Sorry it didn't work out.
I realized a couple of weeks ago that the cost of this trip would be beyond my means. It's really as simple as that. I have given up my dream to visit every host country during each world cup and will instead venture into some lame goal like becoming a millionaire or raising kids.
Hopefully you didn't spend too much time planning for this trip. If so, realize that there are and will be plenty of opportunities to travel throughout your lifetime. South Africa 2010 will just not be one of them. Someone said that genius is knowing when to give up. Although that person may not have succeeded at anything. Don't live by that mantra.
It's been swell.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
This Trip Ain't Cheap - and it's Getting Less Cheap by the Minute
“So that three thousand dollars – that’s for one week only?” The fear in Brad’s eyes when he asked me this was palpable. I had to find a way to answer him without saying – correctly – that he’s correct. A political answer, if you will. So I spun it the way I spin every uneasy answer I have to give clients at work: by not actually giving the hard truth, but instead offering a redirected, hopeful response, such as: “I’m still working on it – I should be able to find our way into a better solution.”
Let me retract that response by saying that this trip will cost serious dough. Not that fake monopoly money – this will require a substantial investment somewhere in the realm of $3K-$4.5K total, depending on how well we research our options and how timely we are in securing a good deal. In short, the less we look and the longer it takes us to secure a deposit with a travel agency, the more we will pay for this trip. This is, of course, not news to anyone who has ever taken a trip. But I figure if I write it down in plain English, it will help me convince myself that I have to take action soon or we will be mortgaging our way to South Africa.
In that effort, on the right side of the page I will continue to post the rates of various packages, including a link to the package’s details, so that we can constantly compare prices in the hopes of finding the most cost effective deal. If you come across any information related to packaged deals to South Africa that you feel we should investigate further, please post it here and I’ll look into it further.
Let me retract that response by saying that this trip will cost serious dough. Not that fake monopoly money – this will require a substantial investment somewhere in the realm of $3K-$4.5K total, depending on how well we research our options and how timely we are in securing a good deal. In short, the less we look and the longer it takes us to secure a deposit with a travel agency, the more we will pay for this trip. This is, of course, not news to anyone who has ever taken a trip. But I figure if I write it down in plain English, it will help me convince myself that I have to take action soon or we will be mortgaging our way to South Africa.
In that effort, on the right side of the page I will continue to post the rates of various packages, including a link to the package’s details, so that we can constantly compare prices in the hopes of finding the most cost effective deal. If you come across any information related to packaged deals to South Africa that you feel we should investigate further, please post it here and I’ll look into it further.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Airfare and Hotels to Cost Money?
It’s crunch time in trip planning and I ducked the responsibility like only I know how to do…meanwhile Michelle’s actively searching for packages and fairs. I feel really bad about that. Maybe it will be the impetus needed to ensure this isn’t a pattern of behavior.
Anyway, one deal Michelle received information on was from Great Atlantic Travel and Tour:
Round trip air from New York or Atlanta – Johannesburg, Seven nights’ accommodations at Premiere Classe Hotel Melrose Arch area of Johannesburg, Category 3 ticket to Team USA first group match, fully supervised and escorted throughout by Great Atlantic Travel and South African staff, . OPTIONS: ground transfers, Domestic Airfare in South Africa, , Hospitality and Sightseeing Additional Matches & optional add-ons will be available after the draw on December 4th, 2009. Please review the travel policies for additional information. Limited offer capacity controlled.
Package Including (prices per person)
One Bedroom Suite: Double $3895
Two Bedroom: Quad $3295
Not too bad, until you realize that it’s only for 7 days. Oh, and that it assumes we are flying out of New York. Yeah…not exactly the cheapest trip out there, but fear not, my fellow stingy travelers. There may be ways for us to save money including purchasing airfare on our own, staying at hostels or staying with friends. Stay tuned for next post, likely titled, "I can't believe we're going to spend this much on a trip"...
Anyway, one deal Michelle received information on was from Great Atlantic Travel and Tour:
Round trip air from New York or Atlanta – Johannesburg, Seven nights’ accommodations at Premiere Classe Hotel Melrose Arch area of Johannesburg, Category 3 ticket to Team USA first group match, fully supervised and escorted throughout by Great Atlantic Travel and South African staff, . OPTIONS: ground transfers, Domestic Airfare in South Africa, , Hospitality and Sightseeing Additional Matches & optional add-ons will be available after the draw on December 4th, 2009. Please review the travel policies for additional information. Limited offer capacity controlled.
Package Including (prices per person)
One Bedroom Suite: Double $3895
Two Bedroom: Quad $3295
Not too bad, until you realize that it’s only for 7 days. Oh, and that it assumes we are flying out of New York. Yeah…not exactly the cheapest trip out there, but fear not, my fellow stingy travelers. There may be ways for us to save money including purchasing airfare on our own, staying at hostels or staying with friends. Stay tuned for next post, likely titled, "I can't believe we're going to spend this much on a trip"...
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Bring Your Money Belts
It turns out South Africa can host a soccer tournament without any major problems. The Fifa Confederations Cup came to a close with the US (!) nearly knocking off now #1 ranked Brazil but eventually falling 3-2, and it turns out South Africa as a host was for the most part no different than other host countries of the past. In fact, it turns out much of the stigmatism of a violent and lawless nation turns out to lack a solid basis.
Many South Africa World Cup boosters are getting fed up with the negative publicity the nation is receiving from Western newspapers about violence and racism. Much was made of the mugging of a small group of Australian rugby fans during the recently ended Cup, although the same attention was not paid when South Africans were mugged in Berlin during the 2006 World Cup. I think I speak for Nick and Brad when I say that there was very little that was threatening about Berlin – with the exception of that crazy man-child who threw full 2liters of cola into full crowds, nearly missing an infant – so to hear of a mugging in that tranquil city was eye-opening.
I can only hope that I will be eye-opened the same way when I read about a mugging that happens in South Africa in 2010. I would hope that I think to myself, “My word, I couldn’t imagine something like this happening in South Africa, of all places!” Then my monocle slips from my eye and into my glass. God, I want a monocle.
It might help everyone to feel safer in a country that until 1994 kept blacks separate from whites (accompanied by fewer rights and representation) if we try to put things into perspective. I was robbed in Barcelona and I don’t think of that city as a cesspool of crime. We all live in cities where crimes are committed all the time, yet we get up and go to work (grudgingly) and walk around our blocks with piece of mind. We should not pass judgment on a location until we’ve experienced it for ourselves. With our money belts safely tucked in our pants, of course.
Many South Africa World Cup boosters are getting fed up with the negative publicity the nation is receiving from Western newspapers about violence and racism. Much was made of the mugging of a small group of Australian rugby fans during the recently ended Cup, although the same attention was not paid when South Africans were mugged in Berlin during the 2006 World Cup. I think I speak for Nick and Brad when I say that there was very little that was threatening about Berlin – with the exception of that crazy man-child who threw full 2liters of cola into full crowds, nearly missing an infant – so to hear of a mugging in that tranquil city was eye-opening.
I can only hope that I will be eye-opened the same way when I read about a mugging that happens in South Africa in 2010. I would hope that I think to myself, “My word, I couldn’t imagine something like this happening in South Africa, of all places!” Then my monocle slips from my eye and into my glass. God, I want a monocle.
It might help everyone to feel safer in a country that until 1994 kept blacks separate from whites (accompanied by fewer rights and representation) if we try to put things into perspective. I was robbed in Barcelona and I don’t think of that city as a cesspool of crime. We all live in cities where crimes are committed all the time, yet we get up and go to work (grudgingly) and walk around our blocks with piece of mind. We should not pass judgment on a location until we’ve experienced it for ourselves. With our money belts safely tucked in our pants, of course.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Application Denied!
Bad news sports fans. Michael Jackson has passed AND we were denied tickets for the match we requested:
Further to your application for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Tickets. We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ second sales phase commenced on 4th May 2009 and concludes on 16th November 2009. If you wish to re-apply during the second sales phase, please visit FIFA.com via the link provided within this communication and submit a new application for tickets. Applications during the second sales phase will be processed, subject to availability, on a first-come-first-served basis (in the order of receipt).
For your information alternative Ticket products are also available in Official Hospitality Packages from MATCH Hospitality and Authorised Travel Packages sold for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ by Participating Tour Operators. Please refer to FIFA.com.
Two things here stand out that we should keep in mind as we continue in our quixotic quest for World Cup Tickets:
(1) At no point in this ‘apology’ from Fifa is there an explanation why we were denied. I fail to see the point in re-applying for tickets through Fifa.com if for all we know it is hopeless. Reapplying via Fifa.com would be like – as is now well recited – insane: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Therefore, it is my estimation that we explore other avenues, which brings me to the second salient item from the apology:
(2) Ticket ‘products’ are available through “MATCH Hospitality” and “Authorised Travel Packages”. This would indicate there is still hope. Additionally, a travel package may mean a better deal overall for our group. No promises, of course, but this is something that should at least be explored. I shall follow up with an update on this option soon…
Further to your application for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Tickets. We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ second sales phase commenced on 4th May 2009 and concludes on 16th November 2009. If you wish to re-apply during the second sales phase, please visit FIFA.com via the link provided within this communication and submit a new application for tickets. Applications during the second sales phase will be processed, subject to availability, on a first-come-first-served basis (in the order of receipt).
For your information alternative Ticket products are also available in Official Hospitality Packages from MATCH Hospitality and Authorised Travel Packages sold for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ by Participating Tour Operators. Please refer to FIFA.com.
Two things here stand out that we should keep in mind as we continue in our quixotic quest for World Cup Tickets:
(1) At no point in this ‘apology’ from Fifa is there an explanation why we were denied. I fail to see the point in re-applying for tickets through Fifa.com if for all we know it is hopeless. Reapplying via Fifa.com would be like – as is now well recited – insane: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Therefore, it is my estimation that we explore other avenues, which brings me to the second salient item from the apology:
(2) Ticket ‘products’ are available through “MATCH Hospitality” and “Authorised Travel Packages”. This would indicate there is still hope. Additionally, a travel package may mean a better deal overall for our group. No promises, of course, but this is something that should at least be explored. I shall follow up with an update on this option soon…
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Match 23 Applied For! (halfway, at least)
What takes mere mortals minutes to accomplish, it has taken me months to get around to submitting an application for World Cup Tickets. I think a tear ran down my cheeck as I clicked 'submit' at the bottom of that intrusive form.
You see, it wasn't always meant to happen that I should fall so pathetically behind schedule in completing an application process, it just kind of took a back seat to our more timely vacation, the one in Costa Rica in less than a month. As all trained Account Managers well know (Sean can back me up on this), bypassing the most pressing task at hand for something that can be done weeks or months later is not only unwise, it's unethical. Therefore all South Africa planning has sputtered along like a North Korean missile.
No more. This ticket application will be only the jolt I need to get back into the swing of things. Although I should also probably note that I've only applied for Sean, Eric and Michelle, meaning I will have to apply for Nick, Brad, Ryan (?) and myself as soon as I have Brad's and Ryan's passport numbers. Anyway, half of step 1 is done, and it feels pretty damn good.
From the confirmation page at fifa.com, which will hopefully be the impetus needed to keep the planning going:
FIFA would like to remind anyone applying for tickets to bear in mind that South Africa is a long haul destination for most of the teams that will qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and that you should begin planning your travel itinerary including flights, accommodation, ground transportation and attractions for your stay in South Africa as early as possible.
Dear god...
You see, it wasn't always meant to happen that I should fall so pathetically behind schedule in completing an application process, it just kind of took a back seat to our more timely vacation, the one in Costa Rica in less than a month. As all trained Account Managers well know (Sean can back me up on this), bypassing the most pressing task at hand for something that can be done weeks or months later is not only unwise, it's unethical. Therefore all South Africa planning has sputtered along like a North Korean missile.
No more. This ticket application will be only the jolt I need to get back into the swing of things. Although I should also probably note that I've only applied for Sean, Eric and Michelle, meaning I will have to apply for Nick, Brad, Ryan (?) and myself as soon as I have Brad's and Ryan's passport numbers. Anyway, half of step 1 is done, and it feels pretty damn good.
From the confirmation page at fifa.com, which will hopefully be the impetus needed to keep the planning going:
FIFA would like to remind anyone applying for tickets to bear in mind that South Africa is a long haul destination for most of the teams that will qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and that you should begin planning your travel itinerary including flights, accommodation, ground transportation and attractions for your stay in South Africa as early as possible.
Dear god...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Rye Frye too?
Huge announcement...no, not that Fleetwood Mac is playing at Summerfest. Ready for this? Oh wait, you read the title. Shit. Um. Ok, Rye Frye, Ryan...uh, last name? Um, something Polish, I think. A really good guy.
We are now not only stocked with brains but now have the brawn to back it up (check out the guy's guns). The whole concern about violence in South Africa is now an afterthought with the knowledge that Ryan will be with us.
We are now not only stocked with brains but now have the brawn to back it up (check out the guy's guns). The whole concern about violence in South Africa is now an afterthought with the knowledge that Ryan will be with us.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Fest Fit for a Fan
Fan fests. No, not the Danny Gokey fan fests that we all have come to adore, I’m talking about World Cup Fan Fests. Thousands of people herded into large public spaces to gawk at World Cup matches projected onto massive screens - it just doesn’t get any better. We are assured of some variation of a fan fest in Cape Town, and I’d like to take a minute to share some past fan fest experiences. If South Africa's fan fest can be even close to as fun-filled and extraordinary as Berlin's in 2006, we're in for a treat.
The setting: Berlin, 2006
We saw some great futbol matches from the tops of picnic tables, although theoretically you could watch a futbol match from a picnic table at Estabrook part (I wouldn't recommend it - the bird poop is messier than it looks). What set the Berlin fan fest apart from any other place where a sport can be observed was the German culture that seemed to be flowing through the crowds.
Part of that was the multitude of German flags waving during Germany's victory
over Sweden (still eirie, 70 years after the Holocaust), and part of it was the giant weiners, beers and bunny (see top image). Things that Germans are proud of come in very large sizes. A stein was about the size of a half-gallon of milk and the pretzels were larger than my forearm. Add to that the easy-going atmosphere - complete with a topless lady standing in a booth for any tourist wanting a photo, which, of course, Nick, Brad and I averted our eyes from in horror - and the fan fest turned out to be a microcosm of German culture.I can only hope that Cape Town will put their beer in large glasses and will showcase their cultural highlights so that tourists can gather just a glimpse of all that the city has to offer.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
World Cup Tickets For Sale (sort of)
Filling out an application for world cup tickets is apparently more intrusive and time consuming than ... something that's both really intrusive and time consuming. Seriously, they ask for your passport ID - along with the passport ID of the other ticket-bearers. Since I don't have all of your passport information, and would like to apply for as many tickets as possible, I will need the following from whomever wants to go to a World Cup match:
-Full name
-DOB
-Passport ID
For all I know, they may ask for more. I didn't get farther than the 'passport page' so there is the possibility that I'll be requesting your social security number or blood type. But for now, all FIFA requires are the 3 fields above. Please provide to me here or to my email, at drewsand@gmail.com.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
And ... Another Note on Airfare
Sean brought up a great point today that I think should be addressed by the group (as I told him, if I make executive decisions while everyone else blindly follows, we're all in trouble), which is whether we should book airfare as a group. Currently the group stands as follows: Drew, Michelle, Sean, Eric, Brad, Leticia, Nick and Nick's mystery woman. That would mean booking airfare for 8 - which I assume would be problematic.
When searching for airfare for the Costa Rica honeymoon (still sounds weird to me - honeymoon) I mistakenly searched for a single person. Airfare and times were extremely generous - pretty much my exact minimum standards for flight length, leave times, etc. Upon realizing the mistake, I altered the search to reflect two passengers (honeymoons, I hear, just aren't the same without the other person) and found the flight length and times were more restrictive and costs went up. I could only imagine what would happen if the search were for 8 people.
Fortunately for us, we really don't have to start worrying about this until winter or even spring 2010. At that time we'll start tracking prices in an attempt to find the right time to buy. If you're insane and are worried that the economy will start picking up, meaning prices will follow, take solace in the fact that most economists would agree that the economy will only continue to plummet through the 3rd quarter of 2010. On top of that, deflation really hasn't set in and may make an uptick soon, meaning we may see the best possible prices right about when we should be searching anyway.
The basis of this Times article may be somewhat of a harbinger for next year's airfare searching: are today's low prices as good as it gets or will they be even lower next month? Not a bad environment for travelers - a nightmare for policymakers.
When searching for airfare for the Costa Rica honeymoon (still sounds weird to me - honeymoon) I mistakenly searched for a single person. Airfare and times were extremely generous - pretty much my exact minimum standards for flight length, leave times, etc. Upon realizing the mistake, I altered the search to reflect two passengers (honeymoons, I hear, just aren't the same without the other person) and found the flight length and times were more restrictive and costs went up. I could only imagine what would happen if the search were for 8 people.
Fortunately for us, we really don't have to start worrying about this until winter or even spring 2010. At that time we'll start tracking prices in an attempt to find the right time to buy. If you're insane and are worried that the economy will start picking up, meaning prices will follow, take solace in the fact that most economists would agree that the economy will only continue to plummet through the 3rd quarter of 2010. On top of that, deflation really hasn't set in and may make an uptick soon, meaning we may see the best possible prices right about when we should be searching anyway.
The basis of this Times article may be somewhat of a harbinger for next year's airfare searching: are today's low prices as good as it gets or will they be even lower next month? Not a bad environment for travelers - a nightmare for policymakers.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Note on Airfare
So apparently you have to actually post if you want people to read your blog. That is just crazy. Anyway, I figured I should mention something about the costliest item entailed in the trip – the airfare. Unfortunately Ed was unable to persuade the Germans to allow us to use the corporate jet, so we’ll be flying commercial. (ok Ed didn’t really try to persuade the Germans, but c’mon, they’re German.) I could write a book on how much I hate flying – or more accurately, airports and layovers – but I’ll spare everyone the diatribe. Plus Michelle says I complain too much. This will just be an update on airfare pricing in general and how we can work as a team to find the best deals out there.
Just an FYI – we’re not going through a travel agent for the trip. While they can be extremely helpful – as my successful courting of Michelle in Ireland can attest to – they do add overhead costs to any trip. Luckily there are websites that act as partial substitutes for a travel agent (plus you don’t have to interact with humans!) and I’ve listed below a few sites that I highly recommend as we all (yes, even you, Brad) conduct research in the hopes of finding the best possible deals.
www.kayak.com - this site compares airfare from a variety of other travel sites, such as Orbitz, Expedia, etc and shows you who offers the best deal. Once you’ve made your selection it forwards you to that site. I used this for booking airfare to Costa Rica – a great resource.
www.farecompare.com - this site (see image) allows you to compare the rates from a variety of dates. Since we don’t have our dates set in stone, I’m thinking this will come in handy. Don’t bother trying it yet – it only shows through April 2010.
Just an FYI – we’re not going through a travel agent for the trip. While they can be extremely helpful – as my successful courting of Michelle in Ireland can attest to – they do add overhead costs to any trip. Luckily there are websites that act as partial substitutes for a travel agent (plus you don’t have to interact with humans!) and I’ve listed below a few sites that I highly recommend as we all (yes, even you, Brad) conduct research in the hopes of finding the best possible deals.
www.kayak.com - this site compares airfare from a variety of other travel sites, such as Orbitz, Expedia, etc and shows you who offers the best deal. Once you’ve made your selection it forwards you to that site. I used this for booking airfare to Costa Rica – a great resource.
www.farecompare.com - this site (see image) allows you to compare the rates from a variety of dates. Since we don’t have our dates set in stone, I’m thinking this will come in handy. Don’t bother trying it yet – it only shows through April 2010.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
South Africa Blog Created!
I have decided to create a blog for the World Cup trip. The title is uninspired, to say the least, but as a ethical journalist I have an inherent obligation to ensure that the headline honestly represents the content below. None of that yellow journalism here. If you are looking for that, please refer to the Drudge Report. Hi-yo!
This post is intended to notify everyone that there is now a blog where hopefully everyone can contribute (to do this I believe you will have to setup an account with blogspot, which is harmless and really easy) with anything interesting they find on South Africa. Here is the place where I hope to share my thoughts on airfare pricing, travel itinerary, monkey spottings (see image, courtesy of Sean), and any other pertinent information related to our trip.
I hope to post every a few times a week, so if you're getting sick of Facebook "news" (classic examples include: "John feels like hitting himself" & "Mary has joined the Alan Colmes fan club") and are looking for another site to completely waste your time, stop by and post.
Beware of the baboon - he enjoys peanut butter and jam.
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