The affordable way to give your kids international soccer experience

Have you done much traveling? If you have, you know that traveling anywhere outside of your own home, routine, or comforts can be quite challenging in many ways, not to mention VERY EXPENSIVE. Add to that experience traveling for longer periods of time, crammed in with people you don’t know or seem to share anything in common and that experience can really tell you much about yourself. One thing to try is a international soccer experience. Note: This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

International travel can be especially trying depending on your country of destination and how similar or different it is from your own culture.

Experiencing Personal Growth

Each year I have several students who get the opportunity to travel abroad with their youth squad or family to experience international play. I also have several individual students who get an even greater opportunity to travel abroad and train with professional youth clubs such as Real Madrid. I think this is a great experience for them and while the play is similar to what they can experience at the Dallas Cup.  The opportunity for [at least personal level] growth is quite different with international travel.

Save money with these travel tips

Think about it – personal growth is really what we want for our kids more than soccer growth. Development in soccer can do wonders for their futures but at most all soccer will be is a career. The character of our kids is what we value the most because it is who they ARE. However, as much as international travel might offer certain opportunities, the experiences like I have described above often come at a significant financial cost… but maybe not as much of a cost as you think.

I honestly thought most people knew about the opportunity I am about to describe, but recently having approached the subject with some young people, I discovered that I was mistaken. So today I am going to tell you an affordable way to give your kids international soccer experience, on a budget, while sharing in the experience and {hopefully} bonding as a family.

Introducing the Europass

Have you ever heard of a Europass? While its name and exact offerings can vary among companies, the Europass is essentially a rail pass that can offer access for anywhere from 5 to 25+ European countries.  The cost is a fraction of an indoor water park weekend pass in the U.S.

Prices generally range from $50 [1 country] to $350 [28 countries] with discounted tickets for youth and family travel passes also at a significant discount. The accommodations are comfortable and you can travel from country to city center in different countries while you sleep.

Many different passes to choose

There are many different ways to structure the passes, based on time of year you want to travel as well as the number of travel days you wish to stay. Kids 12 and under are usually free and should you want to spread out your travel to have time to spend in various cities, then there is a pass for that!

Most popular Europe destinations

Plan for your trip to include 3 of the most popular Eurorail (and soccer) destinations: France, Italy and Spain. Plan to give yourself time in each place to scout out the local parks and beaches for soccer games. Even if you are there to observe others play the game I think you will get so much out of the experience and see so much more than a particular training methodology.

You will experience it along with the culture, the people, the passion and more! Also, if you’re staying for several days in certain areas, ask your trip adviser if they have affiliates or recommendations; otherwise I recommend finding a reputable hostel for other great options.

Plan now for better price on tickets

I am sharing this now because this is THE time to plan your travels and make your reservations for next summer. You can often get better pricing on airline tickets with such advance notice and you can explore all the differing Europass / Eurorail companies have to offer as you map out your trip.

This can be a great time for each family member to provide input as to where they would want to go and why. This could easily turn into an entire year of family bonding and communication time and would make a great Christmas or birthday present to one another!

Here are a few companies to get you started. Please note, I do not receive compensation from nor do I endorse any of these companies. Their links are being provided merely from an information standpoint. Have fun and enjoy your international soccer experience. 

EURAIL.COM
RAILEUROPE.COM
EURORAILWAYS.COM