Vancouver is synonymous with skiing and snowboarding. This is the reason Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Game. Athletes and spectators around the world will gather in Whistler, the biggest and one of the highest rated snow destinations in North America (See our post 7th Of The Best Ski Sites In The Planet).

Getting into 2010 Winter Olympic Venue

Vancouver International Airport or YVR as locals sometimes refer to, is the official airport of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It is located immediately south of the city of Vancouver. YVR is consistently rated one of the best airports in North America.

Some of the international flights are serviced by Air Canada, KLM, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Philipine Airlines, and Air New Zealand to name a few.

For the 2010 Winter Games, YVR will operate as normal with just some few Olympic adjustments. Extra customer service and employees around the terminal were added to make the operation smoothly. Employees in the airport can be easily recognized; just look for those  in green and red vests.

Right in Vancouver International Airport, you can find the Visitors Centre that offers visitors a wide range of travel services. Additional satellite visitor kiosks at key locations can also be found around the city during the 2010 Winter Games. The visitor information centres and satellite visitor kiosks are a great place to pick up a range of maps and visitor guides to help you find your way around the city.

Friendly smiles from the staff of the visitors centre will surely greet you.  Courteous and  knowledgeable staff are ready to provide professional visitor counseling and itinerary planning, hotel accommodation reservations, ticket sales for bus services to Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria – and a host of helpful travel information, including transportation and community information on all areas of British Columbia.

The Olympic Bus Network

Visitors and spectators with tickets to Whistler events who are traveling from Metro Vancouver will be transported on the Olympic bus network, a charter bus service organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) and operating from a network of designated departure hubs in Metro Vancouver. Olympic bus network transportation tickets are sold separately from Olympic event tickets.

Note: The Olympic bus network only serves spectators going from the Vancouver area to Cypress Mountain and Whistler venues. If you want to go skiing or sightseeing in Whistler or are coming from the Whistler area to Vancouver, you can use commercial motorcoach service.

Here are some tips if you are traveling to Vancouver during the games period:

• All facilities were completed already but  it will still be a bit busier than usual, so give yourself some extra time to get to the airport.
• If you are bringing car to pick someone, plan ahead so you can avoid traffic in front of the terminals.
• Try SkyTrain or Canada Line, the new rapid transit rail link that provides the only direct public service will get you from YVR to downtown in 25 minutes.

We hope these some tips will  make your travel experience better. Expect more updates for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games right here at World Travel and Vacation site.