The Badger football victory over Northwestern and the Big Ten Championship has students in Madison smelling roses – and pondering how to make the trip to Pasadena, Calif. for the Jan. 1 game.
Though the University of Wisconsin’s place in the Rose Bowl will not be confirmed until Dec. 5, football enthusiasts and travel agencies alike are already pursuing travel packages available for purchase.
UW Athletics spokesperson Justin Doherty said tickets for student season ticket holders go on sale at 9 p.m. Dec. 5 on uwbadgers.com. The face value of tickets is $145, and ticket sales will continue until tickets are sold out or at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 6, whichever comes first, he said.
Michael Garson, a representative of Badger Trips, said the company is chartering private planes to transport fans to California.
The package, which includes a three night hotel stay, airfare and ground transport costs $1495 without a ticket to the game.
“There are currently 505 seats on flights departing from Madison for Pasadena and we expect to sell out,” Garson said. “We’re seeing significant demand for people wanting to fly out of Madison.”
Garson added more than 60 percent of people signing up have been for the Madison departure, with others choosing to fly out of Chicago O’Hare and John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
Lindsay Juley, a travel expert for STA Travel, said flying out of Minneapolis, Milwaukee or Chicago can bring down the price for students who are strapped for cash.
She said departing flights from Madison to Los Angeles on Dec. 29 and 30 are running nearly $700.
Juley said a particular trend among students planning on a budget includes flying into Las Vegas or San Diego and renting a car to make the final drive to Pasadena. This method drops the price per person by almost $300.
“People can find savings if they’re willing to get creative,” Juley said.
She also said travelers willing to fly out of larger airports and who can be flexible with dates of departure have seen their rates drop extensively.
For example, flying from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to Las Vegas costs only $422 round trip departing on New Year’s Eve and returning Jan. 3, according to Travelocity.com.
Amid the logistical planning, Garson acknowledges there is risk associated with planning trips amid uncertainty of which teams will actually be competing in the National Championship game.
He estimated there was a 99 percent chance the Badgers will go to the Rose Bowl, though the outcome of several key impending match-ups could result in other teams going to the championship.
Garson said this uncertainty was a risk some fans will have to take in order to ensure availability for some travel packages.
The Wisconsin Alumni Association will announce the details of their own travel package on Sunday, a representative said. The group only confirmed that fans would depart on Dec. 29 or 30 and return after the game on Jan. 2.
He said many travel organizations have been guaranteed a certain number of tickets to issue on a first come, first serve basis.
Juley said many students are not interested in packages that include stays in four-star hotels and a number of fans have inquired about packages consisting of solely a tailgate or a hotel stay.
