Brazil 2014 - Anyone planning to go?

[Alf Bentley]

I need these little dreams to get through life's drab periods...

Brazil 2014: I hope to be there. Anyone else considering it?

I went to Germany 2006 and it was one of the best weeks of my life. Near constant heatwave conditions helped, but it would've been memorable even without that. Managed to get to 4 matches (not England games), visited my St-Pauli mate in Hamburg and camped outside Dortmund and in Leipzig, toured around a bit but spent most of the rest of my time in fan parks watching other games on big screens, socialising with every nationality under the sun and swilling a certain amount of beer. Wonderful!

I fancy 2 weeks in Brazil for the World Cup. Of course, a lot might get in the way: money, health, parental health etc, but I'm feeling pretty determined - just need to keep saving (a few hundred set by, but that will need to become at least £2000-£3000, I imagine).

Not particularly bothered about England tickets, assuming they qualify (though it would be nice). Would be good to at least have tickets to a couple of matches, whoever is playing, but I imagine this is going to be a superb event - and a great opportunity to see the country, too.

- One of the most varied and exciting countries in the world

- A country that is fanatical about football

- A country that knows how to party

- Many countries well-represented with fans

- A country apparently filled with beautiful women (and ample supply of handsome young men of either orientation, depending on preference)

- A country on the rise that will surely be pulling out all the stops to make this a big success

(A few risks, too, but hopefully avoidable with a bit of advance research, common sense & luck)

If anyone has experience of travelling in Brazil, please post your experiences. It sounds as if long-distance coaches are probably the best internal travel option over short/medium distances, though I assume an internal flight might be required to get to Manaus or rapidly North-South or vice-versa.

I'm hoping that the fan camps & fan parks will still be a feature, as they were a great success in Germany.

Got to do it!

[Bayfox]

I really want to follow england abroad at some point, but kids and finances at the minute just don't go.

Me and a few lads had a conversation at the time of the last world cup and he suggested we all put £20 a month away for 4 years, when I pointed out that it would only add up £960 over a full 4 years it never got off the ground, not sure that sort of money would get us there, let alone hotels or match tickets.

I think you are talking £4k easy, unless you plan to stay in one place and just take in those games. Brazil is a big old place getting around won't be cheap.

I am secretly hoping that FIFA one day give a WC to the Caribbean, love that part of the world, can take the wife and leave her on the beach all day whilst I go to games and island hopping over there is so simple.

[MC Prussian]

It all depends on whether my country (Switzerland) can qualify for the tournament.

Things look pretty good at the moment, with 40% of all qualification games played in our group and us sitting in first position.

I'd love to visit Brazil myself. Should also be a bit more enjoyable, with it being winter there in June/July (well, "winter" meaning temperatures around the 30 degrees centigrade mark ).

Recife, for instance, must be quality (looking at the pictures from the old town) and Porto Alegre is also on the must-visit list, should I make it there.

Not so keen on Rio and Sao Paolo (with crime and violence issues still looming above both cities), but I do hope police and the government can sort things out to some extent until 2014.

[Guest BlueBrett]

Been planning to go ever since it was announced they had it. Once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm hoping to save on accommodation by staying with a girl I know in Rio. Like Sir Alf said, its probably unrealistic to expect to see much football given the vastness of the country, the cost and the high demand but I think just being there will be unforgettable.

[ACF]

Definitely going, reckon I've got half of it saved up already. Will be wanting England tickets though, and being in Australia don't really want to buy packages from London including tickets.

[leicesterlad1989]

Having travelled to the Ukraine in the summer for the Euros, I am 100% committed to getting to Brazil for the World Cup. (Not quite sure the England team are as committed as I am ha!)

The expense is off-putting however but I will give it my best shot to get there. In the Ukraine it was so cheap, and even tho we still had to get a 7hr train, this will be nothing compared

to the cost and travel for Brazil, especially if i want to see all the England games as I did at the Euros.

We travelled out to the Ukraine with 7-8 lads and many had never been to any England game, let alone travelled abroad. They all certainly have the "buzz" for it now! It is one of the best

experiences of my life and would love to see Brazil.

[AKCJ]

Anyone who has gone to tournames, what prices am I going to be looking at should I want to go?

I'd like to go, not necessarily to support England as I think the state of the team is dire, but to experience it.

[foxesfan1989]

France 2016 seems like a more reasonable aim for me

Anyone who has gone to tournames, what prices am I going to be looking at should I want to go?

I'd like to go, not necessarily to support England as I think the state of the team is dire, but to experience it.

That's loyalty right there

[leicesterlad1989]

Anyone who has gone to tournames, what prices am I going to be looking at should I want to go?

I'd like to go, not necessarily to support England as I think the state of the team is dire, but to experience it.

Hard to say as each tournament is at a different location, with different economies. All in all for 3 weeks at the euros I think it worked out at just over £2000 for the whole trip.

This included match tickets, travel and beer but that was because the Ukraine is so cheap.

[Captain...]

Looking at going with some mates, went to Poland this summer, we bought tickets before the draw was made so ended up in Gdansk and watched Spain play, will probably do the same for Brazil, get some tickets pr draw probably looking at the coastal cities, just get some tickets for some of the cities closeish to each other.

Then make plans after that, Poland wasn't as cheap as normal, but it still wasn't ridiculously expensive, I imagine Brazil will be reasonably priced,

I have never been, but have been around South America, it is not the safest country in the world, I'm sure that it will be like in South Africa where they make a real effort to protect the safety of the travelling fans, but I would still take basic precautions at all times.

[DB11]

I went to Brazil before, in Rio. Went to watch a game at the Maracana football stadium between Flamengo and Santos. Was pretty good experience. Stopped in a Sheraton hotel overlooking Copacabana / Ipanema and Leblon beaches. Went to the statue of Christ and up Sugarloaf mountain.

Was decent.

Went to America in summer to referee and there was a Brazilian referee there, he said that now in Rio it is far too dangerous to go further than two streets back from the outskirts of town.

[Tom17LCFC]

France 2016 seems like a more reasonable aim for me

Yeah me and my mate are looking at this as well. If we qualify it should be a right laugh, crawling with England and hopefully cheap.

Would love to do Brazil but would have no chance of affording it.

[Daggers]

Go to Brasil? Absolutely.

During the WC? Not a fvcking hope.

[Alexikokopops]

I hope to be travelling around South America around the time so I might try and pop in

[anotherharboroughfox]

I am secretly hoping that FIFA one day give a WC to the Caribbean, love that part of the world, can take the wife and leave her on the beach all day whilst I go to games and island hopping over there is so simple.

West Indies 2026 would be amazing!

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Yeah will be aiming to go, went South Africa and it was one of the best 3 weeks of my life. went with a tour group who sorted our tickets and transport to and from the Aussie games which took the hassle out of it with 7 of us going. Having the run of the a test cricket venue was quality as well.

Here is some videos

[Alf Bentley]

Michael Palin starts his series about Brazil tonight (9pm on BBC, I think)...should fuel a bit more constructive dreaming.

I wonder how it will work with flights to Brazil at the time of the World Cup, and prices for them? Does anyone who went to South Africa know how it was in 2010? Whether there'll be a significant rise in the prices of flights and/or a rise in the number of scheduled flights? I'm sure there'll be some extra package flights, but probably wouldn't be interested in those.

If flights are likely to be extra expensive or booked up, it might be worth considering booking flights several months in advance (maybe even before tickets are allocated, if you're quite flexible about where you go and would consider going even without tickets, as I would)...or even flying to other nearby destinations (Asuncion? Montevideo?), though I appreciate that "nearby" is not very near, being hundreds of miles!

[Simmo86]

France more realistic

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Michael Palin starts his series about Brazil tonight (9pm on BBC, I think)...should fuel a bit more constructive dreaming.

I wonder how it will work with flights to Brazil at the time of the World Cup, and prices for them? Does anyone who went to South Africa know how it was in 2010? Whether there'll be a significant rise in the prices of flights and/or a rise in the number of scheduled flights? I'm sure there'll be some extra package flights, but probably wouldn't be interested in those.

If flights are likely to be extra expensive or booked up, it might be worth considering booking flights several months in advance (maybe even before tickets are allocated, if you're quite flexible about where you go and would consider going even without tickets, as I would)...or even flying to other nearby destinations (Asuncion? Montevideo?), though I appreciate that "nearby" is not very near, being hundreds of miles!

I can only talk about Australia to South Africa, but even booking flights as soon as they go on sale ie. 9 months before the flight. the flights about 10 or 12 days out from the cup were riddiculsly expensive and got worse counting down. So my brother and i decided to use the money we would save by booking flights before the price hike kicked in and decided to see Botswanna and Zimbabwe. I still flew in to Jo'burg as it's the main international airport in the region then spent a night there and then 9 nights travelling thru botswanna in to Zim. My other mates flew in 4 days prior to the cup starting and there flights were $900 (roughly 540 pounds) more expensive than mine. The flights from Zim to Durban weren't overly expensive a couple hundred i think.

If i'm going to Brazil i'll be doing the same booking flights early and going to Chile and Argentina prior to the cup then flying from Santiago or Buenos Aires to Brazil. May save you some coin even if you're not keen on going to see some of South America Prior to the cup to play arround with flights and looking to fly to one of the South American capitals to get to Brazil it may work out cheaper.

[Guest MattP]

Hoping too. Probably won't be possible though.

Want to tour the continent for a bit first as well and see all the North.

[Alf Bentley]

I can only talk about Australia to South Africa, but even booking flights as soon as they go on sale ie. 9 months before the flight. the flights about 10 or 12 days out from the cup were riddiculsly expensive and got worse counting down. So my brother and i decided to use the money we would save by booking flights before the price hike kicked in and decided to see Botswanna and Zimbabwe. I still flew in to Jo'burg as it's the main international airport in the region then spent a night there and then 9 nights travelling thru botswanna in to Zim. My other mates flew in 4 days prior to the cup starting and there flights were $900 (roughly 540 pounds) more expensive than mine. The flights from Zim to Durban weren't overly expensive a couple hundred i think.

If i'm going to Brazil i'll be doing the same booking flights early and going to Chile and Argentina prior to the cup then flying from Santiago or Buenos Aires to Brazil. May save you some coin even if you're not keen on going to see some of South America Prior to the cup to play arround with flights and looking to fly to one of the South American capitals to get to Brazil it may work out cheaper.

Thanks for the info, Soccerroo. That 9-month deadline will be one to look out for, if it is generally applicable - if so, it'd come into play even before the European qualifiers were over, never mind the draw for the finals. Mind you, for me a lot of the attraction is just seeing Brazil and being there when the event is going on, though I'd obviously hope to get to a game or two. So, an early flight booking sounds sensible.

I like the idea of visiting somewhere else, while I'm out there, like Argentina, as I'm probably unlikely to ever visit South America again. I went to Chile some years ago and would recommend it - astonishingly varied country and friendly people (though Colombia was my favourite place on that trip - bunch of lively, nutty extroverts; delighted to see they look like qualifying this time). My problem is that I'd struggle to justify a trip of more than 2 weeks, having a daughter who'll still only be 10 in 2014. Arriving a few days early in, say, Buenos Aires, might be workable, but I couldn't manage much more than a fortnight, even if I manage to save enough for that, which is dubious. 3 or 4 locations in a fortnight (Buenos Aires, Rio, Salvador/Recife & Manaus?) might be the maximum achievable...and even that is stretching it. Mind you, I can live pretty cheaply in terms of food & accommodation (tent city, here we come!), just the 2 major costs that push it up: internal travel within a vast country and liquid refreshment...

Would still welcome any feedback from anyone who went to South Africa from the UK, as there'd obviously be more flights than from Australia, so maybe the situation would be different. I suppose there's also the option of flying to Brazil from another European country, particularly one that hadn't qualified (Glasgow it is, then!)

[goose2010]

would love to go always fancied Brazil, its my dads 60th birthday on the date of the final as well......could be a good present i guess!