How far in advance do we have to book? It is our experience that teams who start the process approximately 15 to 12 months in advance have a far better chance of making the trip happen. Our best advice is to decide on your preferred trip and confirm the dates as soon as possible, for everything is a component of availability. If you are traveling during high season, the flights can have significant demand and the sooner we are able to submit your groups request, the likelihood of securing your exact, preferred schedule is enhanced. Please contact us as early as possible for a tour proposal than can be fine tuned to exactly the needs of your team.
Do we need a passport or visa to travel? Tour participants are responsible for obtaining a valid
passport prior to departure, as well as any visa needed. Please make sure any non-US citizens or non permanent residents have the necessary documents required for entry into your destination, and also your country of transit.
Does our team need permission to travel? Your governing body requires each registered team advise them of their plans to travel. The group leader/tour coordinator should contact them as soon as possible to complete the relevant paperwork.
Should we purchase trip insurance? We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance. We can provide you with brochures and details of how to purchase travel insurance. The terms and conditions of coverage vary according to the insurance provider. Cost of coverage is generally based upon the cost of the trip. It is understood that
Excel International Sports , LLC, accepts no liability for damages incurred by
circumstances that would be covered under trip/travel insurance.
Can we make payment by credit card? No. Full payment of each installment should be remitted to Excel International Sports, LLC on or before the due date. Installments can be remitted by club/school check, money order, or bank check.
Are family members welcome on tour? Much of this is decided by the club, school or university. Most tours, we feel, are 'coach driven', and the goals of the tour are set out clearly by the team coach. Is this a social and soccer tour? Is this an intense soccer only tour? Is it a pre season mixture of both? The goal of the tour then affects whether families would be welcome. However, we have arranged tours for 15 people to 129 people, we are happy to welcome families on tour.
Does group size affect our tour cost? There are benefits to bringing larger groups, including better discounts. Please request details of this from your soccer travel specialist.
What is the standard of accommodations? Excel selects accommodations with great care. Most accommodations have been used for many years with great satisfaction by other soccer groups. The choice of accommodations depends on the budget of each group. We offer many lodging possibilities, including school dorms, budget hotels, business-class hotels, youth hostels and sports centers.
Can I send my child without a parent, or with one parent only? Many flight companies now request a notarized letter of permission from the stay-at-home parent. If traveling with your son/daughter, and without your spouse, please carry a notarized letter of permisson. If sending a child alone, it may be a good idea to send a notarized letter of permissin signed by the parents or legal guardian.
What is the weather like, can we call home? These, and many other questions, will be answered in our pre-trip handbook which is available in your unique MY TOUR team page.
What happens if our full roster of players is unable to go on tour? Many of our teams travel with less than their full roster. There are many reasons for this; family holidays, school conflicts, financial inability, seasonal employment, academic reasons, or selection for the O.D.P. or Regional squads. In order for the other players not to miss out, these teams invite guest players from their own club, other clubs, or classmates to complete their roster.
How do the age-groups work in
Europe
? Most countries in
Europe
work from calendar year of birth, similar to how O.D.P. works in the . However, many tournaments offer dispensation for a certain number of players born between August and January of the previous year. Again, this changes from tournament to tournament. Please contact us for further details.
Is there any difference in tournament or friendly game rules? This is a common question and changes from country to country, and from tournament to tournament. If you are looking to participate in a certain tournament, please ask details on the tournament rules. In most friendly games, whether it be youth travel, college or ODP, the make-up of the game is very flexible and can be arranged to suit the needs of both teams. In the past games have consisted of; 2 x 30 minute halves; 3 x 30 minute thirds; 2 x 40 minute halves, etc, etc. Much of this depends on the roster size, time of year, and many other factors.
What is the minimum length of an Excel International Sports trip? Six nights at the destination.
We have others who may be interested in joining us on our tour; can they be added after we book? Yes, subject of course to flight and accommodation availability.
We want to book. What do you now need from all tour participants to put into place?
We require a completed general conditions form and deposit for each traveller.
We do not know all the participants names at this time. Can we still book and the names be provided at a later stage? Yes, but we still require a deposit for each traveller, regardless of whether we have their name.
When will all arrangements be confirmed? Depending on the destination and time period, this will generally be 4 – 6 weeks prior to departure.
Can I/we make my own air travel arrangements? Yes. Excel International Sports has it’s own in house airline section which can assist utilizing our contract fares with British Airways, amongst others.
What if I/we have to cancel? Our cancellations policies are clearly defined on our general conditions form and we would encourage you to read them in advance of booking your trip.
When will I receive final travel information? We ordinarily distribute final travel information 21 days in advance of departure. This includes all accommodation contact details for your trip along with other pertinent information.
What is the electricity supply? We suggest you travel with an adaptor which is designed for your destination.
What about cell service? Every Excel International Sports destination provides cell service via GSM. In order to use a cell phone it needs to have GSM capability. Alternatively you may consider renting a phone from World Cell (www.worldcell.com).
Should I take my laptop to check my email or will the accommodations have internet access? This varies by accommodation and we provide this information prior to departure.
There are many questions you may have that have not been covered in the above section. Please contact us at info@excelsports.net with any further questions you may have.
