People have no idea. They hear professional athlete and think private jets, million-dollar salaries, five-star hotels and the kind of glamour that is simply not the reality for most of us. While we would love one day to attain these fancy perks as a part of our job in the National Women’s Soccer League, for the moment we are firmly rooted in what we do have.

We embrace the life because we are ambitious, and because we love to play the game. We appreciate the camaraderie of our teammates, and so, more often than not, we are able to laugh at ourselves, and each other, when we sit next to someone in an airplane who says:

“You’re professional soccer players? Cool! Why are you flying coach?”

Travel in the N.W.S.L. briefly made news this season when two top players tweeted about substandard accommodations on the road, but the reality is that while we are not put up in five-star hotels, we are typically comfortable enough. To offer a glimpse into our lives, I recently took notes — and photos — on a late-season trip to New Jersey.