After 34 years of being called a tight so-and-so by friends and attending World Cups in South Africa and Brazil, finding the cheapest way to attend next year’s edition is my jam.
Already though I know following England even for just their three group games is going to cost four figures. I just need to keep it as low as possible.
So, assuming I’ve had a little luck in Fifa’s World Cup ticket ballot, which opened on 11 December and runs until 13 January, how do 13 days on the cheap compare to the more comfortable, dorm-free alternative?
Planes, no trains… and Greyhound buses
I have to get there. That is a fact, and the unavoidable mega-cost number one.
England first play Croatia in Dallas on 17 June before heading to the east coast, facing Ghana in Foxborough, about 20 miles away from Boston, on 23 June and then Panama in New Jersey on 27 June.
So at the very least I need a flight to Dallas (16 June) and a flight back from ideally a New York airport on 28 June.
A range of flights are north of £900, but ignoring the ridiculous £664, 38-hour, two-stop option, £800 Air Canada via Montreal both ways is the one for me. For the pricier alternative, I’ll do London-Dallas and New York-London both direct, which is currently £1,210 with Iberia.
I then have a choice to make within the US. The best Dallas-Boston flight I can find is £118 on 20 June, while an epic Greyhound bus adventure including three transfers and lasting 41 hours will cost £84. For the true backpackers out there, this could save on two nights of accommodation and allow you to see the States at a slower, albeit back-aching, pace.
Boston-New York is simple: £28 by Greyhound is far cheaper than the trains that appear to be closer to £200. I’ll get the bus in both instances.
Hostel hunting vs hotels
Straight to Hostel World it is for the budget option. Give me your largest dorm please, with all the snorers. For four nights in Dallas the Wild Wild West Backpackers’ Hostel is £23 a night. It’s rated 6.9, but I’ll bear it compared to the only other option I can find, Bishop Hostel, which comes in at £79 a night.
To Boston, and I’ve hit a snag. Hostel World has no hostels with dorms available, but I then find Hostelling International USA, with HI Boston hostel doing dorms for $172 (£128) a night. I’ve started to cry at the thought of spending three figures on a dorm, and that Greyhound bus suddenly appeals.
Finally, to famously cheap New York, although England are technically playing across in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium, where the final will also be held, meaning England will definitely play there again.
Okay, it’s not too bad. I can stay in a Manhattan hostel for £60 a night and make the most of the $1 pizzas on the island.
By comparison, heading to Booking.com for the dorm-free options across Dallas, Boston and New York, it’s look-away-now territory. I need 12 nights, four in each, and sharing a double or twin with a mate is going to be £550 per person at DoubleTree by Hilton in Dallas, £860 at Courtyard Boston-South (Boston is not cheap) and £725 to stay in Manhattan at Artezen Hotel.
Food
If I’m eating on a budget, it has to be grocery stores and maybe a trip or five to the golden arches. I could do peanut butter and jam for 13 days but realistically I’ll budget £20 a day on food. I could do less, but hey that’s 20 slices of New York’s finest come Manhattan.
For the pricier option, going to £50 a day could arguably still be too modest, but allows for restaurants and Dunkin’ coffees on the go.
Alcohol
Sticking to water is the obvious solution, and smart given the heat, but I wouldn’t mind a drink on matchdays. Realistically a day on the beers is going to be the hidden cost for fans heading to the World Cup.
But if I really, really just want to see my team and avoid drink, then £0 it is for the cheapest option. And let’s go with an average of £20 a day on drink for the alternative.
You forgot tickets!
Ah, yes. Somehow Fifa did not release prices before the ballot opened on Thursday, but tickets for England’s match against Croatia will reportedly go for a minimum £200 and then £134 against Panama and Ghana.
That’s £468 at least, if lucky, although it appears fans may be paying closer if not into four figures for tickets alone. Especially given there are fewer lower-price tickets on offer compared to the other categories, as shown by a map of Dallas’ stadium.
The final costs
So without a drink on matchdays I have managed a 13-day World Cup extravaganza of £2,228 that includes a two-day bus…
For a little more comfort, the direct flights and hotel stays, as well as drinks on matchday and more restaurants, the price rockets to £4,869.
And again, that is on the assumption of £468 tickets – which is far from guaranteed.
Yikes. And all this at the start of the ballot, which ends 13 January before fans than find out in February, meaning prices will probably be even higher.
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