By Kent Ninomiya
A trip to
Las Vegas will be far more enjoyable and problem free if you take the time to do a little planning. Consider your reasons for visiting Las Vegas and make plans to maximize your access to appropriate venues. This can save you quite a bit of money and time once you get there. It is also important to pick the right time to visit Las Vegas. During peak times you will pay more and may not be able to find a room.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Step 1
Think about where you will be spending most of your time. If you want to be in the middle of all the casino action, then you will want to stay in a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. If saving money is more important to you then consider staying at a less expensive hotel a block or two off of the Las Vegas Strip or in Downtown Las Vegas. If you are attending a convention and plan to work most of the time, stay in a hotel next to the convention center or the location of your convention.
Step 2
Consider when you are traveling to Las Vegas. If you are going on business or for a convention, then you don't have a choice of dates. If you are going for pleasure, try to visit Las Vegas when fewer people are there. The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the slowest time of year when prices are the lowest. Weekdays are also much less expensive than weekends. Always check to see if there are big conventions in town when you plan to visit (see Resources).
Step 3
Search for hotel and airfare rates to find competitive with Las Vegas hotels and flights. Plug in your dates of travel and your desired hotel. If you are flexible with location and dates, try a range and area. You will have many more options and can command a much lower price. You can often save even more money by bundling your flight and hotel together in a package. However, this is not always the case. Once you settle on a hotel, flight or package, go to the specific hotel and airline websites. Plug in the same dates. They often charge even less if you buy from them directly since there is no travel agency fee.
Step 4
Take your gambling money with you and leave your ATM card at home. This will prevent you from losing more money than you want to. If you limit yourself to spending what you have on you, you wont leave Las Vegas with a bunch of regrets. Besides, the casino fees for ATM and credit card transactions for cash are outrageous.
Step 5
Pack appropriately. Las Vegas gets extremely hot during the summer. Temperatures exceed 100 degrees on a regular basis. However, the casinos blast the air conditioning to frigid levels. Bring a sweatshirt or light jacket at any time of the year. Winter can get very cold in Las Vegas but it can also warm up to comfortable levels during the day. If you are visiting during the winter months be sure to bring both summer and winter clothes.
Step 6
Look around. Plan time to spend just wandering around Las Vegas. There is plenty of free entertainment including the Bellagio fountain, Treasure Island pirate show, Mirage volcano and Circus Circus shows. The Las Vegas Strip and the casinos themselves are fun to wander around. You will never get bored looking for something to do in Las Vegas. Do not feel like you have to plan every moment of your trip.
Resources
About the Author:
Kent Ninomiya is a veteran journalist with over 23 years experience as a television news anchor, reporter and managing editor. He traveled to more than 100 countries on all seven continents, including Antarctica. Ninomiya holds a Bachelor of Arts in social sciences with emphasis in history, political science and mass communications from the University of California at Berkeley.
