If you're a USA supporter, this is a busy year with the world cup qualifiers and Gold Cup. I plan on attending all of the home WCQs, so here it goes for my travel plans and tips:
June 10-12 in Seattle: I've already booked my inbound flight. I arrive late into Seattle around 10PM, but the flight was only 12,500 miles (versus 25K miles). I'm waiting to see what kind of deal AO national has for the hotel, as downtown Seattle is quite pricey, anywhere from $250-$300/night. I've looked endlessly for a 3-star hotel downtown under $130/night; for once I'm not having any luck. I do have my eye on a Best Western though, which is a 10-minute walk from the stadium, since I've earned a free night voucher (should arrive in a few weeks). Thankfully I did have enough points for a rental car. Hertz's price for an intermediate car right now is $127/day, which seems outrageous to me. Some have advocated use of public transportation, but as of now, I'll keep the rental car reservation, as I can always reconsider and cancel later. The problem is that if the AO bar is going to be used (still to be determined, per AO Seattle president), a bus from the stadium/downtown will take 45min per Google maps (no train/subway available). I'm also not sure how late buses run at night. As for my outbound flight, I have to wait on work.
June 17-19 in Salt Lake City: I've already booked my inbound flight. Again, I'm arriving a bit late (around 8:30PM), but the flight was 12,500 miles (have to wait for work regarding outbound flight). I am working on my own room block, as I am impatient and don't want to 100% rely on AO national. I always like to have a contingency plan if possible for hotels. I am awaiting the hotel's response, but it will be for 10 rooms at the Hampton Inn downtown (about 5 blocks from the AO bar), $119/night for either a king bed room or 2 double beds, free parking/breakfast/wifi. We are under no obligation to fill all 10 rooms, no deposit is required, people can pay individually, and we can cancel 24 hours prior to arrival. This room block is being set up via my work travel agency who also can arrange leisure travel. I will notify friends when the room block is ready. I just emailed the hotel Friday night, so I expect I won't know anything until Monday at the earliest. It should be noted there is another convention during these dates called Young Living with ~5K attendees, causing hotel prices to skyrocket. David may drive, so I have not booked a rental car, although I have enough points to do so.
Sep 9-11 in Columbus: I can't believe that a round trip plane ticket on United from Houston to Columbus was over $1,100! Thank GOD for miles (25,000 round trip)! Within 30 minutes of when the USA vs Mexico game was announced during the hex draw, I booked the Holiday Inn downtown. I am currently awaiting a link for them to provide so that others can book as well; I'll have a 10-room block for 1 king or 2 double bed rooms for $109/night. I should note during the hex draw, there were at least three sold-out hotels that I encountered; since then, other hotels, such as the Residence Inn by Marriott, have limited rooms, e.g. only a queen bed room. I've booked a free car rental. I should note for car rentals, even though base price is free (whatever the rate is per day), you still have to pay airport taxes and surcharges (unlike free hotel rooms). In this case, the estimated total cost of taxes is $20.
Oct 11-12 in KC: I am waiting for Friday's Philly to Houston flight to register into my account, and then I'll have enough miles (10K) to buy a plane ticket from MCI to Houston. I should note even when you buy a plane ticket, there is a fee of $2.50 or $5, depending on the flight, but that's definitely not a bad price! I will have to await work for my inbound flight, but it'll be a busy time of year, so most likely I will only be able to fly in on game day. I will wait and see about a rental car, as it's possible I will A) get one for free B) not need one at all if friends are driving or C) get work to pay if the cost of the inbound flight + rental car is cheaper than flying me home. I've booked a free room at the Four Points by Sheraton near the airport, as I prefer to be closer to where I need to be in the mornings. Four Points hotels are really not that great and the lowest on the totem pole of Starwood hotels (Westin, Sheraton, etc), but it's a free room.
That's all I have for now for the WCQs. At this time I have no plans to attend any USMNT friendlies. Stay tuned for Gold Cup plans!
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