Bear Down in London: Essential travel prep for Bears fans heading to London

Editor’s note: This series is brought to you by Goal Line Sports Bar & Grill in Crystal Lake.

Later this year, the Bears will make their return overseas for the first time in five years. They last played in London in 2019. This time around, the Bears will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 13 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Are you a Bears fan planning to visit London for the rare opportunity to see your team abroad? Here’s a look at the travel essentials you need to know ahead of your trip.

What to know about the NFL’s international games

The NFL has played at least one international game every year since 2007 (with the exception of 2020). Between 2007 and 2012, the NFL played one game per year at Wembley Stadium in London. The league increased the number of games beginning in 2013 and began including additional cities and stadiums in 2016.

This season, the NFL will feature five international games – three in London, one in Germany and one in Brazil.

Earlier this year, the NFL owners approved a plan to increase the number of international games to eight per season beginning in 2025. That means as many as 16 teams – half the league – could be playing an international game every year.

Key dates and times to know

The Bears and Jaguars will square off Sunday, Oct. 13. The game will kick off at 8:30 a.m. Central time. For fans traveling to London, the game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. local time.

The Bears likely will travel to London several days before the game to give themselves time to knock off jet lag. They will practice in London, but those practices will not be open to the public. The team also has a bye the following week, so the players will have plenty of time to rest up after the overseas trip.

What you need ahead of your trip

Passport: The most important thing you need is a passport. If you don’t have a passport, you’ll need to make this a top priority. Visit travel.state.gov to read all the requirements to apply for a U.S. passport. The application for a passport and a passport book costs $160. Processing time takes six to eight weeks, while expedited processing costs $60 and takes about two to three weeks. It’s important to note that mailing time is not included in those processing times.

Credit card: Many U.S. credit cards will work overseas. Check with your credit card company to see if you need to notify them of international travel.

Cash: While not essential, it doesn’t hurt to have at least a small amount of the local currency prior to an overseas trip. Your local bank can provide you with British pounds, although the exchange rate will be better once you arrive in the U.K. Still, getting cash ahead of time provides peace of mind.

Cell service: Be sure to check your cellphone service provider for options and costs of international service.

Tickets

Tickets to the game went on sale last month, and the game is sold out. The NFL has an official ticket exchange available at tinyurl.com/ah738ftd. This is the only official place to buy and sell tickets to the game on the secondhand market. More tickets likely will be available there as the game nears.

Tickets are available on StubHub UK for as low as 200 pounds (about $258), as of mid-July, although StubHub is not an official resale partner of the NFL.

Packing essentials

We could write a whole article on packing for this trip, but we’ll keep it brief. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast. You can generally expect London to be chilly with some rain in October. Pack your clothes accordingly and expect to wear layers.

There are plenty of useful European packing lists worth checking out online. We’d recommend perusing Rick Steves’ packing checklist at tinyurl.com/377n88yv.

Here are a few of the essentials (other than clothes):

• Passport
• Phone and phone charger
• Credit card and/or cash
• Printed copies of tickets
• London travel guidebook
• Travel pillow
• Headphones
• Small bag/fanny pack
• Small hand sanitizer
• Bears gear!