Looking to make a weekend pilgrimage to Indianapolis to see the New York Giants face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI?
Be prepared to shell out serious dough on transportation and a hotel (not to mention a seat).
How much?
How does $1,800 sound for a nonstop round-trip airfare from New York? That's according to
The Wall Street Journal, citing Kayak.com, a travel website. Those flights are disappearing fast, too.
In fact, air fare is so pricey that a taxi or car service to Indianapolis would cost less (around $1,500), though the 12-hour drive (each way) might make it seem like less of a bargain.
So what are your other options for a Friday-to-Monday excursion? You have a few, but none of 'em are great.
Nonstop flights are still out there, but they're going fast — really fast.
InvestmentNews found deals ranging from $1,576 to $1,960 round trip, but they were already gone by the time we clicked on them.
As of noon Tuesday, the cheapest option was a $654 flight that departs from Newburgh, N.Y., and has a connection in Philadelphia before landing in Indy about four hours later. On the return flight, which terminates at LaGuardia, travelers have to connect at dreaded Chicago O'Hare. For a little more, you can depart from Westchester, N.Y., and connect in Atlanta, according to Orbitz.com, but you're still locked into the connection at O'Hare on the return. Total travel and connection time is about four hours each way. Those seats are going fast, though.
Factor in the steep airfare, time getting to and from the airport and possible delays, and driving might not seem like a bad idea.
At around $3.45 per gallon (and assuming 25 miles per gallon), the approximately 720 miles between New York and Lucas Oil Stadium should cost about $100 each way in gas. Don't forget the Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls, though.
Want to go by bus? That'll cost you $212.40 round trip and about 18-20 hours of your life each way on Greyhound.
Coming from the Boston area? Nonstop flights are still available for $531 from Providence, R.I., or $691 from Boston Logan.
That's good news because that drive is a little longer at about 15.5 hours and 950 miles. And if you're thinking of taking the bus, stop right now. Sure, the fare is a pretty good deal at $289.80, but the real cost is the 22 hours and change the ride will take. It's even worse on the return trip at more than 25 hours.
OK, so you have your travel plans set, which means you've already committed to the idea of dropping a tidy sum on a ticket to the game. Just how much is that going to be?
According to NFL Ticket Exchange, the lowest asking price as of Jan. 31 was $2,384 for each seat in a block of two tickets. The highest was $14,093 for each seat (in blocks of two) for up to four seats in Row 5 at the 50-yard line.
If you still aren't deterred, all you need is a place to rest your head. You'd better not be picky. And you better be ready for the biggest shocker of them all.
The average nightly rate for that weekend at the America's Best Value Inn, a lower-end motel chain, is $1,333 a night at hotels.com.
The property is 6.9 miles northeast of Lucas Oil Stadium, has 2-star rating, and offers free parking and wireless internet. Free breakfast doesn't come with that rate, though.
Too pricey?
Then you have the Best Western Airport Suites 5.7 miles west of the stadium at an average nightly rate of just $900, the Days Hotel Airport and its $699-per-night rate and free airport shuttle, and the Knights Inn Indianapolis Airport South at $500 a night to choose from.
Here's another option: a very good 55-inch HDTV can be had for less than $1,200. So instead of spending $1,333 on a single night at the Indianapolis America's Best Value, get yourself a ridiculously huge television and you'll still have enough left over for a few cases of beer and pizza.
