Travels with SleepSwag - Overnight Soccer Trip

Spring season is in full swing already! We just returned from a short weekend road trip to rural Pennsylvania where my kid had an all-day soccer tournament. Twenty-hours, there and back, in between the usual, busy schedule of practices and games. Our overnighter inspired this latest edition of Travels with SleepSwag, an ode to everyone that knows what it’s like to care for an athlete in travel sports. If you are a mom, dad, grandparent, or relative that has experienced those joys and ordeals, then this one is for you. Let’s take a moment to appreciate all that we do, even if our kids don’t always express it. This travelogue is also a call to action, to reward ourselves with some luxurious sleep after those long days at the fields, courts, and pools. We deserve it!

Travel sports can be pretty intense and time consuming. It’s a serious commitment for everyone, athlete and family. Rushing in heavy traffic from work to school and then to practice three times a week. Balancing that schedule with our other kids and their activities. Making adjustments when the times and locations change at short notice. There are the late evening stops for fast food or takeout because there was no time to make dinner at home, or even to change out of our work clothes. Hopefully the kids have finished their homework by then, since we are too tired to help them through it. Next thing you know, it’s time to start the bedtime routine, so we can do it all over again the next day.

On game days we watch our kids with pride, cheering them on every play. No matter the weather, we are there year round, equipped with our lawn chairs, umbrellas, rain boots, parkas, hand warmers, and sun block. We pack plenty of snacks only to find that our kids rarely eat much of it. And we wait…and wait…and wait some more. Pregame warmups, breaks in between games, referees running late, rain delays thanks to a passing storm. In fact, I am writing this travelogue while waiting at practice! A special mention goes out to families of swimmers, who seem to wait longer than anyone else, all for a few events that last for a minute or two. Win or lose, one thing is certain: there will be uniforms to clean, along with stinky cleats and other equipment (if our kids didn’t lose anything). The things we do for the love of the game!

With all that time devoted to our young athletes, weekends fly by and those limited opportunities for some me-time can be few and far between. Often we are beholden to the team agenda, which normally includes a utilitarian, non-boutique hotel for travel games. Not my idea of a glamorous vacation, but hey, there is a swimming pool that the kids always enjoy. Sometimes the only luxury we get is a good night’s sleep. Well aware of that, I made sure to pack my SleepSwag sleep mask and crystal sleep mist in an overnight bag for the recent tournament. Both came through once again for the win.

Even soccer dads need some luxurious self care, especially after a long drive, team meetings, and a forgettable dinner at the hotel restaurant. A long day of matches awaited the next morning, so I was quite happy to finally take solace in my pajamas and all the bedtime essentials. Lounging in the hotel room is even better with SleepSwag! And as expected, our room came with all of the typical ambient lights emanating from the door, window, alarm clock, and smoke detector, not to mention an extra noisy hallway that night. They proved no match for my silky smooth sleep mask and earplugs. And with a few sprays of the crystal sleep mist, I was able to drift off to dreamland in no time. After a luxurious sleep, I was ready for game time at the chaotic sports complex.