2010: A Sports Odyssey

For you die-hard Olympic and soccer fans out there, it’s not too early to start making travel plans if you dream of heading to Vancouver for February’s 21st Winter Games or journeying to South Africa for next summer’s FIFA World Cup.
   
In the Practical Traveler column in this weekend’s New York Times, Michelle Higgins details the best options for both big events along with handy links and thought-through strategies. She asserts that despite the bad economy, demand is still quite high for both events and the best way of getting tickets and a place to stay is to work with a tour operator.
   
For the Vancouver Games, the third hosted by Canada and the first for the province of British Columbia, only one company, CoSport, is authorized to sell tickets in the U.S. and they’re already sold out, though more tickets may be released for sale this fall.

For soccer fans who like a travel puzzle, Higgins calls the 18th World Cup, the first held on the African continent, “travel roulette” as matches will be held in nine cities

during the tournament, slated for June 11-July 11, 2010. Unlike 2006′s World Cup in Germany, the distances between venues in South Africa are relatively daunting and less doable via train or bus; in most situations, travel by air will be necessary to get around. Plus, because of how FIFA works, we won’t even know which teams are even playing until the qualifying finals December 4, 2009, and, due to the nature of the tournament, you won’t know where your team is playing until just a few days before based on how they fared in their previous match.
   
Luckily, there are several tour operators authorized to sell World Cup tickets to the U.S. market. Hop online, check out the links assembled by Higgins, and get planning. Don’t forget that June/July is winter in South Africa, prime safari weather so consider adding to the fun and make your trip a soccer safari.

Do you have plans to go to either event?

Photos: Above, The Vancouver Olympic Committee; Below, AP via the New York Times