What each trip actually costs
Two people, mid-range seats, a mid-range room, return flights from London. Our own estimates — not quotes, not live prices — and they move with demand. The point is the shape of the number, not the last pound.
The planner on the homepage shows the same trip minus the flight, because it sits next to the partners we earn from and we have none for flights. Add the flights column below to a planner total and you get the figure in the last column here.
| Event | Flights | Tickets | Hotel | Extras | All in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Raiders 2026-27Las Vegas · September 2026 - January 2027 | £1,300 | £480 | £450 | £360 | £2,590 |
| Knicks & Rangers 2026-27New York · October 2026 - April 2027 | £840 | £480 | £750 | £400 | £2,470 |
| United States Grand Prix 2026Austin · October 2026 | £1,200 | £1,100 | £1,360 | £480 | £4,140 |
| Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026Las Vegas · November 2026 | £1,300 | £1,500 | £1,280 | £520 | £4,600 |
| Super Bowl LXILos Angeles · 14 February 2027 | £1,100 | £12,800 | £1,680 | £700 | £16,280 |
| Miami Grand Prix 2027Miami · May 2027 | £1,100 | £1,700 | £920 | £560 | £4,280 |
| Vegas Fight NightsLas Vegas · Numbered cards year-round | £1,300 | £960 | £570 | £400 | £3,230 |
How it actually goes
Pick the event, not the city
American sport prices by fixture, not by season. A Raiders game against a nobody in November and the same seat for a marquee visitor are different trips financially. Every guide here is written per event because that is where the money moves.
Get the ESTA out of the way
It is the one piece of paperwork, it takes minutes, and it is the single thing most likely to stop the trip. Do it the day you book the flight.
Book the room before the ticket, if the room is scarce
Refundable hotel rates let you hold a bed while the ticket situation resolves. On a Vegas event weekend the room moves the total more than the seat does, and it moves first.
Fill the days around it
Nobody flies eight hours for one evening. The non-event days are where the trip either justifies itself or quietly doubles.
Flying from the UK? Sort the ESTA first
British citizens travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme, which means no visa but a mandatory ESTA — an electronic travel authorisation you must hold before you board. Airlines will refuse boarding without one.
- Apply only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov — the official US Customs and Border Protection site. Dozens of copycat sites rank for “ESTA” and charge several times the government fee to type your details into the same form. There is no faster or better version; there is only the official one and resellers.
- Apply early, not at the airport. Most approvals come back in minutes, but CBP asks for at least 72 hours and a small share get referred for review. Do it when you book the flight, not the week you fly.
- It lasts two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first — so one application usually covers several trips. Check whether you already have a live one before paying again.
- An ESTA is permission to travel, not permission to enter. The decision is made by the officer at the border.
- Not everyone qualifies. Dual nationals of certain countries, anyone who has travelled to particular countries since 2011, and anyone with a prior visa refusal or certain convictions may need a full visa instead — which takes months, not minutes. Check before you book anything.
Fees and eligibility rules change, and the official site is the only place that is guaranteed current. We take no commission on any of this — there is none to take, which is rather the point.
We have actually done these
Not researched — been. Real receipts, real totals, including the bits that were poor value.
Cost your own version
Change the party size, the nights and the seat, and the planner recalculates against the real dates.