How to get to London for the Jaguars game on a budget.

For the past eleven years the Jaguars have been playing at least one game in London. It is great for the brand, great for the NFL, and great for Jacksonville.

If you are a massive Jaguars fan staying at home, it is also fun to get a game over with in the morning and have a Sunday for yourself.

But what if you could go to the game? You can.

I've been blessed over the last eleven years to go to more games than not. It isn't easy but I put forth that it is a lot easier (and less expensive) than one might think. With a few tips and tricks.

One way to get involved is to find a business case for going over. It's a privilege for me to have been involved in multiple business interchanges between Duval and UK corporate and elected leaders. The very first one we put together was a reception at the Surrey Cricket Club Oval featuring our new Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and Sir Trevor McDonald. A round table of @JAX Chamber members and UK formed a plan under the leadership of yours truly and the indomitable team of Justin Doherty and Simon Keymer . JAXUSA has kept this exchange of ideas and contacts open throughout the Jaguar's history in London. There have been multiple sport, business, and cultural excursions and meetings over the years and many have spun off low and high profile connections between the two cities.

Maybe it is a stretch to find a business case for going right now. No problem. I'll map out a way to get you there on the cheap.

1. Start Now - The best way to get really really low airfare is to start understanding the flights and tracking as early as possible. Sometimes the lowest fares pop up in March, sometimes as close to the game as August.
2. Tracking Flights - I do this two ways. One is via Going (use to be Scott's Flights). This email gives you updates when there are insane prices on flights to Europe. You should also go to Google Flights and put your desired destinations and dates in and you'll get emails when the prices drop (or rise).
3. Check Multiple Destinations - I flew to London this time on Norse. Norse economy is no frills, but it has new planes and it is always a friendly crew. My flight was direct to Gatwick from Orlando for $312. I find Orlando with a park and ride to be at least $100 less than Jacksonville, although I was able to find a Jacksonville flight through JFK for $400 before. If you don't mind the drive to Orlando, I think the direct flight and discount is worth it. Orlando features flights all over the world from Terminal C. One time, I flew Norse to Oslo, spent a night there for less than $350 including hotel. My flight from Oslo to Standsted (London) was $14! If you have your settings right it can be a lot of fun to see what international destination pops up for less than flight to Charlotte.
4. Getting Around - So you've made it, now what? Take the tube. If you are a capable walker you can take the tube to almost any destination in London. A trip can cost anywhere from less than $2 to about $5 but if you're mostly just here for the game, you'll only need $50 or so including your round trip to Gatwick which isn't central but it's not inconvenient. Uber and cabs are abundant but traffic is so bad you're better off on the tube and walking from a time standpoint as well as cash.
5. Accommodations - This takes some work, but you won't find a city with more options than London. Especially low cost options. I'm typically by myself and stay in places I probably wouldn't put my family in. Some hotels have no windows and cost under $30! The one I've had the best experiences with is Easy Hotel, of Easy Jet fame. These are decent, clean and no frills, like no night stand, and a shower curtain that goes around the whole bathroom. But hey, they've got a teevee and after walking all of London a cave is a great place to sleep. My latest trip, I upgraded to an inn above a pub. There are many of these all over the UK and may require looking outside of Priceline or similar sites. My all time favorite is Wetherspoons hotels. These are all above Wetherspoons pubs. These pubs are everywhere, kind of like an Ale House concept in a historic pub. They have very low cost food and drinks and have kept thousands of iconic pubs alive with their employee owned business model. Every Wetherspoons hotel I've stayed in has been exceptional. This year I stayed for about $60 per night and absolutely will again.
6. Food and Bev - Wetherspoons has decent food and you can get a full meal and a drink (alcohol included) for under $10. They are everywhere. I also do a lot of grab and go from the local groceries. You're not here long enough to get sick of Fish and Chips from the local chippy. Live it up.
7. Tickets - This is one that I can't really help with. This game had 90,000 people and most tickets were $100 plus. My advice is get them as soon as they are released. You can hopefully resale if you end up not being able to go. I've been stuck without a ticket before and had a lot of fun watching at a casino. The whole city is welcoming to fans and the NFL is definitely a big deal there.

If you add all of these up, I think you could get there and have an amazing time for much less than you think.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or adding your tips!