Welcome to Las Vegas! You’ve finally made it to Sin City; one of the most interesting cities in the world and now you’re about to start off on your vacation – but you’re on a tight budget. How can you make sure to have a great time in Las Vegas? Read on for tips and tricks to make your visit both fun and inexpensive!
First, consider booking your trip to Las Vegas at off-peak times. During the week you may find more deals for airline flights and hotel rooms than on the weekend. Check with your travel agent or use online travel websites to compare the prices during the week and you’ll find major savings there. As well, think about planning your trip at opposite times to most vacationers; such as during the fall months. You can find big savings before even getting to Las Vegas if you think outside the box and away from the usual holiday routine.
Check out travel packages that offer both airfare and hotel rooms to save even more money. Many hotels like to offer good deals in partnership with airlines and may actually undercut what you would pay individually for each. Still, check out the rates and see what works for you – you may not want or need a rental car or wish to be too far from the Strip, making that supposed deal not so great.
This brings up another excellent travel tip to save money when going to Las Vegas; that of staying off the Strip. True, most tourists dream of staying in one of the major hotels on the Las Vegas Strip and enjoying the sights and sounds of Sin City but you can often find major savings by considering hotels that may be a short shuttle trip away. These hotels may not provide the same flash and glamour of the big names on the Strip but they will keep more money in your pocket. And many of them provide free shuttles to the main drag so that you can wander up and down the Strip and no one needs to know you’re not staying at one of the major hotels.
Now that you’re settled in a good inexpensive hotel and ready to start your vacation in Las Vegas let’s consider what and how you’re going to eat during your stay. True, you can partake of many of the fine restaurants that line the Strip but what if you’re just looking for a snack to tide you over?
Let’s start our savings at the hotel desk – many hotels offer coupon books filled with deals and savings for their visitors. This can range from a one-time only savings on purchasing gambling chips to two-for-one buffets to a discount on souvenirs at the hotel gift shop, but the savings can add up substantially if you use many of them.
Next, try to avoid the hotel shops when it comes to groceries. You will find yourself paying outrageous prices when it comes to things such as bottled water and snacks and can find better deals by stepping outside of the hotel and walking a few blocks to a drugstore or grocery store. Stock up on bottled water by buying the largest size available and then re-distributing it into refillable containers to stretch your food dollar even more.
The buffets in Las Vegas are legendary and you can easily have one large meal a day at one of these fine establishments and not need to eat until the evening. But be sure to pick one that caters to your individual needs, even if it means leaving your hotel and traveling to another area. And, of course, there are major fast-food chains in almost every hotel that will meet your needs.
Now that you’re fed and watered, what’s to do in Las Vegas that’s inexpensive? Well, how about taking in some of the free gambling lessons? Almost every hotel and casino in Las Vegas offers free gambling lessons in craps, roulette and other board games to their visitors and usually provides a small amount for you to actually play with at the end of the lesson. This allows you to discover the ins and outs of a game without looking foolish at the actual gaming table and lets you sample the game before putting down some real cash. Take advantage of these offers to learn about games you may have always been interested in, but afraid to learn.
Join the Player’s Club for your hotel/casino in Las Vegas and earn points while you play – if you’re going to be playing the slots or any of the board games you might as well earn points and possibly get something back at the end of your stay! Membership is free and usually you can cash in your points at the end of your vacation for some sort of reward, be it actual cash back or a souvenir of your stay. And, of course, you get the actual card to take home and show off to your friends!
And when you tire of gambling, be sure to take in many of the free shows that line the Strip! The Bellagio water fountains, the Treasure Island pirate ships, the Mirage erupting fountain… these are only three of the many free exhibits that you can see on the Strip without spending a dime! If you want a taste of old Las Vegas and a dash of the new, head up to Fremont Street to see old casinos such as the Horseshoe and then enjoy the neon display overhead for free! Sure, you could spend money and take in a single big-name show, but why not walk the Strip and see these spectacular productions for free!
Traveling from one spot to another in Las Vegas can be expensive but you can save time and money by avoiding taxis as much as possible. The traffic on the Strip itself is always busy and you’ll burn up dollars sitting in line while other tourists walk right by you. Take advantage of either the free shuttles offered by many hotels to zoom up and down the Strip or the inexpensive trolleys and public transit to zip along the back roads and see a different side of Vegas while saving cash. One great addition to the Strip has been the Deuce, a special transit bus that offers a twenty-four hour pass for a low fee and allows you to get on and off the bus at any stop along the Strip. On the upper level it has a domed area perfect for sightseeing and if you wish to see the neon glory of Las Vegas at night you can’t do better than this inexpensive way to get around!
Taking an inexpensive trip to Las Vegas may sound impossible, but you can have a great time without ruining your budget or destroying your savings! Why not start planning now to head out to Las Vegas and see what Lady Luck has in store for you?
