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IT may seem too early to be planning a 2010 vacation, but travelers who want to see the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this February or cheer their favorite soccer team at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa next summer had better get going.

Despite the recession, demand is high for both events, making tickets hard to come by and sending prices for any remaining hotel rooms soaring. But travelers can still watch their teams compete if they’re willing to be flexible, spend a little more money and make their travel plans now.

In general, the easiest option is to work with one of the official tour operators designated to sell hotel and ticket packages. It is also a sure way to find a hotel room when most are already sold out and to have someone to contact who understands the ins and outs of these sporting events in case something goes awry.

Let’s start with the 2010 Winter Olympics. CoSport is the only company authorized to sell Olympic tickets in the United States, and right now they’re sold out of them. While there is a chance that some tickets will be released this fall, the only way to get them now is by purchasing a travel package. A recent search on CoSport’s Web site pulled up several packages, including $5,136 a person for three nights at the Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside Hotel and a choice of three events including the coveted Feb. 12 opening ceremony.

What if you’ve already booked a hotel room or are staying with friends, and just want tickets? Scalping is technically legal in Vancouver, and while the Internet is rife with scalpers, buyers run the risk of getting counterfeits. One alternative: Ask a Canadian to buy you a ticket this fall, when the next batch of tickets is released.

Have tickets, but don’t have a place to stay? Nearly every hotel room in Whistler, downtown Vancouver and many of its suburbs are already taken by corporate sponsors, Olympic athletes or dogged fans. But some options remain for those who want to be in the thick of things — just be prepared to pay upwards of $600 a night or sleep in quirkier places.

There is an official regional cooperative Web site for the Winter Games, 2010destinationplanner.com, which offers lists of available accommodations and links to prescreened rental agencies and their apartments. Or, if you want to stay aboard a cruise ship, Newwest Travel & Cruises, based in Edmonton, Alberta, has chartered the Norwegian Star from Norwegian Cruise Lines and is turning it into a floating hotel during the Olympics. Rates begin at $1,050 a person for an inside stateroom, Feb. 10 to 13, including onboard meals and entertainment.

Travelers willing to stay across the border in Washington State can also find space. But don’t expect any bargains. The Holiday Inn Express in Bellingham, Wash., about 50 miles south of the border, was $366 a night in a recent check on Expedia.com.

The World Cup is trickier. Matches will be played in nine cities across South Africa (from June 11 through July 11, 2010), presenting something of a travel roulette for soccer fans.

As with the Olympics, the easiest way to obtain tickets is to buy a World Cup travel package, and there are three tour operators designated to sell them in the United States: Destination Southern Africa, Great Atlantic Travel & Tour and Cartan Tours .

Fans can also try their luck by entering the ticket lottery, being held in five phases. (The second phase began May 4 and runs through Nov. 16.) Tickets are awarded first come first served. For the time being, FIFA says there are no tickets left for the final, but a small inventory may become available in the third phase, Dec. 5 to Jan. 22, with a random draw taking place on Feb. 1 for any oversubscribed matches.

Unlike at the Olympics, however, where sports are tied to specific venues, and the dates and times of most events are already set, soccer fans won’t know where, when or even which teams will be playing in South Africa until all 32 teams have qualified and FIFA holds its tournament draw on Dec. 4.

That means travelers hoping to watch the United States in quarterfinals, for example, won’t know where the team will be playing — whether it’s at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, or nearly 900 miles away in Soccer City in Johannesburg — until just a few days before.

Of course, that’s always the case when it comes to the World Cup — and the last-minute scramble is part of the fun. But following your team around will be more complicated in South Africa than at the last World Cup, held in Germany in 2006. Fans staying in Frankfurt, for example, were within a two-hour train ride from most United States matches. South Africa, on the other hand, has less reliable trains and highways, and moving from match to match requires flying.

To increase your chances of seeing your team at the World Cup, work with one of the official tour operators to lock in tickets, hotels and other travel arrangements now. These companies have pre-purchased blocks of hotel rooms and flights. Choose a city like Cape Town, Durban or Johannesburg as a jumping off point. When the finals are announced in December, secure the remaining travel arrangements including domestic flights and hotels in or near the city your team will play. (In the event the United States is eliminated, the package follows the team that beats them.)

Conveniently for tourists, the World Cup coincides with South Africa’s winter, which is peak safari season, when diminished vegetation makes for better game viewing. For travelers who want to see the wildlife while they’re in the country, Destination Southern Africa, based in Tucson, Ariz., with an office in Cape Town, recommends booking three nights at a minimum.

“If you only spend two nights,” said Terry von Guilleaume, the owner, “you only get one full day on safari, reducing your chances of seeing animals.”<#>