A mad, stressful and expensive dash across Europe awaits thousands of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace fans later this month.
For many of the supporters, their respective Europa League and Europa Conference League finals are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Villa are out to end a 30-year trophy drought against Freiburg in Istanbul, while the Eagles have soared into uncharted territory – their first ever chance to win a major trophy on the continent when they face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
This is a pilgrimage not just for the hardcore fans, but also those who have followed the clubs for years with little to show for it.
However, ticketing restrictions and aggressive dynamic pricing on flights and hotels are conspiring to turn what should be a jubilant jaunt across Europe into a real mission.
Here, we take a closer look at the major obstacles facing supporters as they prepare for what they hope will be the best night of their football lives.
Aston Villa fans will be heading to Istanbul to face Freiburg in the Europa League final
TICKET ALLOCATION
Infuriatingly, UEFA withhold a number of tickets for sponsors, dignitaries, VIPs and essentially plenty of people without a dog in the race.
Villa have been given an allocation of 10,758 tickets at Beşiktaş Stadium – which holds 42,684.
UEFA say 37,500 tickets are available directly for fans and the general public, with 22,000 of those split between the teams and successful applicants may purchase up to two tickets.
Tens of thousands more fans than the allocation number are expected to descend on Istanbul, all of them desperate to get their hands on a ticket.
The tickets themselves will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis from the UEFA Ticket Portal and are subject to the eligibility criteria.
Those lucky enough to grab one through those official channels won’t have to pay through the nose. The most expensive are £207 and the cheapest just £35.
On resale sites, it’s a different story. A category one ticket can be found online for £1101. The cheapest on the same website is £842.
Crystal Palace fans will face a similar fight. They’ve been given 11,372 tickets for their showdown at Red Bull Arena, which holds 45,228.
To put it in perspective, Palace have 17,000 season-ticket holders so the demand outstrips supply by a country mile.
The most expensive ticket on a resale site is currently £500, with the cheapest priced at £332.
FLIGHTS
Airlines are quick to ramp up prices when they know fans will be flocking to a city for a major final.
For Villa supporters, a return flight from May 19-21, jetting out of Birmingham International, costs around £800 on Pegasus Airlines for the 2000-mile journey.
For context that’s almost double the price of the same flights for the same duration just one week later.
Of course, fans looking to squeeze the most out of their budget can opt for more anti-social flight times with long stopovers at £400 but most people don’t want to spend their trip of a lifetime hanging around in airports when the delights of Istanbul await.
Crystal Palace fans come off worse than their Villa counterparts when it comes to flights.
Prices from Gatwick to Leipzig are over £1000 for direct two-hour return tickets.
Again, supporters could knock £200 or so off that price if they’re willing to suffer a couple of changes and an additional eight hours of travel time.
Skyscanner shows ticket prices for Crystal Palace fans to get to Leipzig later this month
Crystal Palace supporters have never seen their team in a European final before
The distance is shorter to Leipzig from London than Birmingham to Istanbul but the prices don’t reflect that discrepancy.
Some fans will no doubt be tempted to drive the 634 miles, which would take around 12 hours at much lower expense, while buses are also a more arduous but affordable option.
Travel comparison site Omio has bus tickets for around £60, with the journey duration listed as 23 hours.
HOTELS
So, you’ve bagged yourself a golden ticket, taken the hit with a flight at double the usual price, now you need a bed for the night.
The good news for Villa fans is that Istanbul is the biggest city (population wise) in Europe at 15million, with so many accommodation options that there’s no discernable hike in prices.
It really depends what you’re after, there are obviously plenty of luxury options but if supporters just want a place to crash after a wild night on the town, there are choices for every budget and it’s not hard to find pleasant, well-reviewed stays at under £50-a-night.
Accomodation in Leipzig will be expensive for Crystal Palace fans making the trip
Leipzig is a smaller outpost for Crystal Palace fans and the limited options mean prices have been put up for the dates around May 26-28.
Travel24 Hotel is a budget option in the city centre costing £530 and it is difficult to beat that price range unless you start expanding the perimeter far wider.
Rooms in apartments a few miles outside the city can be found on Booking.com for between £100-300 of varying quality but clearly need a taxi to get to.
No doubt plenty of the hardcore supporters will be banking on partying through the night and worst case scenario will be finding the comfiest-looking bench in Leipzig.
