Carolyn Nichols

There is an entire circuit of ITF Masters Tournaments, including one in the USA (all of our Level 1/Gold Ball tournaments, most Level 2 and some Level 3 events). There are ITF tournaments on every continent except Antarctica.

So how do you get started?

 Entering and choosing tournaments:

• Get an IPIN. There is no fee to sign up, but there is an ipin fee added to the first 10 ITF tournaments you play each year.

• Check out the ITF tournament schedule which is searchable by date, country, region, surface, and tournament level.

• If you choose a tournament that is a lower level (there are five levels, 100/200/400/700/1000, plus the world championships) or you play in an older or younger age division that you check out the previous years’ draws to make sure there are likely to be enough players to make a draw). Generally, tournaments in Germany, England and Austria have good draws, but some in smaller countries do not, especially in lower level tournaments. (Think Level 3 vs Level 1 in the USA). If there are not enough players in your division, normally the tournament will combine age divisions, e.g. 65/70.

• Note that in Europe, doubles is a secondary consideration; only singles have consolation (and not everywhere has consolation); doubles rarely does. Prize money is generally offered only for singles. On the plus side nearly every tournament offers doubles and mixed doubles.

• Each tournament posts a fact sheet on the IPIN site which has information about the entry fee, start dates for each event, sometimes hotel information, and emails and telephone numbers for the tournament director and referee.

• Entry fees generally can be paid on site though there might be a slightly higher fee to do so.

• Schedules are normally posted only each evening for the next day’s play.

Travel Logistics:

• For flights I start with google.com/flights and book directly with the airline, not a third party (e.g. Expedia, Orbitz, etc.); for lodging I use booking.com (but often book directly with the hotel if possible) outside the USA or Airbnb. Skyscanner is also popular for flights. For cars I start with Orbitz or rentalcars.com usually and then book directly with the car company and do take the insurance.

• Ground transportation…there are websites and apps for railways in Europe, different for each country, they work well; if you need a taxi from the airport, almost every country has some sort of ride hail or booking.com is pretty good…for public transit, it depends on the amount of luggage you take.

• On arrival there is usually an information booth at the airport where you can ask about anything from transport to the city to arranging lodging.

• For cash I use ATMs in the country I am visiting, as my bank refunds all ATM fees and has a good exchange rate. If you prefer to exchange US dollars to the local currency, go to a major bank in the city, the airport rates generally are not very good. (Download the XE Currency app; it’s free and has the current exchange rate for most countries.)

• Make sure your credit cards have no foreign transaction fees. Not everyone takes Amex, Visa and Mastercard are more popular.

• For phones, buy a sim card on site or if you have a newer iphone without a physical sim, you can get an esim for a country or region online…download it though before you leave the USA. Or check with your carrier for a plan, so you have no surprises.

• Download Google Translate or something similar (but note it takes data to work, either wifi or cellular)…very handy to read labels.

• Download Google or Apple Maps..not just the app but the map for the area you are visiting  so you can use it while traveling without using cellular data.

• Download WhatsApp before you leave, so you can communicate with people you meet along the way. Outside the USA Android is much more popular than iPhone.

• Get travel medical insurance if, as is common, your medical insurance does not cover you outside the USA.

• Sign up with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP; https://step.state.gov) before you leave, in case there are any problems at your travel destinations

What happens if there are problems?

• There may very well be problems. I’ve had my phone stolen, my flights canceled, my wallet stolen (that was in the USA) but still survived!

• Make sure you have a photo of your documents; passport, credit cards, reservations, drivers’ license and can access them on any computer

• Split up important documents so all of your cash and cards are not in one place

• If it’s flights…contact the airline directly; if hotel; contact the hotel or the aggregator (eg booking.com)

• Make sure you have some data on your phone

• Ask for help. Most younger people speak English; there are tourism and information desks in most hotels and train stations and airports; or go into any big luxury hotel with a concierge.

• Don’t panic

Why play internationally?

• Great way to make friends around the world and learn new cultures

• Fun to learn how to play on different surfaces

• A starting off place on an adventure…I played one tournament in China then went on to see the Great Wall and Forbidden Palace; another time in Chile, then went hiking in the Andes and on to Patagonia…In South Africa went on a one-day safari and saw Mandela’s prison cell (and penguins too); in Turkey I saw ancient ruins in Ephesus and a lunar-like landscape from a balloon in Cappadocia; not sure I would have visited those spots otherwise.

• Different foods! I love the bread in Germany, the carrot salad in France (baguettes aren’t bad either), the padron peppers, olives from the markets and fresh tomatoes (with anchovies!) in Spain and look forward to eating them when I travel.

Carolyn keeps a website about senior tennis, including extensive coverage of her travels on her blog. You can find her site here.