WC 2006 travel plans

[PhillyUnited]

Has anyone done any research on travel packages, airfare, hotels etc... From what I have found the packages are pricey. I wonder if it would be easier to stay in Holland or Czech Republic and travel by train to the venues. I plan on going from the 9th to the 23rd to see the first three USA games and maybe some other matches.
Europe is always packed in the summer and with the World Cup in Germany it is going to be crazy. Any suggestions on booking hotels, when and where? Should we wait until the end of 2005 or should we call our hotels and book now?

Also, so far I am going alone, my friends don't want to spend the cash. I would love to get on some kind of package with all US fans. Any Ideas?

Great win over T&T!

[Magpie Maniac]

Has anyone done any research on travel packages, airfare, hotels etc... From what I have found the packages are pricey. I wonder if it would be easier to stay in Holland or Czech Republic and travel by train to the venues. I plan on going from the 9th to the 23rd to see the first three USA games and maybe some other matches.
Europe is always packed in the summer and with the World Cup in Germany it is going to be crazy. Any suggestions on booking hotels, when and where? Should we wait until the end of 2005 or should we call our hotels and book now?

Also, so far I am going alone, my friends don't want to spend the cash. I would love to get on some kind of package with all US fans. Any Ideas?

My brother and I are having the same discussion about travel plans. SoccerTravel.com has their WC'06 packages here (http://soccertravel.com/world_cup_2006/index.html). The prices aren't up as of today. I doubt I'll use them though. I've enlisted the help of a local travel agent who just so happens to be German. She goes back home about three times a year and is very familiar with the cities. She doesn't know much about soccer, but that's not her job. She told me that there's no sense in booking now. Wait until the end of the year.

Your decisions are partly based upon the type of tickets you purchase. If you go for venue/date-specific tickets, you could start booking your flight and hotels in July. If you're like me and want to follow the US, you'll have to wait until the venues and dates are determined in December. There will be a mad rush for hotels during that period. Some room blocks will have already been booked for journalists, VIPs, etc.

If this were a long weekend out of town, I'd take care of everything online. Since this is more complicated, I'm going to use the German travel agent. She can give me ideas on places to stay that aren't evident on online travel sites.

[SLO-Gunner]

yeah, soccertravel.com seems like a complete ripoff from the packages they have listed for Arsenal. For instance with Arsenal vs. Norwich, they're offering two nights hotel stay in a 3* with a match ticket and airport transfers for $700 (single). That's about $350-400 more than a good deal. It's convenient, but it also come with its price.

[Mikeymike15]

Check out my travel site I put together specific to US Soccer Supporters, it will help you in your research. It's not a travel agent but rather a travel site with links and information to help you plan your journey.

US Supporters Travel Site (http://esc32.midphase.com/~kotasm/worldCup.html)

In addition, with the help of other BS users, we created an ongoing FAQ. You can navigate to it through the link above or the direct link below:

US Supporters Travel FAQ (http://esc32.midphase.com/~kotasm/worldCup.html)

You'll find some good tools like the WC Travel Cost Estimator and the Travel Checklist

Finally, you can subscribe to YanksInGermany (if you haven't already) which is a listserv dedicated to discussing travel planning.

YanksInGermany (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/YanksinGermany/)

Hope this helps,
Mike