I like this Sub-Forum, but...

[jwmann2]

What exactly does Mista T do for a living? NFL ticket prices are at an all time high. Beers are $9 a piece. Not everyone can travel to away NFL games. What advice would he give to those fans on a budget that want to see their team away from home?

[Mista T]

Easy: buy cheap!

Southwest Airlines is a huge part of road tripping. We are fortunate to have its East Coast hub. When Southwest offers ridiculously low fares to fill empty seats, snatch them up - if you decide to not use them, the money can be banked for a year with no change fee. So I buy tickets to Ravens opponents destinations east of the Mississippi for any time I see the $19 to $49 "Ding!" fares.

Never buy scalped tickets. Face value or lower tickets can be acquired at any NFL stadium, often via the Ravens ticket office. Denver sells some upper sideline tickets at half price (with restrictions). I sometimes find them on opponent team message boards.

Don't rent cars if at all possible. Cabs, subways, hotel courtesy vans can save hundreds. Every NFL stadium has public transportation, and you'll avoid $40+ parking fees. You will always find Ravens fans tailgating. Just BYOB so as not to mooch.

Shop hotel deals. Many big city hotels heavily discount their rates in the Fall weekends. Be careful ordering through hotels.com or especially hotwire.com - read the fine print. Often I will use those sites to find the best deals, then go to the hotel chain site to order a similar rate.

Some think I joke when I say that I can travel to Jax for a beach weekend and attend a Ravens-Jaguars game more economically than going to OC and attending a Ravens-Jaguars game here; however, it's often true that road trips to NFL teams in Sunbelt cities can be a relative bargain.

As to what I do for a living? I cut deals.

[Ravenboy2003]

The scalped ticket advice is excellent.

There are many ways to get face or below face tickets. People who jump on ebay or stubhub and pay 2x or 3x face a few weeks before any given road game are crazy.