CFI Blog

How Much Would You Have to Budget to Go to the Women’s World Cup in 2015?

“To watch people push themselves further than they think they can, it’s a beautiful thing. It’s really human.”
– Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach

My wife and I are going to go to the Womens World Cup in Canada in June. Specifically, we’re going to go see the U.S. play Nigeria in Vancouver. Even though we are in the American Outlaws supporters group, we are not going to be sitting in their cheering section because we are going with some people who are not quite as rabid and energetic as we are about supporting the team. We are tying the trip together with a stay in Seattle since my wife has never been to Seattle either.

In my previous evaluations of World Cup trips, I’ve assumed that someone has gone the whole hog and seen all three group-stage games. This time, I’m going to show you our budget for our trip and then compare it to a package trip. By the way, if you want to purchase American Outlaws supporter section tickets, they are $64 for a half pass, and you must be a member to get these tickets, as they are behind a login, and you receive the username and password once you become an Outlaw.

Women’s World Cup in 2015

First, let’s look at a group package. I chose the first company that game up on my Google search.

Their price for a 2 night package in Vancouver for two people in a standard hotel double room is $770, or $385 per person. This does not include a flight to Vancouver, nor does it include lunch or dinner. It does include:

  • 2 Night Accommodations
  • Daily Breakfast
  • 2 Day Transportation Pass
  • USA Welcome Drinks
  • Match Transfer
  • Taxes & Surcharges
  • Onsite Travel Staff
  • 2 day Transportation Pass
  • Match Transfers

Given that 2 meals a day are not included, I’ll assume that you’re eating one meal in an inexpensive restaurant and one meal in a mid-range restaurant.

Therefore, going from DFW to Vancouver in a package should cost roughly $1,440. Given that there are 5 months until the big event, you’ll need to set aside about $288 per month between now and June 2015 to pay cash for a package World Cup adventure.

Number Cost per Total Source
Round trip flight from DFW – VAN 1 $630.00 $630.00 Source
Travel package 1 $385.00 $385.00 Source
Lunch in Vancouver 2 $10.21 $20.42 Source
Dinner in Vancouver 2 $52.05 $104.10 Source
Souvenir spending 1 $300.00 $300.00  
    Total $1,439.52  
    Per month to save $287.90

What if you did the trip without a package? Would it cost you more or less?

According to our costs and estimates I made for some transport, a do-it-yourself trip would cost about $1,757, meaning you’d need to save up $351.31 per month. Note: we’re staying in a pretty nice hotel. You could probably break even or do a little better if you got a less expensive hotel and took public transportation.

Number Cost per Total Source
Round trip flight from DFW – VANCOUVER 1 $630.00 $630.00 Source
World Cup tickets 1 $50.00 $50.00
Breakfast in Vancouver 2 $10.21 $20.42 Source
Lunch in Vancouver 2 $10.21 $20.42 Source
Dinner in Vancouver 2 $52.05 $104.10 Source
Hotel in Vancouver 2 $225.80 $451.60 Source: Our own purchase
Taxis, airport transport 6 $30.00 $180.00  
Souvenir spending 1 $300.00 $300.00  
    Total $1,756.54  
    Per month to save $351.31

Naturally, your results may vary, and it’s wise to budget an extra five hundred dollars for either trip just in case you want to go out on the town or do sightseeing, but based on my travel experiences, these seem like reasonable per-person expenses. If you travel with someone else and you’re in DIY mode, you could always split a room, reducing those costs (my estimate is approximately $225 per person).

Are you thinking about going to the World Cup in Canada? How much are you budgeting to spend?

Author Profile

John Davis
John Davis is a nationally recognized expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and identity theft. He has written four books about his expertise in the field and has been featured extensively in numerous media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, CNBC, Fox Business, and many more. With over 20 years of experience helping consumers understand their credit and identity protection rights, John is passionate about empowering people to take control of their finances. He works with financial institutions to develop consumer-friendly policies that promote financial literacy and responsible borrowing habits.

Leave a Comment