A travel expert has warned passengers against making two mistakes while traveling the US during the World Cup that could end up ruining your trip.
The international soccer tournament begins on Thursday (June 11), and millions of supporters are expected to travel across the US, Canada and Mexico to watch their teams play.
With flying already stressful in peak season, there are a few practical steps that can reduce the chances of disruption, according to Jacob Wedderburn-Day, a travel expert and the co-founder of Stasher.
Jacob explained that he wouldn’t tell fans to avoid large airports altogether — especially because they often offer the most convenient flight options — but he urged travelers to be “very cautious” when routing through “major hubs such as JFK, Newark, LAX, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, Houston Intercontinental and San Francisco”.
The travel expert said: “These airports are already busy in a normal summer. Add World Cup crowds, international arrivals, domestic connections and people traveling with luggage, and the margin for error gets much smaller.”
For anyone flying into those cities, he said “the main thing I’d avoid is a tight connection or landing on match day,” as delays can quickly snowball under heavier-than-usual crowds.
“If fans are flying into a major hub, they should try to arrive the day before, keep the rest of the itinerary light, and assume immigration, baggage reclaim, taxis and public transport will all take longer than usual.”
He also suggested preparing for hiccups by packing light and keeping essential information accessible even without a signal.
“Fans should…avoid checked luggage if they can, and save all key documents offline, including tickets, hotel details, travel insurance and passport information.”
Although Jacob recommends avoiding flights on match day, he also shared advice for fans who arrive well before kick-off or plan to head straight to the airport after the final whistle.
If you choose that kind of schedule, finding somewhere to leave your bags for the day can be difficult — and he warned against bringing luggage anywhere near the stadium, as many venues enforce strict clear-bag rules.
The travel expert added: “A bag that is fine for the airport may not be accepted at the stadium, and that can create a real problem if you’re moving around with luggage.
“If fans arrive before hotel check-in or have a late flight after the match, using luggage storage can make the day much easier.
“It means they can go straight to fan zones, restaurants or the stadium area without dragging bags through busy transport hubs.”