all players must be in their hotel rooms or in a supervised location.
  • Regular monitoring and curfew checks will be made of each room by at least two properly background-screened adults.
  • At no time should only one adult be present in a room with minor players, regardless of gender.
  • The Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club will ask hotels to block adult pay-per-view channels for player-only rooms.
  • Individual meetings between a coach and a player may not occur in hotel sleeping rooms and must be held in public settings or with additional adults present, with at least one of those adults being the same gender as the player.
  • The team will make every effort to accommodate reasonable parental requests when a child is away from home without a parent. If any special arrangements are necessary for your child, please contact the team personnel who can either make or assist with making those arrangements.
  • No coach or chaperone shall at any time be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while performing their coaching and/or chaperoning duties.
  • Prior to any travel, coaches will endeavor to make players and parents aware of all expectations and rules. Coaches will also participate in the monitoring of the players for adherence to curfew restrictions and other travel rules.
  • If disciplinary action against a player is required while the player is traveling without his/her parents, then except where immediate action is necessary, parents will be notified before any action is taken, or immediately after.

Additional Policies:

The following policies are additional guidelines for developing a travel policy based on the club’s preferences and needs.

  • When players arrive at the play venue, players are expected to remain with the team at all times.
  • Players are not to leave the competition venue, the hotel, restaurant, or any other place at which the team has gathered without the permission/knowledge of the coach.
  • When visiting public places such as shopping malls, movie theatres, etc., players will stay in groups of no less than three persons.

Safety Policies:

  • Additional guidelines to be established as needed by the coaches;
  • Respect the privacy of each other;
  • Only use hotel rooms with interior entrances;
  • Must wear seatbelts and remain seated in vehicles;

Behavior Policies:

  • Be quiet and respect the rights of teammates and others in the hotel;
  • Be prompt and on time;
  • Follow all cell phone usage guidelines;
  • Follow computer usage guidelines, including social media;
  • Respect travel vehicles; Follow travel dress code;
  • Use appropriate behavior in public facilities, including language;
  • Established curfews;

Financial:

  • No room service without permission;
  • Players are responsible for all incidental charges;
  • Players are responsible for any damages or theft at the hotel;
  • Players must participate in organized group meals;

General:

  • Established trip eligibility requirements;
  • Established guidelines for travel trips;
  • Parent(s) responsible for getting player(s) to and from all events;
  • Requirements for families to attend “Team Travel Tournaments.”

Code of Conduct / Honor Code

  • Team members will display proper respect and sportsmanship toward coaches, officials, administrators, teammates, fellow competitors, and the public at all times.
  • Team members and staff will refrain from any illegal or inappropriate behavior that would detract from a positive image of the team or be detrimental to its performance objectives.
  • The possession or use of alcohol or tobacco products by any athlete is prohibited.
  • The possession, use, or sale/distribution of any controlled or illegal substance or any form of weapon is strictly forbidden.
  • Team members are reminded that when competing in tournaments, traveling on trips, and attending other club-related functions, they are representing both themselves and the Arizona Saguaros Volleyball Club. Athlete behavior must positively reflect the high standards of the club.

Discipline:

  • Failure to comply with the Honor Code as set forth in this document may result in disciplinary action. Such discipline may include, but may not be limited to:
  • Dismissal from the trip and immediate return home at the athlete’s expense;
  • Disqualification from future tournaments, either local or traveling;
  • Financial penalties;
  • Dismissal from team;
  • Penalties outlined in the USA Volleyball Participant Code of Conduct, which may include a lifetime ban.
  • Players are to refrain from inappropriate physical contact at team activities.
  • Players are to refrain from the use of inappropriate language.

The Reality of Tournament and Team Travel

For competitive players, whether at AAU Nationals or USAV Nationals, travel is part of a high‑stakes schedule. At events like AAU Nationals, players and coaches move quickly between matches, warmups, and brief rests, with a focus on drills, strategy, and recovery rather than leisure. There’s no downtime — the day is filled with travel, preparation, and performance.

Travel days are tightly coordinated. Teams set departure times 15–30 minutes before leaving to load gear, confirm rosters, and ensure everyone is ready and on time. Being late means you’re “not traveling” — you risk missing connections, delaying the group, and adding stress before a match.

Every parent/guardian has spent thousands of dollars to get to this point; it is not fair for a parent/guardian to choose to use this opportunity for a vacation destination. Every player will have a curfew that must be met to fulfill their travel commitments.   

What Makes It Different from a Vacation

  • High intensity: Multiple matches, short turnaround times, and constant preparation.
  • Performance focus: Every moment is tied to improving play, not relaxing.
  • Team logistics: Travel is planned around shared schedules, meals, and pregame routines.
  • Pressure and stakes: Youth and elite players face competitive expectations, making the experience demanding rather than leisurely.

Bottom Line

For most competitive volleyball players, travel isn’t a vacation; it’s about commitment, discipline, and performance—not downtime. If you want a true getaway, you’d need to choose a program that’s explicitly designed for leisure, not competition.