wadejackson1
27 Jun 2006, 05:36 AM
I've come to the conclusion an accredited photographer could cover the World Cup in Germany for the cost of a flight across the pond and meals. The German WC Organizing Committee in conjunction with the German rail system have provided EVERY credentialed media with a FREE rail pass.
You don't need to purchase a reservation (although, it would have been wise on a couple of ocassions where lots of fans were moving in and out of a particular city or venue). All's you gotta do is climb on the train and take a seat. The free rail pass is for 1st Class, which will allow you to basically sit anywhere on the train (1st or 2nd class) that has not already been reserved. Sweet.
In the past seven days, I have spent six nights sleeping on the train going from venue to venue (with one brief stop at my home base). Granted, I have been averaging only three hours of sleep a day, but it can be done. Spend a month sleeping on trains for free, and you wouldn't even need to book a hotel room.
Most major train stations have a McClean in the terminal where you can purchase a clean shower for 6-7 euros.
A typical day looks something like this:
-Arrive at a venue train station between 6:00 and 7:30 AM;
-Find a breakfast snack stand of your choice (in Dortmond this morning I saw my first waffel on a stick), and waste some time until the Media Shuttle Bus starts running at 10:00 AM;
-Find the way to the Stadium Media Center, scope out the place, stake out a work station, set up the laptop;
-Catch up on email;
-5:00 PM kick off means match ticket distribution begins at 2:00, so its time to pass out for a few winks (I'll be doing that right after this blog entry);
-Either stand in a "priority" line for match tickets or enter the frey at 60-90 minutes before kick off for the Wait List distribution;
-Shoot the match (if a ticket is received), or shoot the Fan Fest;
-Remember to eat sometime;
-Pull post match photos for at least two hours, which includes uploading them to Scott for processing;
-Stay busy wasting time so you don't arrive at the train station too early (ya gotta wait someplace, might as well be productive if you can);
-Climb on the last Media Shuttle back to the train station (six hours after the match);
-Board a very late train that will get you to your next venue around 6:00-7:30 AM...
-Repeat the process day after day after day (fit in a McClean stop every 3-4 days).
Cross the pond on Air Miles.
$15 a day for meals (it can be done) times 30 days = $450 for a month in Germany!!
Of course, the only thing you would actually see of Germany is the inside/outside of their trains and the inside/outside of several soccer stadiums. But, you would be at the World Cup, watching matches live, losing weight... spending less than you typically spend on food and entertainment in a month.
It ain't necessarily a pretty sight, but it could concievably be done on the cheap. (night night)
You don't need to purchase a reservation (although, it would have been wise on a couple of ocassions where lots of fans were moving in and out of a particular city or venue). All's you gotta do is climb on the train and take a seat. The free rail pass is for 1st Class, which will allow you to basically sit anywhere on the train (1st or 2nd class) that has not already been reserved. Sweet.
In the past seven days, I have spent six nights sleeping on the train going from venue to venue (with one brief stop at my home base). Granted, I have been averaging only three hours of sleep a day, but it can be done. Spend a month sleeping on trains for free, and you wouldn't even need to book a hotel room.
Most major train stations have a McClean in the terminal where you can purchase a clean shower for 6-7 euros.
A typical day looks something like this:
-Arrive at a venue train station between 6:00 and 7:30 AM;
-Find a breakfast snack stand of your choice (in Dortmond this morning I saw my first waffel on a stick), and waste some time until the Media Shuttle Bus starts running at 10:00 AM;
-Find the way to the Stadium Media Center, scope out the place, stake out a work station, set up the laptop;
-Catch up on email;
-5:00 PM kick off means match ticket distribution begins at 2:00, so its time to pass out for a few winks (I'll be doing that right after this blog entry);
-Either stand in a "priority" line for match tickets or enter the frey at 60-90 minutes before kick off for the Wait List distribution;
-Shoot the match (if a ticket is received), or shoot the Fan Fest;
-Remember to eat sometime;
-Pull post match photos for at least two hours, which includes uploading them to Scott for processing;
-Stay busy wasting time so you don't arrive at the train station too early (ya gotta wait someplace, might as well be productive if you can);
-Climb on the last Media Shuttle back to the train station (six hours after the match);
-Board a very late train that will get you to your next venue around 6:00-7:30 AM...
-Repeat the process day after day after day (fit in a McClean stop every 3-4 days).
Cross the pond on Air Miles.
$15 a day for meals (it can be done) times 30 days = $450 for a month in Germany!!
Of course, the only thing you would actually see of Germany is the inside/outside of their trains and the inside/outside of several soccer stadiums. But, you would be at the World Cup, watching matches live, losing weight... spending less than you typically spend on food and entertainment in a month.
It ain't necessarily a pretty sight, but it could concievably be done on the cheap. (night night)