But down at Geelong - winner of three of the past five premierships - all you really need is a bus ticket.
The Herald Sun reports that the Cats have never really bought into the whole altitude training trend. A feature of both the Mark Thompson and Chris Scott coaching tenures has been a desire to remain close to home through the summer.
Granted, a selection of Geelong's younger players are presently at Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps and an altitude room is reportedly being considered at Kardinia Park, but the Cats remain sufficiently unsure as to the long-term benefits that they aren't prepared at this stage to fork out the annual six-figure sum to send the entire playing squad overseas.
"The issue is that if we commit to altitude training in its most genuine form, you're really committing to five years," Geelong chief executive Brian Cook said.
"So that has a huge financial impact on our football club and so we actually ask ourselves, 'Can we get better value for our dollar training some other way?' Because we may not be able to afford the five years going to Arizona.
"Our position is basically that we believe there is some positive effect. We don't know to what degree and I don't know if anyone does. Sports science knows that this is not a conclusive science."
What has become clear in the past few years is that the reigning premier sets the trends, both on and off the field. If the Cats are at Falls Creek, will we see Richmond at Mount Buller and Greater Western Sydney at Thredbo?
Red and white reserves for the Blues
Carlton is moving ever so closer to having a standalone reserves/VFL team, according to the Herald Sun.
The Northern Bullants are now known as the Northern Blues, but Carlton chief executive Greg Swann told the Herald Sun that the side would still play three matches each season at the Bullants' former home at Cramer Street in Preston and would don the red and white, rather than the navy blue and white.
It is a smart move, but just a bit sad. This Media Watch correspondent grew up on 1970s VFA football and the Cramer Street Oval was a footy fortress where angels feared to tread. Harold Martin would give you nightmares.
Cramer Street is also where Alan Joyce (the football coach) cut his teeth. He would later coach Hawthorn to two premierships.
Priority picks here to stay
Those who thought that the introduction of free agency at the end of next season would mean that priority draft selections would go the same way as the final five, the drop kick and six games on a Saturday might want to reconsider.
Greg Denham reports in The Australian on Wednesday that AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson has indicated that the priority selection before the first round of the 2012 NAB AFL National Draft would still be available for a club that wins four games or less for two straight seasons.
That means that Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions might all be in contention for some extra assistance come draft day. In addition, the priority selection at the end of the first round for teams that win four games or less in 2012 will also remain in place.
The League will spend part of next year looking at the whole issue of priority selections and will then formulate a policy to be considered by the AFL Commission. Given the timeframe, it would appear that not before 2013 would there be any drastic change to the current system.
Folau's spiritual awakening
There has been one change at the spiritual selection table at Greater Western Sydney and it involves NRL convert Israel Folau.
Out: Mormonism. In: Assemblies of God.
Folau has resumed training with the rest of the Giants ahead of the club's debut AFL season and told AAP that he has been buoyed by the change in his spiritual path.
"I had a personal experience with the holy spirit touching my heart," Folau said. "I've never felt that before while I was involved in the Mormon church - until I came to the AOG church and accepted Christ. It's been an amazing experience for me."
Folau dismissed reports that money was behind the change in his place or worship and said he was itching to get on with the new season, particularly with experienced AFL bodies such as Luke Power now at the club.
Newnes' Blue comparison
Versatile Northern Knights midfielder Jack Newnes has been likened to Carlton's Bryce Gibbs in the latest of the Herald Sun's draft countdown features.
"A composed player who uses the ball efficiently and provides run for his team, Newnes can also go forward or back when required," writes the newspaper.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
