How do Baseball Teams Travel?

Teams can be playing a night game on the East Coast one night, then you turn on your TV and see them in a day game the next day on the West Coast.

So, how do baseball teams travel?

Baseball teams travel by charter plane at the Major League baseball level, by bus and commercial flights at the minor league and Division 1 college level, and mostly by vans or buses at the lower levels of college and high school baseball.

Team travel varies greatly from the major leagues all the way down to little league. Read on below to get a better understanding of how baseball teams travel.

How do Major League Baseball Teams Travel?

Major league teams travel by a charter plane that is typically owned by the team.

These planes are often decked out with extra large seats, WiFi, and other perks to make players as comfortable as possible when zipping around the country.

Here are a great article on all that goes into coordinating team charter flights.

Do MLB teams have their own planes?

Yes, most teams do have their own plane, but if needed they can lease out a plane from an airline to use exclusively for the team.

Teams compete with one another for free agents so they typically want to put their best foot forward with players by showcasing top-notch facilities and travel arrangements like the team plane or bus.

Here is an interesting article on the history of the Dodgers team plane over the years.

Do MLB teams fly commercial?

No, MLB teams do not fly commercial as it would create to big of a risk to their schedules if a flight was delayed.

Baseball seasons are 162 games long and they require tons of movement across the country for players, so they need to have a dedicated plane that can get them to cities after games at sometimes fly at odd hours.

There are some situations where players will fly by commercial and normally that is when players get called up to the big leagues from the minor leagues and have to get to a stadium as quickly as possible.

Teams do not have time to send the team plane to go get one player and bring them to the city they are playing in so the team travel manager will book whatever flight they can for the minor league player to get to the team. 

This can sometimes result in a player taking a red-eye flight and showing up to their first big league game with little to no sleep!

Most Major League teams try to have their minor league affiliates in the same regional area to provide convenience for travel and scouting, but some teams do not have that option. 

Here is a good video that breaks down in detail all of the logistics behind how big-league baseball teams travel:

How do minor league teams travel?

Minor league travel varies depending on the level of team and the league the team is in.

In the lower levels of the minor leagues like rookie or A ball the teams are typically geographically close to one another which eliminates the need to fly by plane.

At these levels, teams charter buses for the players to get around in. Some road trips in minor league baseball can be very long, so the players are often trying to find creative ways to get some sleep on these long bus rides.

Once you get to double-A and triple-A, teams will occasionally fly commercial to their destination.

This can cause major headaches for players if their fights are delayed or an airline loses their luggage.

The minor league travel schedule is not glamorous by any means and there is a known grind that it takes on players which is why Major League Baseball is looking into ways they can limit the travel stress through creative game scheduling.

Do the batboys travel with the team?

No, they do not travel with the MLB team as the batboys are provided by the home teams. 

Home teams and visiting teams use the same bat boys during games and typically are family members of executives or coaches in the organization.

Can you think of a cooler job as a teenager than being an MLB bat boy? Unfortunately, these jobs are very difficult to get and like many things in life it helps to know someone!

Can wives travel with MLB players?

No, wives can’t travel with MLB players, but players sometimes do pay for their families to meet them at their destination to spend time together.

The Major league travel schedule can be tough on families with players normally gone for half of the month. It is common for players to fly in the family to an away series from time to time and spend time together during off days.

The Major League meal allowance is extremely generous, so players can take advantage of a new city and take their significant other out to a fancy dinner. 

What do baseball players do after a game?

Typically baseball players go to sleep as it takes a great deal of energy to be engaged at the park for hours on end. 

Most people don’t realize that baseball players normally get to the park 4-5 hours before games start to get practice reps and batting practice in and sometimes lift weights.

Players sometimes will go out on the town and have a good time, but normally that is done before an off day so players are able to sleep in and get rest. 

Back in the day, players did not take as good as care of their bodies as they do now, so going out on nights before games were a regular occurrence.

How do Division 1 teams travel?

For most games, Division 1 baseball teams travel by charter bus. These buses are typically very nice and have televisions and occasionally wifi that players can use to relax on the way to the games.

As conferences have begun to expand, college teams are needing to fly more frequently to road games and they will typically fly commercial.

Head to a major airport in the spring and odds are that you will see a college baseball or softball team at the airport heading to a weekend series. 

How do Division 2 and Division 3, and NAIA teams travel?

Division 2, 3, and NAIA programs typically travel by charter bus. These schools have smaller athletic budgets so they normally play in conferences that are geographically closer to one another.

If they end up making it to the playoffs or championship series these games may require flying but that is usually the only times these schools will travel by plane.

How do high school baseball teams travel?

High school teams normally travel by yellow school bus or occasionally by chartered bus if they have the budget for it.

Larger schools have bigger budgets for sports travel so you will probably see bigger schools have the better travel arrangements for high school sports.

How do little league teams travel?

Little league teams travel normally by their parents unless there is a tournament in another state and a large 15-passenger van or small bus makes sense.

With the amount of money being spent on travel ball, teams will often enter tournaments out of state and occasionally fly to games as early as little league.

Final Word

Baseball teams travel in many different ways from the major league level down to little league.

The Major League baseball travel experience is as good as it can get, but at levels below it can be a big dropoff in terms of travel.