5 Tips for Planning your World Cup 2010 Trip

Start planning now! The FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa is not far away

Cool... you have tickets to the World Cup! Congrats. Shame... you don't. I'm so sorry.

Yet, whether you have them or you don't - South Africa is definitely where you wanna be between June 11th and July 11th this year.

It is due to be a wonderfully frantic time in South Africa. Here are 5 tips to ensure your trip to South Africa runs smoothly.

5. Start planning now:

If you are a South African and planning a trip to catch a match in a host city near you or a foreigner planning a trip to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010, now is the time to start your planning.

With just months to go before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa bookings for accommodation, car rental, adventure activities, and even popular restaurants are starting to fill up fast. Locals and quick fingered internationals are vying for the best South Africa has to offer by being the first to book and plan their trip far in advance.

4. Pick your city:

Football fans around the world should already be thinking about planning their travel to the World Cup to ensure they make the most out of the event and the region. South Africa has so much to offer as a travel destination and it is sure to be ‘sold out’ during the World Cup in 2010.

Plan your trip around the various host cities you’d like to visit and the games you would most like to see. Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg are among the 9 host cities in South Africa. For more about the host cities and stadiums visit our Sport and FIFA Section.

3. Plan your down time:

Once you’ve established where you’d like to base yourself for the duration of the tournament you can set about making plans for travels to the surrounding areas - in-between games of course and nearby host cities.

Don’t leave other activities such as game drives, shark cage diving, and trips up Table Mountain to last-minute planning. These activities will be booked far in advance by forward thinking travellers. Another bonus to booking early is the chance for discounted prices, many operators offer an early bird special to those booking months in advance, so be sure to do your homework on prices and availability before you arrive.

2. Make it a holiday of a lifetime:

Aside from the amazing football extravaganza taking place in 2010, South Africa has lots more to offer on the holiday front. From seaside holidays to bush retreats to safaris, South Africa has it all. Plan your best-ever football trip by combining your World Cup visit in 2010 with some of South Africa's amazing attractions.

1. Do a pre-2010 trip:

If you can afford it why not familiarise yourself with the lay of the land before 2010 with a pre-2010 trip. The Final Draw for the FIFA 2010 World Cup is taking place in Cape Town on 4 December 2009 and is the perfect time to familiarise yourself with South Africa. The Final Draw in Cape Town is bound to whet your appetite for the big show 6 months later and will provide plenty of football excitement with all the teams’ representatives coming to Cape Town to hear the final verdict for games in 2010. Read more about the Final Draw in Cape Town in our event on the Final Draw.

For more exciting news and information on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa browse our FIFA 2010 Section.

To keep up-to-date with 2010 World Cup developments subscribe to our Editor’s Picks Newsletter and follow us on Twitter @wcsoccer2010.

Interested in seeing where the stadiums, fan parks and other interesting 2010 locations are situated? Download our innovative Google Earth 2010 map.