So you want to go to London to see the Seattle Seahawks play the Oakland Raiders on Oct. 14. If you play your cards right and don't splurge, you could do the whole trip for around $1,000.
We don't know yet what game tickets will cost, so we'll leave that out for now. The NFL has not yet announced what time the game will be. London games have started as early as 6:30 a.m. Seattle time (2:30 p.m. in London) and as late as 10:00 a.m. (6:00 p.m.).
Flights: Be aware it's about a nine-hour flight and an eight-hour time zone difference. If you leave Seattle Friday on a non-stop flight, you won't get into London until Saturday UK time. If you plan at least a one-stop, you should leave Thursday at the latest.
A check of Kayak Thursday morning found that the cheapest non-stop, round-trip flight was Norwegian Air. A Seattle-to-London round trip goes for as little as $500 that weekend (but that will only get more expensive -- or sell out -- the longer you wait). If you want a checked bag, seat reservation, and a meal, you will need to pay extra.
Flights booked for the middle of the week tend to be cheaper, so why not make a vacation out of it? Try leaving and returning on a Wednesday. Again, we found a no-frills Norwegian Air flight leaving on Wednesday, Oct. 10 and returning on Wednesday, Oct. 17 for $500 as the cheapest flight.
We found more round trips for under $1,000, but those generally require at least one stop on one of the legs.
The game will be at the new stadium of the soccer team Tottenham Hotspur in the Upper Edmonton area, north of Westminster. Westminster is where Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye are located.
Where to stay: Presumably, if you are headed there just for the game, you are going to either want to stay close to the stadium, or you want to stay in Westminster where all the tourist sights are. In both areas, we found deals on Kayak for little as $100 a night, base price (and less if you really don't care about the amenities). Of course, you can also check out Airbnb.
Then there is transportation. If you are flying into Heathrow Airport, it can be as easy as taking two trains on the London Underground (the Tube) if you are simply planning to go straight to the stadium from the airport. If you're flying into Gatwick, expect to have to take the bus if you're using public transit.
You can also take a cab. Companies like Mytaxi and Gett will hail you a licensed black cab. Want to Uber? Be aware that Uber has had conflicts with European regulators. Who knows where that will stand in October, but other ridesharing services are trying to jump in and steal Uber's thunder.
Don't forget you'll need to convert your American money into British pounds. As of Jan. 11, the pound is worth $1.35 U.S. There is usually s small fee you have to pay in addition to do the exchange.
You can also use your credit or debit card, but make sure to check with your bank ahead of time to find out what international transaction fees are associated with it. Some have no fees, but some have very steep fees. And make sure you let your bank know when you are headed overseas so they don't put a freeze on your card, fearing fraudulent transactions. That being said, also make sure you know what the roaming charges will be if you want to use your smartphone in Europe.
Finally, don't forget your passport, and consider getting a money belt that you can tuck into your pants to keep your money, passport, and credit cards safe from potential pickpocketers.
