20th Annual January European Exposure Tour

This year’s January Tour will again start in Maribor, Slovenia in a hotel and training center on the bottom of a World Cup ski mountain, and make its way through Austria to end in Zurich, Switzerland 10 nights later.

This tour has proved year after year to be the best way to find a team in Europe for the 2nd half of the season – January to March/April/May – or for the following FIVB Season. We typically find teams for players on the tour that come to “Stay and Play”, and help players learn about Europe and European volleyball so that they’re ready to come back and have a team in August/September of the following season if that is their intent.

We will place players all over Europe; not just in the cities and countries that we visit. Please keep in mind that we play a lot of volleyball, so it’s important to show up in good shape and ready to go. In 2018, 65% of the players either went on tryouts or were offered a contract as a result of the tour. Players received contract offers and went on tryouts in Germany, Austria, Greece, Sweden, Brazil and Peru. To view the full list of player placements from previous year’s, check out our alumni page here. You can also view our current player list here. All players should read the player journals from past BIP exposure tours.

It is important to note that we have also historically placed players directly from this tour to the shorter duration Pro Leagues in places like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines (Dates TBA; they change annually), Peru, Argentina & Chile (~January to ~March/April), Puerto Rico (~January to April/May), and sometimes the “Arab Countries” like UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi) as well.

Cost of the tour is USD$1800 + airfare and includes breakfast and dinner daily, and all hotels, ground transportation costs, and volleyball activities. Players only need spending money for daily lunches, phone calls, souvenirs, and “going out” if they so choose. A $350 non-refundable deposit is due to reserve a spot for this tour.

Sign Up

To sign up for the 2019 January Exposure Tour contact Cory Solomon at bringitusacory@aol.com and send the following information:

*Please be sure that your name and “JEET ’19” appear on the check. Please do NOT send money in CAN$. We only accept USD$.

You are buying your own tickets to Europe, and as long as you’re at the DRAS Center in Maribor, Slovenia on January 6th, and ready for practice that night at 7:00pm, it doesn’t matter what time you arrive or depart. As stated above, you want to arrive to GRZ (Graz, Austria; a < 1 hour train ride or try GoOpti), LJU (Ljubljana, Slovenia; a ~2-hour train ride from Maribor or try GoOpti), VIE (Vienna, Austria; a 3+ hour train ride, also check Flixbus) or ZAG (Zagreb, Croatia; ~2 hours by bus or train or try Flixbus/GoOpti). Venice (and Italy in general) is a nightmare to connect on public transportation, so while you may want to visit Italy pre-or post-tour, be very careful if you choose to do this. There just aren’t that many connecting trains to get into Slovenia from Italy.

Check out GoOpti online (http://www.goopti.com/) for new shuttle options from most airports (including Venice) to Maribor. As for airfare, usually a round trip ticket to Europe is the same price (or cheaper) than a one-way, and due to visa restrictions and immigration issues in Europe, it often causes problems to try and come with a one-way ticket (or a ticket that has a return for more than 90 after arrival).

Suggestion: Either come on a mileage ticket (if you have a parent or friend with tons of airline miles) because its free to change and usable for a full year, or come on the cheapest possible round trip with your return January 16 (or later) as planned, knowing that you might “eat” the return if you’re coming to “stay and play” and find a team. Of course in this case the team will have to fly you home on a new ticket at the end of the season, but having a “mileage ticket” (if possible) makes everything easiest.

All return flights should be on January 16, 2019 from Zurich, Switzerland. Airport code ZRH.  The tour will end in Zurich after you are dropped off at the airport. Players are welcome to stay longer in Europe, but note that after your arrival at the Zurich airport on the 16th you will be responsible for your onward travel.