Trip Leader Meetings

April 28, 2011

Kathryn Hagen
Assistant Director for Sport Clubs
Campus Recreation Services
University of Maryland

Every Wednesday at 3pm, one member from each sport club with plans to travel that weekend gather in one of the conference rooms at the Recreation Center for a Trip Leader Meeting — a mandatory meeting for all clubs traveling. Sport Clubs members attending these Travel Meetings are known as “Trip Leaders”.

On “Travel Wednesdays” (so named because Wednesdays for the University of Maryland Sport Club staff are dedicated solely to traveling clubs), student trip leaders come together for a short meeting to focus on Campus Recreation Services travel policies and guidelines, as well as go over each club’s travel itinerary.

The format of each Travel Meeting is the same:
*Travel polices and follow-ups from the previous weekend
*News or updates that pertain to traveling clubs
*Discussion of each club’s travel itinerary.

This format allows each club to get an idea of what everyone else is doing and is very helpful in answering questions before they arise.

Each Trip Leader is responsible for ensuring that their club’s approved travel itinerary is followed, as each trip is documented as an official University trip and the traveling students carry a great deal of responsibility while off campus. Trip Leaders sign a statement accepting this responsibility, and are expected to report any changes in plans or emergencies to Campus Recreation Services.

Each Trip Leader receives a red binder for the weekend containing:
*Copies of their travel itinerary (one for each vehicle)
*A Sport Club handbook
*Maps
*Important forms (e.g. accident report forms)
*Emergency information.

The travel itinerary is a handy tool for the Trip Leaders, as it includes both contact information for each traveling member and an emergency contact for each member. It also includes all trip details, including departure location and time, travel directions, hotel information, and carpool lists.