Travel Insurance: Man Utd v Chelsea Moscow travel warning
Man Utd v Chelsea: 1.9 billion ruble final
Tuesday, 20 May 2008 12:30
Fans visiting Moscow this week for the Champion's League final are set to spend £40 million – or 1.858 billion rubles.
On average fans will be taking £624 in spending money to cover hotels, taxis, food and drink – with an average £318 for two nights stay in the Russian capital, over half of this will go on accommodation alone, research by Sainsbury’s Finance reveals.
However, the biggest expense will be the flights out to the game – now costing around £900 for a return trip.
With so much invested in seeing a moment of footballing history – the first all-English European final – fans are reminded to make sure they have their travel insurance in place.
Keith Judson, Manchester United fan from Burnage, last year flew out to Italy to see his side in the Champions League semi-final by AC Milan, but did not have travel insurance.
After suffering a broken knee, he missed the flight home and without protection was forced to fork out for a second ticket back to Manchester.
"Not only did we get beaten 3-0, I had to shell out for a new flight and this cost me more than my whole trip put together," Mr Judson said.
"I broke my knee the week before I went and if I'd had valid travel insurance then I could have cancelled my flight and got my money back. Not that a broken knee would ever stand in the way of supporting United but with hindsight it might have been the sensible option."
Steve Chelton, at Swinton Insurance, is now calling now Chelsea and Manchester United fans to take extra care in Moscow.
"Moscow is one of the world's largest urban areas and we're advising people to be extra vigilant when travelling around the city – especially given the language barrier the majority of fans will encounter," he said.
"Petty crime is rife in and around Red Square and pickpockets will be prevalent.
"Unfortunately we can't insure against a bad result on the night, but at least both United and Chelsea fans can ensure they are covered in the event of anything else going wrong."