Survey on travel costs/time

[Archosaurus]

Hello.

I'm interested: just how dry do you guys bleed to be able to play where you play?

List your distance traveled and average cost for a trip there and back, and also how long it takes + any additional costs there might be, like vehicle maintenance per month.

I'm asking because I found a very tempting place that has quite good prices for training and probably the most competitive players in the whole country, but simply traveling there would be way over my budget. I want to know if I'm just being a cheapskate or it is reasonable to not want to pay a pretty big sum of money every time I go there.

 

[chuckjordan2]

Play as in: Practice, Informal hitting, Coaching, Tournaments?

My clubs (2) I practice are each 10 miles away from home. One is city owned and cost is free, second is $5. Gas cost $2.00 roundtrip.

Tournaments? 2+ hour drive to closest (figure $125 hotel, $50 gas, $20 food (we pack food) $60 entrance fees)

Is this what you were looking for?
Chuck

 

[Archosaurus]

Chuck, yes, that. Generally, what it costs you to play regularly.

5 dollar session fee? One hour? I can only dream of such a low fee.

 

[pgpg]

Regular play: I buy yearly pass to the club that is 10 min drive from my house. 410$ for the one that's open 7 days a week and always has someone to play with - bargain in my book. Daily fee is 9$, 6$ for kids and seniors.

'Nearby' tournament: 1 hr drive, ~50$ entry fee for 3 events. Do it ~3 times a year.

Large regional tournament: 3 hr drive (so ~50$ gas and tolls both ways). ~130$ hotel and ~70$ food. ~160$ entry fees for 6 events over 2 days. I go 3-4 times a year.

National tournament: 400$ airfare, ~600$ hotel, 250$ entry fees, probably 300$ food for 5-6 days of TT. Never did that, but might try someday.

Whether it's a lot or not depends on your circumstances. If you are an adult with decent disposable income, TT is not a very expensive hobby. If you are a teenager with allowance - different story.

 

[Archosaurus]

pgpg, that's a really good price especially considering how close it is. Always someone to play with for under 37eur a month is great!

For me, it's not even so much the price itself for the clubs, which are pretty reasonable, it's the travel costs. They're abysmal because one company is monopolizing the train industry and no one is doing anything because the government backs it, so they can charge 2x or 3x more than is realistic. No car either, and teenager on allowance, so it's quite expensive.

Local clubs are a great thing. There's none here. I don't understand why Finland doesn't like table tennis when Sweden is just around the corner.

 

[Boogar]

I pay roughly 400$ a Year to play and be a league player at my club.
I drive to the club with my bicycle or the bus. its about 10 minutes away from my home.

For tournaments i pay about 15-30$ travel costs, as switzerland is such a small country 1 hour drives with the train bring you at its edge Then there are entry fees of 10$ per tournament class i enter.

I havent been on any bigger tournaments yet.

 

[Der_Echte]

In korea, I has a 5 min walk to club and 3x20 min lessons a week for 4 weeks plus unlimited play in club every day costed 140 usd.

Here in Virginia I play at two places no lessons total 90 usd a month and have to drive... Pollyanna 80 usd a month plus on fuel.

Tourneys are around 50 usd I average 1 a month or two.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[Archosaurus]

Would it be worth it to pay 60e/month for 6days a week training with a pro coach/I presume free play as well (Unspecified hours) + 20e per month travel fee for a roughly 2 hour trip there with train + bike? Mind you that this is with the absolute cheapest options possible.

If I'm not eligible for the huge discounts on the train, it'd be 10eur approx per trip, and I hope they include a return ticket. Otherwise double. That I'm most worried of: if I have to end up paying so much just to travel every time. I'm doubting if it'd be worth it.

 

[Boogar]

60 bucks for 6 days coaching? Holy shit do it! thats like nothing!

 

[Archosaurus]

60 bucks for 6 days coaching? Holy shit do it! thats like nothing!

Yeah, that's what I think too. They have a free session that I could check out and then make up my mind for sure. The playing costs are DEFINITELY not too high.


The travel costs could bleed me dry, though. It won't be worth it if I can't keep it up for more than a month or two.

 

[Boogar]

I would love some coaching... at my place 1 hour coaching is 90 chfs wich is about 95$ ;(

 

[JHB]

I pay £3 per session, twice per week. As I don't play league there are no further fees on top - our place doesn't really run as a club in the way most of you are accustomed to, so I'm not required to be a member. Coaching is £20/hour and is generally run outside of normal session times. I drive about 6-7 miles each way; I have a diesel car so it's fairly economical.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Archo, what is the travel cost for you to get to the club you are talking about?

 

[Archosaurus]

Archo, what is the travel cost for you to get to the club you are talking about?

If I'm eligible for it, 20eur per month for train. Otherwise anywhere from 100eur per month to 10eur - 20eur per trip.

I doubt the public transportation is much faster than me on my bike, so I would travel there via train with my bike, and then get off with the bike and travel the 10km there on the bike. It'd also serve as a warmup.

I'm also exploring the option of a bus ride, which could actually be cheaper, but the inner city travel costs would skyrocket.

EDIT: It's also possible for me to perhaps get off at an earlier station than the main station, closer to the club. The club is relatively close to the railway, but the main station is much farther away. I'm looking into the best stop where I can also return home.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

If I'm eligible for it, 20eur per month for train. Otherwise anywhere from 100eur per month to 10eur - 20eur per trip.

I doubt the public transportation is much faster than me on my bike, so I would travel there via train with my bike, and then get off with the bike and travel the 10km there on the bike. It'd also serve as a warmup.

I'm also exploring the option of a bus ride, which could actually be cheaper, but the inner city travel costs would skyrocket.

EDIT: It's also possible for me to perhaps get off at an earlier station than the main station, closer to the club. The club is relatively close to the railway, but the main station is much farther away. I'm looking into the best stop where I can also return home.

It sounds like you told us about the club costs and described what travel might be like. But, you were saying travel costs would be high and you have not answered my actual question:

What is the travel cost?

I assume that a club would have a pay by day option for if you only went once to try it out.

 

[Archosaurus]

Carl, it's what I said. 20eur per month at it's absolute cheapest, if I go most of the way by bike.

They have a pay by day option, but coincidentally they also have one free training session available. I might go and check it out some day in the near future to see how long it really takes and what it adds up to.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Carl, it's what I said. 20eur per month at it's absolute cheapest, if I go most of the way by bike.

They have a pay by day option, but coincidentally they also have one free training session available. I might go and check it out some day in the near future to see how long it really takes and what it adds up to.

You know, my reading skillz must be fading. Sorry.

 

[Gene Tuttle]

Closest practice facility 240 miles round trip twice a week. ( 22 gallons of gas total $47) but free to play but all with players rated below me. Nearest tournament 568 miles round trip and a hotel room x 2 nights so 27 gallons of gas $57 and hotel 75 x 2 $150 $207 total. Nationals 1215 dollars for room and flight.(7 days)+ $275 entry fee= $1490 plus food? Topless dances? probably about 1700 total if I stay sober and don't gamble. yeah right.... See you July 3rd.

 

[Archosaurus]

Closest practice facility 240 miles round trip twice a week. ( 22 gallons of gas total $47) but free to play but all with players rated below me. Nearest tournament 568 miles round trip and a hotel room x 2 nights so 27 gallons of gas $57 and hotel 75 x 2 $150 $207 total. Nationals 1215 dollars for room and flight.(7 days)+ $275 entry fee= $1490 plus food? Topless dances? probably about 1700 total if I stay sober and don't gamble. yeah right.... See you July 3rd.

Jesus, that's pretty expensive.

Do you feel it's worth it?

 

[Gene Tuttle]

It is a conditional... yes. Is the trip expensive? Yes, but not much more than I would pay for my G.F. and I to go on a cruise. (Which I have to do in October as penance for this trip) I have been waiting to come back and play Table Tennis for a long time (24 years) and everyone who has gone to the Nationals says it is a good time as each R.R. is huge (45-75) players before they break it down. I set it up to play in a R.R. each day of the week from under 2200 down to under 1400 so I will play a lot of games with players of different styles and abilities. Will I take a lot of beatings? I am sure I will but I also hope to take as many points/games as possible from players better than I am and learn a lot from watching all the matches.