In less than five months time, the much anticipated Brazil 2014 World Cup will kick off. 32 nations will face off in 12 host cities (assuming Curitiba makes it).
Not since USA 94 has the World Cup taken place in the Americas and not since then has the tournament been spread so far and wide. Unlike then, this time groups games will take place thousands of miles apart making travelling between games a logistical challenge and expensive too.
All football fans, whether cheering on England or taking in some of the great other games on offer, can survive this World Cup without it costing the earth. As this handy world cup travel guide proves, there are many tips and tricks to be employed to keep costs down. You need to know where you are going, when, where to stay and how best to plan your journey.
This guide contains information on travelling to Brazil, saving costs while there and most importantly, individual guides to each of the 12 host cities, so you can tailor each leg of the journey. All we need now is a miracle from England.
32 nations, 8 groups, 31 days, 64 matches, 12 host cities, 1 Trophy.
The numbers involved are staggering, and without proper planning the same could be true for your spending.
Here's our help for planning World Cup trips to Brazil in 2014. BRAZIL WORLD CUP DATES
The 2014 World Cup finals will take place between 12th June 2014 and 13th July 2014, and like all World Cups before it will be split into stages and held across the country.
All eight previous World Cup winners will be there, but for how long?
Stay for the whole tournament and you'll spend 31 days minimum on the other side of the world. Stay for just the group stages (listen up England fans) and your trip could be over by 24th June.
This means its important to work out your budget and plan your trip so that you can fit in the maximum football for the minimum cost. GETTING TO BRAZIL 2014
Have we mentioned that Brazil is, er, quite large? Wherever you end up, you're likely to fly into either Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro first. Look up flights to both and check which gives the best saving, then add on the cost of getting to your destination city to compare the total price.
Of course, this means staying in Sao Paulo or Rio may prove cheapest in terms of flying; but they're also likely to receive the most visitors hence more expensive hotels and more competition for match tickets.
You don't normally need a visa to visit Brazil, but still check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website for entry requirements (particularly if you're a single parent or guardian travelling with a child).
It's always worth checking if you can get cheaper flights by travelling direct to your chosen host city via another country, rather than flying into Sao Paulo or Rio then changing internally.
Compare flights and find out if you can save by flying in direct from Lisbon, Miami, Madrid, Frankfurt or Amsterdam. SELF-BOOK OR PACKAGE TOURS?
Thomas Cook offers international + internal flight packages from £2,199, but you won't necessarily get tickets. Instead you'll have to apply for match tickets off your own bat in the FIFA ballot.
