Want to go to a future Olympics? CT spectators share costs, travel tips

While most of us will be watching the Paris Olympics from our couch, have you ever thought about what it would be like to go to the games?

“The feeling is unlike anything else,” said Meghan Withers-Tong, of West Hartford.

Paris is her fourth Olympic Games.

“The camaraderie with the other people and other nations is really special,” she said.

She last went to the London games with her husband.

This go-around, she’s with her kids and other family members too.

In early 2023, her family entered a lottery for tickets hoping to get seats at some of the most sought-after sports.

Amanda Fantry, also of West Hartford, did the same.

“It’s my mom’s first time out of the country. Big family trip. So, we are really excited,” Fantry said.

Fantry’s sister got picked in one of the earlier days of the lottery and bought ticket packages.

Prices vary from event to event.

The most popular events can cost you hundreds of dollars, while some of the less popular events tend to be way cheaper.

As of Wednesday, the only seats available for the Closing Ceremony on the official ticket website are 600 to1,600 euros.

That’s about $650 to $1,700 a seat.

But if you planned ahead, there had been seats for about $48.

“There’s a market now for tickets that are still available, so it is possible to get last-minute deals, but if we know this is something that you want to do and to get the best deals and the best options, yeah then planning ahead is definitely important,” said Withers-Tong, whose family started planning two years ago.

She’s a Disney travel agent and says while visiting the theme park may be complicated to plan, logistics for the Olympics are exponentially more challenging, but worth every minute.

Fantry kept an eye out for cheaper deals for housing and transportation as the Games got closer on the advice of a Facebook group where American travelers are sharing cost-saving tips.

“I started booking flights maybe like 4-5 months ago,” she said, but in July, “I actually rebooked them all this weekend and saved like thousands of dollars per person to rebook them all.”

So if going to an Olympic Games is on your bucket list, start saving and planning.