Relaxing in Recife, Brazil back in 2011 dreaming of heading back in 2014 for the World Cup!!!
Football was always my main hobby in life, and though travel has kind of taken over, I’ve managed to squeeze in two football matches in the last month as well as see 6 National Stadiums! But the big event is next year. The one everyone is waiting for. The World Cup will be held in BRAZIL for the first time since 1950!! Amazing!! I’ll be hoping to head there myself and I’m sure a load of you will too. I have noticed the prices of places to stay are simply rocketing of late, so here are my 10 places to stay in Brazil during the World Cup, with a different twist to it! I’ll have a load more Brazil posts to come in the next few months as a build up!!
Can’t wait for the World Cup in 2014!!
1. Hostels
Good old hostels. Book them early and get into the big dorm rooms they won’t be going cheap!!
2. Mates
Message all your Brazilian mates and ask if you can stay with them. Buy them a few bottles of wine to make up for it, or some crates of beer. You’ll get a free bed out of it.
Places to stay in Brazil? Message your mates who live there!
3. Couchsurfing
That old website that allows you to sleep around the world for free. Still worth a punt during the World Cup.
4. Camping Out
Take your tent and sleep rough. Some hostels and guesthouses will open their gardens for camping during the World Cup.
5. Homestays
Local families can take you in for homestays. You’ll have to pay a bit more during the World Cup of course but you’ll get to try their cuisine and pick up a bit of Portuguese.
Homestays are a good option in Brazil during the World Cup.
6. Apartments
OK, it won’t come cheap but renting apartments is an option if there’s a load of you. Split the cost and you’ll have your own place in Brazil for a few weeks. Book early and sleep late 😉
7. Universities Halls of Residence
Contact a few of the universities as they sometimes break up for the summer and have “digs going”, in student halls of residence. A long shot maybe, but as a budget backpacker I always think outside the box. I’ve used this option in the past and will do it again.
8. Portuguese Language Schools
Off hand I don’t know the best ones, but I studied Spanish in Montevideo a few years ago and recommend it. You can learn Portuguese while living in the school quarters. Don’t be shy either – it’s 18 – 50 year olds all mixed in together.
Studying Spanish in Uruguay in 2010 – why not try Portuguese in 2014?
9. Housesitting
The guys over at Suitcase Stories (Michael and Nicole) are experts at this, though I haven’t tried it myself. It seems like a great option for Brazil! Mind someone’s house while they’re on holiday and watch a bit of football!!
10. Hotels
The last resort. Overpriced, poncy, posh, arrogant and lacking any personality whatsoever. Still, at least you can enjoy the football. OK so Northern Ireland didn’t qualify, again…
“We’re not Brazil, we’re Northern Ireland”. My team didn’t qualify but I’m going anyway!
The closest I came to watching Northern Ireland at the World Cup was a 2-0 defeat in Baku, Azerbaijan recently!
A load of my mates are England fans and some are hoping to see England play live in Brazil, that will be some experience!! As a Northern Ireland fan though, I don’t have a team to support next year, so being neutral will be cool!
Tickets went on sale a while back and there’s a new draw going on FIFA’s website soon, so best wishes securing tickets for football’s best competition. It’s going to be a crazy World Cup in Brazil and I can’t wait to go.
Follow my journeys the next few months on my Facebook Don’t Stop Living Page and maybe see you in Brazil.
Safe travels!
And here’s my favourite World Cup goal of all time (sorry Maradona…)
Thanks for sharing! I have been struggling to find decent info online the past couple of years to find out how to prepare for World Cup and tips and tricks for getting tickets. Never heard of that TicketBIS website before. What kind of reputation do they have? And are they exclusively used for International soccer matches?
Here in North America, if sporting events or concerts are sold out via TicketMaster, then we typically go to their subsidiary site, StubHub (www.stubhub.com). They have a solid reputation as StubHub will 100% protect you in your transactions. So, you never have to worry about being scammed purchasing tickets second hand on that site. Good tip to give to you next time you are in North America and want to know how to get tickets to any sports events/concerts. 😉
As for myself, given the short holiday time I get here in Canada (2 weeks), I opted for a Budget backpacker tour and will be there Opening Round from June 14 – 27. Managed to score tickets during the FIFA ticket draw last week for Match #42 in Rio!!! I can’t wait to actually see the World’s second largest Stadium in person! Still wish I had known about TicketBIS, though. Might have done everything it took to be at the Final. 😉
Cheers, Mate!
Wow! You’ve thought of it all Jonny; not just where to stay but language lessons, etc… You’re making it really tough to say no. 😀
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Thanks for the comment Ray – yeah it’s a UK website, not sure you can use it but you can try!! There’s a few others too. A lot of companies buy them in bulk and don’t forget EVERY FA in the world gets an allocation for the World Cup – might be an idea to email the Canadian FA and ask. Even Gibraltar get an allocation!! Hope to see you there! Safe travels. Jonny
Thanks Maria – it’s just a “cheaper way to learn a language as the accommodation will be cheap around World Cup time. Havent decided myself yet how I’m getting there or where to stay, just going through the options! Safe travels. Jonny