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Before Leaving for Qatar…
The excitement’s been building for months – or you booked something last minute and your adventurous soul is the envy of friends & family – and you’re ready to take off on your trip to the World Cup to see your team and country play on the world’s biggest stage. But now, the information being released is a bit overwhelming and you could use a little help on sifting through the noise to determine/review what you need to do or know before traveling.
What’s the most critical information to know vs the information that will be easily accessible once you land? Well, this article makes an attempt on summarizing the important details before embarking on the journey.
Pre-requisites
It must be said for those spontaneous people who woke up one day in the last few weeks and decided last minute “I am going to the World Cup in Qatar!” that 2022 is unlike any previous tournament.
Yes, you can still pack some essentials, your team’s beautiful (or not-so-beautiful) kits and hope for the best; but there’s slightly more plans needed to get into the country itself.
You cannot book a flight to Doha, show up and couch surf…so for those people, please know you absolutely need to:
- Buy a Match Ticket
- Though, it was announced Nov 03, fans w/o tickets can enter after the group stage
- Apply & Receive Approval for Hayya Card (your visa to enter Qatar)
- Book Accommodation
Note: It is possible to book accommodations independently from the Qatar2022.qa portal now but you still need to validate the stay to receive a Hayya, all of which can be found here.
Review / Double Check
We have witnessed way too many people have their World Cup trip ruined or soured by minor details (we have 1 story that is agonizingly unlucky that we hope to share via a new audio project in the near future) so here’s a few items to verify:
- Your Passport number matches Hayya Card
- Flight Times, Connections & Confirmations (if applicable)
- Review any entry requirements for other countries you may pass through
- Rental Car confirmations (if applicable)
- Ensure you are up to date on car requirements
- Review any entry regulations at the Saudi Arabi / Qatar border
- One last check on Ministry of Public Health COVID stance
- Accommodations
- Check-in / Check-out times
- Download Your Voucher if booked through Qatar2022.qa/book
- Confirmation numbers and dates
- Any miscellaneous requirements (e.g. printed confirmation, etc)
- For the Type-A souls
- Familiarize yourself with public transportation
- Review plans for moving in/out of Doha airport
Download / Print
Fortunately, mobile devices are already extensions of our body parts because this tournament will rely heavily on mobile apps.
We published a separate article on mobile apps to download but here’s a list of vital information you should have available via app or print-out.
- Hayya App
- You may want to print “entry permit” from Hayya
- FIFA Mobile Tickets
- Ensure you have your tickets downloaded & guests assigned
- Airline Tickets, if applicable
- e.g. if you have separate tickets on separate flights, have all boarding passes at hand
- Rental Car Confirmation, if applicable
- Accommodation Confirmation
- e.g. Cruise Line Hotels require printed pass
Luggage
One of the best parts about the World Cup is the costumes people wear to celebrate their country/team. Though, can we all admit, there’s some vanity at play and many do it for hopes of ever-lasting fame by being featured in FIFA’s post-tournament video?
We’d love to hear of any awkward or funny stories about costumes being questioned by customs so contact us and share it!
Qatar’s conservative culture also warrants a more mindful approach to determining what to wear.
You can always buy clothes on the ground if you forget something but here’s a very brief reminder:
- Pack your team’s jersey, whether you like it or not
- Pack your clothes
- Pack any (based on personal opinion) essentials
- Pack any personal medication, toiletries, etc
If you’re traveling with a spouse, the last action item is to judge his or hers luggage contents. 😅
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