How to Stay Hydrated Travelling to a Hockey Tournament
Flights, bus rides and rink-side snacks add up to a day of drinking less than you think. Here's a simple plan for before, during and after the trip.
How to stay hydrated travelling to a hockey tournament comes down to three steps: start drinking before you leave, sip on a schedule while you travel, and top up with fluid once you arrive. Travel days are easy to lose track of: early alarms, security lines, a bag on your shoulder, a bus with no stops. This post gives you a simple routine for each stage, so you step into the first game ready to skate.
How to stay hydrated travelling to a hockey tournament starts before you leave.
Hydration on travel day starts the night before. Drink normally through the evening, eat a proper dinner with some salt in it, and put a full bottle by your bag.
The American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on exercise and fluid replacement gives a useful starting point for adults: sip fluid slowly at least four hours before activity, at about 5 to 7 mL per kg of body weight. If you're not producing urine, or it's very dark, drink a little more about two hours before. It was written for exercise, not for sitting in a seat, but the logic carries over. Don't wait until you're thirsty and then rush it.
How to read those numbers: they're guidelines for adults, drawn from a position stand, not a prescription. For a 75 kg (165 lb) adult, 5 to 7 mL/kg works out to roughly 375 to 525 mL, about a standard water bottle. Your size, the weather and your sweat rate all change what you need.
Drink on a schedule in the air or on the bus.
On the road, you drink when it's convenient, not when your body needs it. A bus with no washroom stops makes people drink less on purpose. A flight comes with airport coffee and a tiny cup of juice.
Replace the guesswork with a rule. Sip from your bottle at set points: every time the bus passes a landmark, every time you finish a movie episode, every hour on the flight. Small, regular sips beat one large drink.
Pick an interval, such as every 30 minutes, and take a few swallows each time. Players and parents can share one rule for the whole team.
Keep something salty in reach, like pretzels or crackers, and sip between bites so drinking becomes part of snacking.
Coffee and energy drinks can sit on top of your water, not replace it. Keep a bottle in your hand as well.
Pack powder packets and an empty bottle. Security limits liquids in carry-on bags, so fill the bottle after you clear the checkpoint, then add a packet. On the bus, ready-to-drink hydration drinks are the grab-and-go option when nobody wants to mix anything.
Arrive, then top up before the first game.
You've landed. The hotel check-in is slow, the rink is across town, and puck drop is in three hours. This is where many players slip: they're tired, they eat what's closest and they skip the water.
Use the same ACSM idea. Take in fluid steadily over the hours before the game, check your urine colour (pale is the goal), and eat something with salt. Then stay on a routine between games. Tournaments stack games close together, and a cold rink doesn't mean you aren't sweating. We cover that in Do Hockey Players Sweat in a Cold Rink? Yes. Here's Why. If you're playing twice in a day, our guide to recovering between two sessions in one day covers what comes next.
Hydration on travel day is about habit, not a special trick. Drink ahead, sip on a schedule, eat something salty, and check your urine colour when you arrive.
The travel-day packing list.
Put the plan in the bag. This is what to carry, for each player.
One reusable bottle, empty through security, filled after. Mark it with a name or tape so it doesn't get swapped on the bench.
Single-serve electrolyte drink mix packets. Light, flat, and easy to carry in a stick bag or backpack. Pack a few more than you think you need.
A couple of ready-to-drink hydration drinks for the bus, the lobby and the walk to the rink.
Something salty and something with carbohydrate: pretzels, crackers, a sandwich, fruit.
If your league tests for banned substances, look for a third-party certification such as NSF Certified for Sport on anything you pack, and check the label on the exact product you choose.
Travel hydration, answered.
Does flying dehydrate you?
Cabin air is dry, and it's easy to drink less than usual on a travel day. The practical fix is the same either way: start hydrated, sip on a schedule and avoid relying on thirst alone.
Can I bring a water bottle through airport security?
Bring it empty and fill it after you clear security. Liquids in carry-on bags are limited, so check your airport and airline rules before you pack drinks.
How much should a hockey player drink on a travel day?
There's no single number. For adults, the ACSM position stand suggests about 5 to 7 mL per kg of body weight, sipped slowly at least four hours before activity, as a starting point. Pale urine is a simple check, and a coach, parent or sport dietitian can help with youth players.
Should I use an electrolyte drink or just water?
Water works for most of the trip. A drink mix is an option once you arrive or between games, when you're playing and stacking games, rather than something to sip all day. If you're unsure what suits you, a sport dietitian can help.
Pack the plan for the trip.
Drink before you go, sip on a schedule in the air or on the bus, and top up once you arrive. Add packets and ready-to-drink hydration drinks to the bag and the plan is ready to carry.
Read: Do Hockey Players Sweat in a Cold Rink?References & further reading
American College of Sports Medicine: Position stand, Exercise and fluid replacement (2007)
BioSteel: Do Hockey Players Sweat in a Cold Rink? Yes. Here's Why
BioSteel: How to Recover Between Two Sessions in One Day
Disclaimer: This article is general information for athletes, not medical advice. The ACSM figures are guidelines for adults, not a result from any BioSteel product. Talk to a doctor or sport dietitian about your own needs.
