It’s not too late to get to the World Cup — but it’s getting harder and harder, not to mention more expensive the longer you wait. The 2014 FIFA World Cup will bring thousands of people to Brazil this year between June 12 and July 13, and finding the best flights and hotel deals won’t be easy. Here are a few tips on how to get what you need for your Brazil trip:
• Act NOW. The longer you wait, the less chance you’ll find flights and hotels.
• Expect to pay a lot for the matches. If you haven’t already bought tickets for the matches themselves, you’ll likely have to pay an awful lot to get them now. FIFA has an Official Hospitality Programme that include either basic access or private suites — but expect to pay as much as several thousand dollars.
• Check the game schedule. The final schedule for matches have already been published by FIFA. See which matches are of most interest, and keep in mind that if you can’t make it to your first choice, you might be able to attend a match in another destination or on another date.
• Check out the official FIFA World Cup Accommodation Site. FIFA’s official hotel site lists prices and availability for hotels that partner with FIFA.
• Compare with other booking sites. Don’t accept the first price you see. Right here on LatinFlyer.com, you can compare more than a dozen different top booking sites — including Expedia and Orbitz — to find the best flights and hotel fares. Enter your preferred departure and arrival cities and travel dates on the upper right of this page (where it says “Save Big on Your Trip”) and you’ll be able to compare multiple sites with just one click.
• Be flexible. The more flexibility you have in terms of travel times and destinations, the more options and better prices you’ll find. Also, consider changing planes en route, or even arriving at an alternate airport, to increase the options for your trip (for example, rather than flying nonstop from Miami to Rio de Janeiro‘s international airport, you could book a nonstop flight instead to Sao Paulo and connect to a short flight to Rio’s domestic airport, which is less congested and is closer to most hotels). Remember that Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia will likely have some of the best connectivity, and they can also serve as connecting points for other destinations.
MORE BRAZIL TRAVEL TIPS:
• VIDEO: Top 5 Reasons to Visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Rio Style: 5 Cool Places to Shop in Rio de Janeiro
• Maracana Stadium: Big Changes in Rio’s Stadium for the World Cup