JoeSoccerFan
11 Dec 2004, 12:09 AM
OK - weird title - ok. Sorry that I have been putting this off for so long....
The "WC Travel plans" thread is becoming wieldy. A request has been made to start a thread for single travelers looking to coordinate and collaborate their plans in Germany. Let’s see if we can use this thread to post for solo travelers looking for someone to hook up with.
snip ... I'm all for hooking up with several others for company and economy. I'm one of those travelers who sees no need in traveling in luxury, but I'm not going to sleep on a park bench either. Convenience, cleanliness, and cost. Maybe we need a thread for "organized solos".
It would probably be best to specify a little about yourself, priorities, interests, locale preference: Here's a list of things that might be useful:
Gender: M
Age: 40
Marital status: Married
Hometown: Laurel, MD
Occupation: IT manager
Length of Stay: At least until US is knocked out – So I’m planning on the whole month!
Interests (while in Germany): In this order -
Attend all US games
Attend other games
Watch all other games on TV
Sit, drink, eat and talk with fans (and native Germans)
Visit attractions (Castle on the rhine, German Museum in Munich, Amsterdam museum, Amsterdam, Austria – love Sound of Music, perhaps Strasbourg, Colmar museum), relax
Local Preference: I think a shared flat may be most economical. Here are my priorities:
Near a train station (within 15 minute walk)
Minimal travel to all games. I think it’s a mistake to go to the edges of Germany (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg). While I can understand that Frankfort may not have the best nightlife, too.
In a city (or small city) for nightlife and things to do – however, I could be swayed if a small city is with a 15-20 minute train ride
Need a TV that has WC on it
Reasonable rent but still generally clean
Drinking: Love beer, wine and Jack. Occasionally over-indulge.
Smoking: non-smoker but smoking doesn't bother me except perhaps in a tiny car with the windows up.
Language Skills: English (fluent), Thai (little/lek), Japanese (very little), Tamil (curse words only), German (learning)
Worse thing about you: I can get cranky when tired or hungry
Special Abilities (German contacts, travel experience, other): easy-going personality and I love to have fun and laugh (though see previous)
Next WCQ that you plan to attend: Planning on attending all WCQ in US in 2005.
Here’s an example from the "WC Travel plans" thread:
And for the record, I'm pretty normal. :) Male, 34, live in TN, married, father of two, social drinker, occasional cigar (outdoors only), postgrad, lean to the left on politics and religion (but come from conservative parents so I don't mind Repubs), night owl. And, oh yea, soccer fan. (Geeze, sounds like a singles ad -- if I were single.)
Here is more of Magpie’s preferences -
Since the Hex fixtures have been determined, I've become more serious in planning the trip to WC06. There seems to be several schools of thought on various subjects. For example:
- Apartment in one city vs. hotel rooms in various host cities;
- Train vs. car;
- SoccerTravel.com vs. self-planning;
- FIFA ticket lottery vs. USSF tickets;
- Staying the entire month vs. group/knockout only.
You get the idea. When I get the official word from my brother about his intentions, I can give it more thought, but I'm starting to lean in certain directions. One, I'll only be there for the group stage. Probably fly into Frankfurt on June 8 and leave June 25 or so. The exact dates depend upon the December 2005 draw. Two, I'll probably do most of the planning myself. SoccerTravel.com is a great resource, but I think I can handle most of the details. Three, I'll throw my hat into the February 1 FIFA ticket lottery. Might as well.
Four and five, instead of staying in a central location and shuttling between venues and an apartment, I think I'll stay in three or four cities depending upon the draw. It'll probably be a little more expensive, but I'd probably see more. I'm also concerned about the ability to grab a three-hour train back to the home base after a game. Will the schedule permit? I'll be putting plenty of tallies in the beer column, but I don't think I want to spend all night until the next morning in a bar. What am I missing logistically? I'll stick with trains, but if I do rent a car, it'll be for a single day drive outside of the town I'm in.
Here’s an example from the "WC Travel plans" thread:
I personally would NOT want to stay in Frankfurt. Sure it’s logistically preferable to some of the northern or southern cities but culturally it’s lacking far behind Munich, Berlin and even Cologne (Köln).
The longest train ride is 7 hours between Munich and Hamburg. Now I haven't done the research but I'm sure you could use Joe's spreadsheet to determine some of the round trip travel times. If you think about it, you'll spend 7 to 14 days based at a certain city of those days you'll spend worst case 3 to 5 days traveling to US games (if a game isn't scheduled in the city or a nearby location).
Point being, If I'm going to spend 60-80% of my time in one location, I'd rather do it in a more cultural destination then worrying about the extra few hours I'll spend traveling during my 25% of the time I'm in fact traveling to games.
The WC in 2005 is starting in 18 months.
The "WC Travel plans" thread is becoming wieldy. A request has been made to start a thread for single travelers looking to coordinate and collaborate their plans in Germany. Let’s see if we can use this thread to post for solo travelers looking for someone to hook up with.
snip ... I'm all for hooking up with several others for company and economy. I'm one of those travelers who sees no need in traveling in luxury, but I'm not going to sleep on a park bench either. Convenience, cleanliness, and cost. Maybe we need a thread for "organized solos".
It would probably be best to specify a little about yourself, priorities, interests, locale preference: Here's a list of things that might be useful:
Gender: M
Age: 40
Marital status: Married
Hometown: Laurel, MD
Occupation: IT manager
Length of Stay: At least until US is knocked out – So I’m planning on the whole month!
Interests (while in Germany): In this order -
Attend all US games
Attend other games
Watch all other games on TV
Sit, drink, eat and talk with fans (and native Germans)
Visit attractions (Castle on the rhine, German Museum in Munich, Amsterdam museum, Amsterdam, Austria – love Sound of Music, perhaps Strasbourg, Colmar museum), relax
Local Preference: I think a shared flat may be most economical. Here are my priorities:
Near a train station (within 15 minute walk)
Minimal travel to all games. I think it’s a mistake to go to the edges of Germany (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg). While I can understand that Frankfort may not have the best nightlife, too.
In a city (or small city) for nightlife and things to do – however, I could be swayed if a small city is with a 15-20 minute train ride
Need a TV that has WC on it
Reasonable rent but still generally clean
Drinking: Love beer, wine and Jack. Occasionally over-indulge.
Smoking: non-smoker but smoking doesn't bother me except perhaps in a tiny car with the windows up.
Language Skills: English (fluent), Thai (little/lek), Japanese (very little), Tamil (curse words only), German (learning)
Worse thing about you: I can get cranky when tired or hungry
Special Abilities (German contacts, travel experience, other): easy-going personality and I love to have fun and laugh (though see previous)
Next WCQ that you plan to attend: Planning on attending all WCQ in US in 2005.
Here’s an example from the "WC Travel plans" thread:
And for the record, I'm pretty normal. :) Male, 34, live in TN, married, father of two, social drinker, occasional cigar (outdoors only), postgrad, lean to the left on politics and religion (but come from conservative parents so I don't mind Repubs), night owl. And, oh yea, soccer fan. (Geeze, sounds like a singles ad -- if I were single.)
Here is more of Magpie’s preferences -
Since the Hex fixtures have been determined, I've become more serious in planning the trip to WC06. There seems to be several schools of thought on various subjects. For example:
- Apartment in one city vs. hotel rooms in various host cities;
- Train vs. car;
- SoccerTravel.com vs. self-planning;
- FIFA ticket lottery vs. USSF tickets;
- Staying the entire month vs. group/knockout only.
You get the idea. When I get the official word from my brother about his intentions, I can give it more thought, but I'm starting to lean in certain directions. One, I'll only be there for the group stage. Probably fly into Frankfurt on June 8 and leave June 25 or so. The exact dates depend upon the December 2005 draw. Two, I'll probably do most of the planning myself. SoccerTravel.com is a great resource, but I think I can handle most of the details. Three, I'll throw my hat into the February 1 FIFA ticket lottery. Might as well.
Four and five, instead of staying in a central location and shuttling between venues and an apartment, I think I'll stay in three or four cities depending upon the draw. It'll probably be a little more expensive, but I'd probably see more. I'm also concerned about the ability to grab a three-hour train back to the home base after a game. Will the schedule permit? I'll be putting plenty of tallies in the beer column, but I don't think I want to spend all night until the next morning in a bar. What am I missing logistically? I'll stick with trains, but if I do rent a car, it'll be for a single day drive outside of the town I'm in.
Here’s an example from the "WC Travel plans" thread:
I personally would NOT want to stay in Frankfurt. Sure it’s logistically preferable to some of the northern or southern cities but culturally it’s lacking far behind Munich, Berlin and even Cologne (Köln).
The longest train ride is 7 hours between Munich and Hamburg. Now I haven't done the research but I'm sure you could use Joe's spreadsheet to determine some of the round trip travel times. If you think about it, you'll spend 7 to 14 days based at a certain city of those days you'll spend worst case 3 to 5 days traveling to US games (if a game isn't scheduled in the city or a nearby location).
Point being, If I'm going to spend 60-80% of my time in one location, I'd rather do it in a more cultural destination then worrying about the extra few hours I'll spend traveling during my 25% of the time I'm in fact traveling to games.
The WC in 2005 is starting in 18 months.