World Cup travel tips go online

Cut-price tips and advice to football fans booking hotels and flights to the World Cup in Germany this summer are being made available by online travel firm ShermansTravel.co.uk.

The company warns that flights and accommodation is proving more expensive and difficult to find with more than a million supporters expected travel to Germany during the tournament which runs from June 9 to the final on July 8.

As a result, the London-based travel website is urging travellers to be more creative in their travel preparations.

Website editor Dale Lovell said: “Instead of paying highly inflated prices for hotels and flights to the World Cup, we suggest that fans book low-cost flights to countries such as Holland, Denmark or Austria and then make their way to Germany from there.

“It may take a bit longer, but the savings, even when you add the cost of a train ticket, are substantial.”

Over 100,000 England fans are expected to travel for the World Cup to support the team which plays its group stage games in Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Cologne.

But ShermansTravel warns that hotels throughout Germany are hiking up prices considerably, despite earlier promises of reasonable hotel rates.

Hotels in major cities, especially those where England are playing, are already fully booked, charging anything up to four times the going rate.

Recent research by Reuters found that staying at one of the Munich’s top hotels would cost 1,294 euros (£886) per night over the weekend from June 9. The same double room costs just 167 euros next month. The news agency also found that a four-star establishment is charging an overnight rate of 281 euros compared with 59 euros for the room in mid-February or mid-August.

“We have found a website called Host-a-fan.de that puts would-be German hosts in touch with those needing accommodation for the World Cup. Prices start from just 15 euros a night, and you can even post specific accommodation requests,” said Lovell.

Usually cheap flights to Germany from the UK are considerably more expensive than normal for the World Cup period. A flight from Stansted to Frankfurt with Ryanair in time for England’s opening game against Paraguay on June 10 costs from £119, one way, excluding taxes, but in February the same flight starts from just 1p, excluding tax, according to the website.

ShermansTravel points out that an Interrail travel pass valid for 16 days starts at £165, and covers Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, offering flexible travel between games.

“There are low cost flights to Denmark and Austria in June from just £10 each way,” said Lovell. “This offers a significant saving, plus a more flexible travel option, than paying out £300-plus on return flights to German cities such as Frankfurt.”

“No one likes being ripped-off when they travel abroad and we advise England fans to plan properly and do some research before they book anything – that way fans will be able to go and support England without becoming bankrupt in the process.”

Report by Phil Davies 

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