Callum Jones
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 global soccer tournament kicks off on Thursday (June 11), with millions of fans set to descend on the US, Canada and Mexico to watch their home nations in action.
While air travel is a general nightmare these days, there are some things you can do to minimise travel headaches, according to Jacob Wedderburn-Day, travel expert and co-founder of Stasher.
Jacob told UNILAD that while he wouldn't discourage fans from traveling via bigger airports completely (due to their practical flight schedules), he advises World Cup-goers to be 'very cautious' of 'major hubs such as JFK, Newark, LAX, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, Houston Intercontinental and San Francisco'.
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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."
If you're flying into these destinations, "the main thing I’d avoid is a tight connection or landing on match day," he told UNILAD.
"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."
And to assure the whole process is as smooth as it possibly can be, the travel expert continued: "Fans should...avoid checked luggage if they can, and save all key documents offline, including tickets, hotel details, travel insurance and passport information."
While Jacob advises against flying on game day, he has issued guidance to fans who are flying in prior to the game or are traveling back home right after the full-time whistle.
If you decide on such an itinerary then you may struggle to find somewhere to store your luggage during the day, though Jacob advises against you taking it anywhere near the stadium." Most stadiums have clear bag policies.
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."