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If you decide to tackle the journey from Manchester to Madrid to see your favourite team knock it out of the park, you’ll be faced with a 900-mile journey. However, while the final destination is worth the slog, you’ll still have to deal with a lot of downtime to join the United faithful. Long coach rides, early morning budget flights, delayed trains, and endless waiting in airport terminal lounges are just some delights that await you on this trip.
Still, if you’re going to be there for future historic matches, you’ll need to master the art of killing time. We’ll walk you through some helpful tips and tricks to keep your brain occupied and sanity in check as you struggle to make out the mumbling lady’s voice calling out the boarding order.
Killing Time on the Road to Europe
Conquering blank spaces in the itinerary is an art form in itself. In the past, the United faithful relied on newspapers, paper zines, or battered card decks to keep themselves engaged on a shaking bus. Smartphones simplify packing and entertainment, opening a new avenue to keep yourself engaged.
You could do the obvious and argue with people on social media about starting lineups or watch highlights of classic matches you’ve already seen before. If you prefer to unwind your brain from anything football-related, there are plenty of other distractions.
You can toss on a movie or a TV series on your phone, or if you’re after something more engaging, you can try your luck at the tripeaks solitaire website. Mobile games in general are a great way to kill some time and have become the default choice for many travelling fans. If you’ve got half an hour to kill before it’s time to visit the stadium, they’re the best choice possible.
Of course, relying on your smartphone does mean you need to keep a power bank handy to make sure your phone lasts the trip. You don’t want to pack too much in general. The last thing you want is a heavy bag weighing you down when visiting an unfamiliar transit system in places like Rotterdam. That’s why you should stick with the essentials: power bank, passport, something to sip on while travelling, and maybe a jacket to deal with the unpredictable European weather. Toss it all in your backpack and you’re good to go.
Pacing Yourself for the 90 Minutes
If you’re flying, this part probably won’t be a big issue for you. However, the fans tackling the European away trip on a train or bus will find themselves facing the stamina boss. With trips that take 12 or more hours, you’ll want to make sure to find a bit of shut-eye. Catch a kip while passing through a particularly boring piece of countryside to recharge your batteries. After all, you don’t want to finally make it to the stadium only to find yourself too tired to jump and sing.
The Camaraderie of Travel Horror Stories
One of the upsides of going to an away match is that you’ll probably be surrounded by fellow United fans. That opens the opportunity to swap travel horror stories, like that one time you were stuck in Western Germany. Odds are they have their own fun tales to share, and it’s something to talk about once you’re done debating if Atalanta's Ederson transferring to ManU is a good thing or not.
No matter how you go about it, you’re in for an entertaining and exhausting trip. As fun as the match itself always is, you can’t underestimate the thrill of a lad’s jaunt abroad. The road may be long, but when the first whistle blows in the away end, every mile will be worth it. |
