Budget Travel For Martial Arts Karate Tournaments

By Clint Leung

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.