Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN/WGR Sports Radio 550) - Now with the 2025 NFL schedule being released, it's expected for fan bases across the league to start planning their trips to see their favorite teams in enemy territory.
Buffalo Bills fans have been very well-known for their passion and willingness to follow the team all across the globe. Elizabeth Carey from AAA of Western and Central New York expects nothing different from "Bills Mafia" for the 2025 season.
"There's so much excitement in the air," said Carey during an appearance on WBEN with Brian Mazurowski and Susan Rose on Thursday. "When the schedule things were leaking, people started calling AAA. And we're like, 'Wait a minute, let's make sure it's official before we book anything.' So there's definitely a lot of excitement. We have gotten some calls already ahead of the release of the schedule, so we know it will be busy now that the schedule is out and people are really making their plans."
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Carey notes the group travel department at AAA is looking to schedule a group trip for a Bills game this upcoming season, but right now, it may be a while before anything is formally announced.
"The hard part about that is you have to get so much in line. We're in lotteries for multiple away games for tickets, so as soon as we secure those tickets, they'll start releasing packages. And they want to do, at least one, maybe two away games," Carey said. "They were hoping there'd be an international game, but not this year."
One aspect of the Bills' schedule this season that's a bit unusual from years past is most of the games on the away docket are all in the Eastern time zone. While there's no particular trip that stands out from the other, Carey feels there are still some good trips ahead for Bills fans to take advantage of.
"Miami, of course, that's always a big one. It's in November this year, people can tie in a trip to the beach, the weather will be warmer there and getting colder here. That's become really kind of a rite of passage," Carey said. "The Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale, you see 'Bills Mafia' taking that over, so that's always a popular one, for sure.
"When you think about the Carolina game, Charlotte, there are so many expatriates or former Buffalo residents living down there right now. That's going to be an incredible game to be at, because I think you're going to see more Bills fans than Carolina fans at that one. A lot of people want to head down there, and a lot of Bills fans are already moved down there."
And while some road games later in the season are set to take place in open-air stadiums like in Pittsburgh, New England and Cleveland, Carey is confident fans will still plan trips, knowing Western New Yorkers are accustomed to the colder weather.
"Another one I was thinking the same thing about is the Patriots, that's another December one that's away. The weather is not going to be much better there either in mid-December, but I think that's just part of the whole travel bug that people have right now. They'll tie it in and tie in different experiences too," Carey explained. "In Cleveland, you've got the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and that's indoors. And then the Christmas Story house, that'll tie right into the Christmas season, so you can go and see that. There are different tourist attractions where people can tie-in these trips and really turn it into a vacation experience."
And along with other fans from other markets planning trips to Buffalo in 2025, Carey also believes there will be plenty of out-of-town Bills fans looking to make the trip back to Orchard Park for one last experience at Highmark Stadium before the team moves into their new home across the street.
"For people coming to Buffalo, of course, we're going to see Cincinnati, that's not too far away, Kansas City, of course those fans are going to come to Buffalo. And you've got the Jets, they always make an appearance, the Eagles, they'll come up here. So there's a lot of people that are going to be coming to Buffalo as well from other teams, but also Bills fans from other areas who want to be here for the last year in the stadium," Carey said. "Hopefully we're going to have a winning season, and we can give the fans what they want, because I know I'm hoping for that."
Buffalo opens its 2025 season at home on Sept. 7 against the Baltimore Ravens in a prime-time matchup on "Sunday Night Football".
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