AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — College football season officially kicks off at the end of the month, which means fans across the country are dusting off their favorite jerseys and making plans to see their teams in person. To celebrate, Vrbo®, the title partner of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and official travel sponsor of the College Football Playoff (CFP), is searching for the biggest college football fan and their best fan family and friends (or as we like to call it, fan-mily) for the ultimate postseason experience as its first-ever “Fan-mily in Residence.”
Vrbo found that nearly 60% of college football fans travel regularly during the season to attend games,1 and there is no better way to stay than in a private vacation rental — demand for Vrbo vacation homes in some of the most passionate college football towns typically more than doubles during the regular season.2 So, starting today, Vrbo is taking applications to hire one lucky college football fan and their five best fan-mily members to travel and attend college football’s biggest postseason matchups, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day and the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8, 2024, and stay in Vrbo vacation homes. 3
The residency kicks off in Glendale, Arizona with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, which will come complete with VIP experiences including field credentials, club seats at the 50-yard line, black car transportation, and nearly $1,000 worth of game day gear for each fan-mily member, followed by even more college football and perks at the CFP National Championship in Houston. Once hired, responsibilities for the Fan-mily in Residence will include making the tough decision on which team to root for, spending time together to come up with new traditions and make postseason memories, and documenting the whole thing for the ‘gram.
The Fan-mily in Residence will also receive all-expenses-paid travel and lodging in some of Vrbo’s best private vacation rentals in the Phoenix area and Houston for a combined 10-night trip for college football’s biggest finale week. This encompasses a bonus four-night stay in the Phoenix area in between the big games so the Fan-mily in Residence can spend time in their vacation home to relax, recover and gear up together for even more football. And of course, no vacation home stay is complete without a fully stocked fridge. Vrbo is including a $1,000 “gridiron grub grant” for the Fan-mily in Residence to make sure their vacation homes have first-rate game day snacks and drinks.
“If getting paid to travel to the most exciting college football games of the year with your fan-mily seems like a dream job, you’re in luck — Vrbo is making it a reality,” said Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group brands public relations. “In addition to attending the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and CFP National Championship as VIPs, the Fan-mily in Residence will be tasked with the difficult challenge of making pre-game predictions from the comfort of the pool and perfecting their post-game analysis around the dinner table from some of Vrbo’s most exceptional private vacation rentals.”
College football fans who think they have what it takes to be Vrbo’s first-ever Fan-mily in Residence can apply by following Vrbo on Instagram and commenting on the pinned college football post with their best college football fan-mily tradition. The most qualified college football fan will be selected based on criteria including creativity, enthusiasm, and passion in their application.
All applications must be received by October 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET. The selected college football fan will be notified by November 20, 2023. Must be 21+ to apply. To see the full rules, visit vrbo.com/see/fanmily.
While only one applicant and their fan-mily will get the job, any college football fan can book a Vrbo property to experience the action by turning their away games into home games throughout the season and get rewarded. Now, with One Key, college football fans (and all travelers) have the ability to earn and use rewards on Vrbo private vacation rentals as well as on Hotels.com and Expedia. Visit this site to learn more and join One Key.
Notes to the editor:
Vrbo college football survey results:
- Traditions run deep. 60% of respondents say they participate in game day traditions with their college football fan-mily. The most popular traditions are hosting game day watch parties (59%), wearing team apparel (58%), and sharing in victory celebrations or rituals (56%).
- So long for the season. Nearly 60% of fans would ignore friends or family members from opposing teams for the entire season if it meant giving their team a shot at the College Football Playoff National Championship.
- Let’s go bowling. The ideal college football season for most fans consists of tailgating for every regular season game (49%) and capping the season by attending championship games together (45%).
1Survey results based on a study conducted online by OnePoll for Vrbo in August 2023, surveying 2,000 adults in the U.S. who are college football fans and have traveled in the last 12 months.
The most passionate college football towns, according to Vrbo:
Vrbo analyzed traveler demand and vacation home inventory in the top college football destinations across the country, and found these are the most passionate college football towns:
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Norman, Oklahoma
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Oxford, Mississippi
- College Station, Texas
- Clemson, South Carolina
- Notre Dame, Indiana
- University Park, Pennsylvania
- Athens, Georgia
- Auburn, Alabama
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Austin, Texas
- Columbus, Ohio
- Eugene, Oregon
2Based on Vrbo vacation rental demand during the regular season, September to November 2022, compared to summer, June to August 2022.
3This is not an actual job. For more details, please see the contest terms and conditions here.
This contest is in no way sponsored or administered by CFP Events, Inc., CFP Administration, LLC, or the College Football Playoff Foundation, Inc.
About Vrbo
In 1995, Vrbo introduced a new way for people to travel together, pairing homeowners with families and friends looking for places to stay. We were grounded in one purpose: To give people the space they need to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together.
Since then, we’ve grown into a global community of homeowners and travelers, with unique properties around the world. Vrbo makes it easy and fun to book cabins, condos, beach houses and every kind of space in between.
Vrbo is part of Expedia Group and offers homeowners and property managers exposure to over 750 million visits to Expedia Group sites each month. To learn more, visit www.vrbo.com.
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