Where to stay for the London 2012 Olympics

[divingbrit]

Thanks for the info, I have it on the list, 2012 volunteer.co.uk I am compiling for those of us who are Olympic GamesMakers, being in London for possibly four weeks, doing unpaid work, most Gamesmakers prime concern at the moment is finding somewhere to sleep, Hotels are out of the question price wise, many of the younger ones are planning to go under canvas. With seventy thousand volunteers, space is at a premium. Please keep the suggestions coming in .

[Gemma103]

Just had a look thanks, great idea and some of the rooms are quite reasonable so good to bear in mind for other trips! I have just booked camping at Blackheath Rugby Club, they are part of Camping at the Games so volunteers can change dates or get a refund if you find out you don't need to be around for the full 2 weeks, and it's still the best rate I've found.

I'm hoping there will be a load of volunteers there so it will be a good social as well!

[Gemma103]

Next thing to sort out....transport, dreading it !

[divingbrit]

Do you mean while you are in London, or getting here?

[Gemma103]

Whilst in London, judging by what I have seen in the press it could be a nightmare to get about on the tubes! I have read a few blog on how best to plan my journey, do you have any tips?

[richard]

Hi Gemma103, the first thing I would do is invest in a pre-pay Oyster Card which will take a lot of the hassle out of travelling around London on public transport, with no more figuring out which tickets to buy, just swipe the card over the reader and off you go.

More info can be found at the official TfL website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/default.aspx

TIP: Make sure you order it in advance rather than when you reach London because it will save a lot of time and effort in queuing up to buy one.

[richard]

One more site well worth viewing is www.lo2012.com which is a short term property rentals site which may be of interest to anyone visiting London for the 2012 Olympics.

[Sidehill House]

Isn't it free to travel on tube when you have a ticket for an event?

Or avoid the tube altogether and stay with us! Www.sidehillhouse.com

Originally Posted by richard

Hi Gemma103, the first thing I would do is invest in a pre-pay Oyster Card which will take a lot of the hassle out of travelling around London on public transport, with no more figuring out which tickets to buy, just swipe the card over the reader and off you go.

More info can be found at the official TfL website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/default.aspx

TIP: Make sure you order it in advance rather than when you reach London because it will save a lot of time and effort in queuing up to buy one.

[divingbrit]

Yes thats true, buy a ticket and you get free London transport for the trip, or you could become a 2012 volunteer , be down there for 30 days, find your own accommodation, and yet not qualify for a discount let alone free rail travel outside of London

[Gemma103]

I've now booked a spot only 2 tube stops from the Olympic Park at Eton Manor Rugby Club. Booked it through Camping At The Games. It's great for me as loads of other Games Makers are booking too so we'll be together, plus they offered a flexible camping deal for us volunteers so when we find out our shift patterns we can change our bookings free of charge - bonus!

They also have loads of other campsites near to the other Olympic venues and are open for the Paralympics so pretty good really. If anyone else wants to join in the fun take a looks at www.campingatthegames.com