“Sounds great,” I said to Natalie.
“Book the trip. I mean, the chances to Ireland still being IN the championships, let alone playing on that Sunday at that time, are so low.”
You could say I am a bit obsessed with Irish football, so with the team playing in the European Championships this year, I put a moratorium on summer travel.
However, a quick weekend away in Munich was too tempting. Beer gardens and art are my two big weaknesses.
Even so, we decided to fly to Munich separately. I would arrive early and leave Sunday midday, with Natalie flying in later Friday and departing Sunday afternoon. Just to be safe.
Safe to be in Rome in time for the match — because, of course, the quarterfinal game ended up being played at 3 pm. With my flight leaving Munich at 12:45, and landing at 2:05 – it was going to be tight. I needed to get off the plane and on the road as soon as possible.
There have been a few problems and complaints recently about the taxis to and from Rome’s airports, and I did not have time to waste.
I knew Welcome Pickups because Natalie and I used the airport pickup service when we traveled to Athens last year.
Having someone meet you in the airport, and avoiding the hassle of figuring out how to get into town after a flight was too tempting to pass up.
So when Welcome Pickups came to Rome, offering private transfers for the same price as a taxi (€48 from Fiumicino), I knew that I could save hassle and meet the lads in time for the game.
I had a confirmation email with my driver’s photo and name, so it was easy to find each other in the arrivals hall. The service was pre-paid online, so I didn’t even have to worry about cash.
We shared Rome tips as we cruised down the highway – and it turns out Welcome Pickups can even help with things like museum tickets and SIM cards.
My priority this time? Soccer.
We arrived in Rome’s city center smoothly, and I walked into the pub as everyone stood for the national anthem.
Many thanks to Welcome Pickups for the chance to try their Rome service! It was brilliant to know someone was waiting for me- and for the same price as a taxi!
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I’m just catching up on the posts here – Bravo Jimmy! Any tips to ease travel woes are useful. Also please hire the guy in the last photo to be your mascot.
Not too much encouragement please! I am not sure I want to support the constant planning of our holidays around sporting events!
Thank you for this wonderful review! We are so pleased you enjoyed your pickup and we hope all is well with your team! Best, Welcome Pickups Team
It was great!
You are talking about using a credit card in another country to secure our pickup at the airport. That scares me as we were just scammed. How safe is it to use Welcome Pick Ups?
I have booked with them twice in two different countries online! It is secure.
Just to be sure i understand- is the cost per passenger or for the car regardless? There are 2 of us traveling and just wanted to be sure- thanks for the information!
It is for a standard car, so if you are two people with a small amount of luggage, it will be the same price. If you have a lot of luggage, you may need a larger car.