For most golfers, the Canadian golf season is coming to end and that means one thing: travel season. Florida, Arizona, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and other far-flung locales feature both great weather and great golf courses and are great options for getaways this fall and winter.

As crazy as it may seem, booking your off-season golf trip is the easy part. The hard part can often be preparing, packing and experiencing the trip.

Luckily, we’ve got you covered with some trip-tested know-how.

1. Your Flight

This seems straightforward, but your flight might be the most important part of your trip. Whenever possible book a direct flight. When you book a flight with multiple stops and layovers, you may have trouble with connections and more importantly, your luggage (read: clubs) could well be mishandled and misplaced.

2. Travel Bags

When it comes to travel bags, you have two options: hard and soft. Both have their advantages, but as is the case with most things, you get what you pay for. You want a bag that’s durable, lightweight and has sturdy wheels. You’ll also want an adjustable support rod to put in your golf bag inside the travel bag that absorbs all the humps and bumps of airport travel. Oh, and take off the head of our adjustable driver, wrap it in a towel, and put it in the side of your bag. That’ll keep it from getting snapped off if some over-zealous baggage handler drops your travel case.

3. Apple AirTags

One way to keep track of your luggage when you travel are Apple AirTags. Buy a set of four for your trip and put one in your golf bag, one in your suitcase, one in your carry on and one on your set of keys.

4. Packing Accessories

Packing cubes, clothes hangers and reusable dry bags will make your packing, unpacking and life on the road so much more organized.

5. Clothing Essentials

Do your research. Will the weather be warm or cold? Dry or wet? Windy or calm? These things matter greatly when you’re packing because you only need your essential clothes that you’ll actually need and wear on your trip. When you do your research, you will not overpack.

6. Hydrate

Chances are you’re like us and you don’t drink nearly enough water on a given day. And if that’s the case, there’s no way you’re going to be hydrating on travel and golf trip days. Do yourself a massive favour and bring two things: a metal water bottle and some hydration powder or tablets. Hydrate before you leave for the airport, while you’re at the airport and even more so, when you’re on your trip.