5/25/2014 Bound for the World Cup? Tips to Save You Money - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/travel/bound-for-the-world-cup-tips-to-save-you-money.html?rref=sports/soccer&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=He… 1/4

http://nyti.ms/Sfgt3T

TRAVEL

Bound for the World Cup? Tips to Save YouMoney

MAY 20, 2014

Seth Kugel

FRUGAL TRAVELER

The monthlong, 32-country soccer tournament known as the World Cup

kicks off on June 12 in Brazil. And guess where the most tickets have been

sold, outside of Brazil that is? Defying all logic, it’s the United States, the

only country in the world you have to start an article about the World Cup

by explaining what it is, when it starts and where it’s being played.

So since many of you are apparently going, and because Brazil — even

under normal circumstances — is one of the most expensive places in the

Western Hemisphere, I’ve compiled some country-specific money-saving

strategies. They come both from friends in Brazil and my many travels

around the country, which includes 11 of the 12 host cities. (You can find

links to my past stories on those cities and the areas surrounding them

here.)

Flying? Book Direct

Stating the obvious, Brazil is a big place, so fans following their own

national teams will have to fly around the country; in the first round every

side plays three games in three different cities, and no one knows where (or

if) their team will be playing after that. But familiar sites like Kayak,

Expedia and Skyscanner stumble when booking flights within Brazil,

5/25/2014 Bound for the World Cup? Tips to Save You Money - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/travel/bound-for-the-world-cup-tips-to-save-you-money.html?rref=sports/soccer&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=He… 2/4

sometimes badly. In fact, I checked all the major sites I could think of, and

not a single one listed flights for all four Brazilian airlines that serve the 12

host cities: Gol, TAM, Azul and Avianca Brazil. There’s also Passaredo,

which serves five of the cities. Your best bet is to check them all

individually and compare options.

For example, I’ve got a ticket to the United States-Ghana game in

Natal on June 16. The next day, I need to fly to São Paulo. This past

weekend, the best option on Kayak was a nonstop Gol flight for $461 — but

at 2:50 a.m. Skyscanner came up with some one-stop afternoon options on

Azul for $298. But none found the one I ended up buying from the Avianca

Brazil website, an evening nonstop for $189.

And even when flights do appear, they can be more expensive than

booking direct. Fans following the United States team will need to fly from

Manaus (where they play Portugal on June 22) to Recife (Germany, June

26). On June 24, the same one-stop itinerary on Gol cost $402 on Kayak

but $305 booked directly.

Consider Buses

Some routes will requires a flight, but for shorter legs, intercity buses

might do the trick. They are generally modern and comfortable, and pit

stops offer hearty, healthy meals — at least compared with the fast-food

courts that dominate American highways. The challenge is figuring out

how to reserve and book. You can usually find the right companies through

a web search (“Salvador Fortaleza bus”), but some sites don’t have English

versions, and foreign credit cards may not work for transactions. Also,

beware sites like BrazilByBus.com, a metasearch site that hikes up prices

significantly, at least in my tests. The surest bets are to ask for help from

hosts and hotels, or to buy at the bus station.

Pack Heavy...

Are you the kind of traveler who brags about packing light, arguing

that if you really need something, you can buy it when you arrive? Bad idea

for World Cup time. Just about everything in Brazil is extremely expensive,

from bottles of sunscreen to forgotten chargers to extra underwear. Also,

5/25/2014 Bound for the World Cup? Tips to Save You Money - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/travel/bound-for-the-world-cup-tips-to-save-you-money.html?rref=sports/soccer&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=He… 3/4

don’t bring just a couple of outfits, especially if you are visiting multiple

cities. Temperatures will vary drastically: Australia, for example, plays its

first game in Cuiabá, highs in the 90s, and its second in Porto Alegre, lows

in the 40s. São Paulo and Curitiba will also be cold, and will feel colder

since many buildings do not have heating systems. So, pack a sweater

alongside your bikini. And while you’re at it, bring some snacks, as even

food prices are outrageous these days.

The good news? Flights to and within Brazil almost always allow a

free checked bag up to 50 pounds. And don’t complain about waiting for

your bag: If you can’t handle a few extra minutes at the baggage carousel,

you probably don’t have the patience to be in Brazil at all.

...But Walk Light

I’ll leave it to others to tell you how handle muggers in Brazil’s high-

crime cities. But purely as a budgetary matter, you should realize that

whatever you walk out of your hotel with might not come back. I typically

go out in Brazil with one credit card, a wad of cash and my phone, which I

don’t use on the street. (At least, that is, since last year, when a kid on a

bicycle swiped my new iPhone 5. A friend had sunglasses stolen in a

similar manner.) A contradictory side note: many ATMs won’t accept your

United States bank card, so when you find one that does, withdraw the

maximum.

Tip: Don’t Tip

Brazilians don’t tip much — not because they are mean people; in fact,

they are probably much nicer than you. In restaurants, a 10 percent service

charge is added automatically, and there’s no place on a credit card receipt

to add a tip. The same is true in bars, where paying by the drink at the bar

is practically nonexistent. (You’ll either have a waiter or accumulate a tab

to be paid at a cashier.) In taxis, you round up to the next real, but that’s

just for convenience’s sake — making change is not a Brazilian forte. The

only exception is in upper-end hotels, where international norms of

tipping bellhops and housekeepers still apply.

Paying by the Kilo? Skip the Rice.

5/25/2014 Bound for the World Cup? Tips to Save You Money - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/travel/bound-for-the-world-cup-tips-to-save-you-money.html?rref=sports/soccer&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=He… 4/4

One of the greatest budget institutions in Brazil is the “self-service” or

“kilo” restaurant. You fill a plate from a buffet, which almost always

includes a salad bar and multiple entrees. It’s a good deal, especially for

foreigners. That’s because most Brazilians cannot envision a meal without

a pile of rice and beans, which are heavy and cheap and thus drive up the

final tab. Go easy on them for even more of a bargain.

Drink Beer

Congratulations! You’ve already saved on beer. The Brazilian

government decided last week to postpone an increase in the tax on beer

(and some other beverages) from June 1 to Sept. 1. You may have heard

that the Brazilian national beverage is the caipirinha, but in fact Brazilians

drink far more beer, which is cheaper and ubiquitous. You can often buy it

in the street, which will save you money over bars and stadiums. Prices will

often be posted (latinha means a 12-ounce can; latão, 16 ounces) but if

they’re not, be sure you don’t pay more than Brazilians.

Switch to T-Mobile

If you’re planning to use your smartphone during the World Cup and

don’t want to be tethered to sketchy hotel Wi-Fi, consider T-Mobile’s

contract-free plans, which now come with free international data and text

messaging in over 120 countries, plus 20-cents-a-minute international

calls. (You have to buy a new phone, but they’ll refund the early

termination fee from your old carrier.) The catch: They guarantee only 2G

data service abroad, slower than 3G and much slower than the 4G many of

us are used to. But I recently spent three weeks in Brazil, in three states,

and got consistent 3G connections, slow but steady. And all that free

texting and cheap calling means no more worries about staying in touch

with family back home. Just remember not to do it on the street.

© 2014 The New York Times Company