by Kassandra Garcia

Created on: November 14, 2009

With 5,500 athletes and officials, more then 80 countries participating, around 10,000 media representatives, nearly 25,000 volunteers and 1.6 million event tickets available accommodations will be running low for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Vancouver, British Columbia area will be flooded with people from around the world.

To make your journey a little smoother www.2010destinationplanner.com is the 2010 Winter Games accommodations search engine. Listed on the site are hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, cruise ships, home rentals and RV accommodations. Also included here is information on transportation throughout the games such as the light rail SkyTrain, public buses, the passanger ferry SeaBus and the rail service West Coast Express.

When searching for accommodations first you select which location you wish to stay, whether it is Vancouver, Whistler, Richmond or any of the surrounding towns or cities. Next you select your arrival and departure dates. You will then get a new window opened and results from your selections will appear with nightly prices.

With less than 3 months until the Winter Olympic Games your selection will be decreasing daily on distance from the events. Currently only a few rooms are available in and directly around Vancouver. With that being said, if you don't mind the drive, a ferry ride or using public transportation you may have up to an hour drive just to get into Vancouver or Whistler.

As with many major event, the farther away the hotel is from the event the less you will end up paying per night. If you are looking to stay outside of Vancouver some areas to look at are Seymore Creek, Burnaby, Port Moody, Coquitam, Belcarra and many more.

Surrey, British Columbia is another location fairly close to Vancouver with accommodations available for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Hotels in Surrey include Holiday Inn Express, Days Hotel, Pacific Inn Resort, Hampton Inn and other large name chain hotels. Many smaller hotels and local businesses can be found in this area as well.

During the Olympics prices range from around $300 a night up to over $1,000 a night. Prices are based on distance, available accommodations, and room size. To maximize your hotel options and your saving look for smaller hotels between 35 and 45 miles away from the Vancouver area. This will increase your travel time daily getting to and from the events but the money you save will allow you spend more money on your trip.

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