[dfb547490]

OK, so I've gotten to do my fair share of traveling but have never booked anything close to this scale on my own. I'm looking to hopefully catch all 3 group matches and also keep my budget for essentials (airfare, game tickets, lodging, rail tickets, food, beer) as close to or under $2000 as possible. If it goes a little over that's fine, that's what rampant credit debt is for, but I really can't afford to pay through my ass for this (although if we make the knockout round I may end up just saying "******** it" and plunging myself deeper into debt).

In any event, I'll probably pick up the unlimited rail pass so I can bounce around the country a little bit. Also, this means I can fly into anywhere in the country--although it has to be somewhere where I can get in on the 11th and make the game in Gelsenkirchen on the 12th, so Frankfurt and Dusseldorf are the most likely bets. I'm also planning to spend most of the tournament based in Frankfurt, assuming I can find an affordable room there (I'm looking to spend no more than about $30-40 a night, and don't mind staying at a youth hostel)--although I may swing to Berlin or Munich for a few days as well (depending on if I can afford it). Frankfurt is pretty close to all of our first-round venues, so it's a good fit.

That said--while I've more or less figured out what I'm going to do thru trial and error, there are still things that will pop up that I'll need help on, and I'm sure there are a ton of other people who are just as lost as I am. So my thought is to use this thread for people to ask basic questions and hopefully get them answered by folks who have more experience with this sort of thing than I do. No question is too dumb for this thread, and I thank in advance anyone who can contribute.

I'll start off--does anyone have a clue about lodging in Frankfurt?? As I said I'd like something cheap although not totally flea-ridden since I'll be there for 10 days. As an alternative to a hostel, is there anyone out there, preferably around my age (I'll be 22 in June) who's up for getting a group of 3-4 together and getting a mid-level hotel room for the 10-11 days??

Also, will the trains be running overnight?? That may be an option for me some nights to cut down on lodging costs.

[stinky]

2500 and you might be able to pull it off...

its germany...not south korea....

we did s. korea for 2500 including airfare and that was about 20-25 bucks per night staying in broethels....(converted for the world cup )

anyway...airfare will be 1000 ---- total = 1000

hotel 75+ per night minimum...one week = 7 nights... running total = 1525

tickets... ??? - say 350 if you win the lottery.. running total = 1875

rent a car...it'll be cheaper then the train... one week 500+..if you go with 3 others...thats 125...running total = 2000
(i checked a train from frankfurt to the first US match...it was 70 euros.)

beer...food...and beer...will easily be 70 per day....that's another 500.

[nowherenova]

I've done the overnight train thing. Not bad once or twice, but I would not recommend it as a common practice. I would imagine the trains will be much more crowded than usual.

[dfb547490]

Thanks for the input guys, unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to rent a car as I'm only 21. Not sure I want to be driving around on the Autobahn on that much beer and that little sleep, anyway.

Unfortunately a quick search indicates that there doesn't seem to be anything available and affordable in Frankfurt at any point during the group stage, so my new plan is to stay in Dusseldorf for the first 2 games (30 miles from Gelsenkirchen and 171 from Kaiserslautern, also 172 from Hanover in case I decide to check out the Mexico-Angola game), overnight train to Hamburg on the 17th/18th and stay there for 2 nights (maybe catch the Ukraine-Saudi Arabia game), then an overnight train to Tubingen (I never heard of it either, but it's the closest place to Nuremberg where I can find affordable lodging) and stay there thru the 23rd.

[Autogolazo]

Bring a tent and camp. The Germans are crazy about camping, they have campsites everywhere, even in major cities.

Keep your pack in a train station locker, if they still have those in these days of bomb threats.

The weather might suck, but you can do it for a few weeks.

[JoeSoccerFan]

To cut costs -

Plan more. Reduces surprises - find real deals
Be very careful on train options. Make a decision on how much you want to use it. mix/match between all option/few days (match day)/purchase for short trips
stay with others
stay outside of host city

Don't compromise safety or essentials. but bargain things that aren't so important to you.

picnic (don't eat every meal in a restaurant).
eat bread/jam for breakfast while watching people going to work

[Mikeymike15]

Two Words:

RAMEN NOODLES

[dfb547490]

That's a given Mike!!

Good news, found something available in Munich unbelievably enough so I'll most likely be staying in Dusseldorf thru the 17th then taking an overnight train to Munich, staying there thru the 22nd, and taking the train from Nuremberg straight back to Dusseldorf (flying in and out of DUS on that Iberia flight)

[socks]

Originally Posted by dfb547490

OK, so I've gotten to do my fair share of traveling but have never booked anything close to this scale on my own. I'm looking to hopefully catch all 3 group matches and also keep my budget for essentials (airfare, game tickets, lodging, rail tickets, food, beer) as close to or under $2000 as possible. If it goes a little over that's fine, that's what rampant credit debt is for, but I really can't afford to pay through my ass for this (although if we make the knockout round I may end up just saying "******** it" and plunging myself deeper into debt).

In any event, I'll probably pick up the unlimited rail pass so I can bounce around the country a little bit. Also, this means I can fly into anywhere in the country--although it has to be somewhere where I can get in on the 11th and make the game in Gelsenkirchen on the 12th, so Frankfurt and Dusseldorf are the most likely bets. I'm also planning to spend most of the tournament based in Frankfurt, assuming I can find an affordable room there (I'm looking to spend no more than about $30-40 a night, and don't mind staying at a youth hostel)--although I may swing to Berlin or Munich for a few days as well (depending on if I can afford it). Frankfurt is pretty close to all of our first-round venues, so it's a good fit.

That said--while I've more or less figured out what I'm going to do thru trial and error, there are still things that will pop up that I'll need help on, and I'm sure there are a ton of other people who are just as lost as I am. So my thought is to use this thread for people to ask basic questions and hopefully get them answered by folks who have more experience with this sort of thing than I do. No question is too dumb for this thread, and I thank in advance anyone who can contribute.

I'll start off--does anyone have a clue about lodging in Frankfurt?? As I said I'd like something cheap although not totally flea-ridden since I'll be there for 10 days. As an alternative to a hostel, is there anyone out there, preferably around my age (I'll be 22 in June) who's up for getting a group of 3-4 together and getting a mid-level hotel room for the 10-11 days??

Also, will the trains be running overnight?? That may be an option for me some nights to cut down on lodging costs.

you need a girlfriend. some are a little flea-ridden but don't worry about that. i have had unusual luck in Germany. so put on some old spice and go....you may even come home with money still in your pocket.

[scottk964]

I haven't seen it discussed here yet, so I'll bring it up: Deutsche Bahn, the German rail system, is going to have potentially cheap deals on trains to/from all the WC cities during the tourney. You can buy match-day round trip tickets to whatever city a match is in for either 54, 74, or 90 euros, depending on the distance. They're called "Weltmeister-Tickets". 54 for up to 200 km, 74 for 200-350 km, 90 for more than 350 km. It's only good if you have an actual match ticket though.

The website is www.db.de, but it's all in German from what I can tell. They also offer a pass for unlimited rail travel all over the country from June 7th to July 11th for 349 euros (2nd class) and 549 euros (1st class).

Or you could go for one of the passes on www.eurail.de. I'm getting the German Rail Twin Pass for me & a friend for $390. That includes 4 days of travel within a month for two people, which is all we'll need because we'll only be there for a week.

Not sure about trains running overnight, but you can type in cities, dates, and times on www.db.de in the upper right corner just like you would on an airline booking page. "Ankunft" means arrival, "Abfahrt" means departure.

Hey guess what - they do have an English version: http://www.db.de/site/bahn/en/start.html

Oh, and if any of you are in groups of up to 5 and it's a weekend and you're not in a hurry, you can get a "schönes-Wochenende" (great weekend) ticket for 28 euros that's good for all 5 of you to travel anywhere on a Saturday or Sunday.

Hope that helps...