Cheap Las Vegas Hotels And Flights

A Guide To A Cheap Las Vegas Vacation With All The VIP Perks

I travel to Vegas 2-3 times a year because its one of the best vacation spots in the US. My flight out on my trip before last I was sat across from the bathroom, next to the flight attendant, and beside a man with little to no personality. That part was no fun. It pays to fly NW when possible rather then Delta if your coming from the East Coast. Some reason I have always snagged better flights this way.

One good hint of advice... LasVegasDirect.com does have the best prices but sometimes you can beat their flight price by a few bucks. This lasts trip I found it a bit cheaper using Fly.com. Also... Kayak.com has a great 'Buzz' service that can identify for you the best days to fly... then utilize Fly or LVD to find the best rates... but let me tell you something I have learned from my misadventures..

The hotel + flight cost is NOT what you really spend money at in vegas. Its the $50 you pay the cab when you go from the airport to the casino and back when your ready to go home... and the $30 you spend checking in your bags... the $40 on parking in the airport back home and the $30 you spend eating at the airport, the $10 in drinks and a magazine... thats $145 just getting from one airtport to your casino.

In vegas food cost money. I spent once $7.50 for a bottle of water... so when you look at your hotel don't go super cheap and stay at one of the run down places.. spend a little more to enjoy yourself. My first time there I stayed in New Orleans and found that I had to ride a bus to get to the strip... no big deal right? Well, it puts me standing outside of the hotels a lot waiting on a ride. The big problem with not staying downtown or on the strip is that things happen and you have to get back to the room and having to grab a long bus is a pain. I got sick downtown once and had to get all the way back to New Orleans casino... no fun. If you forget your wallet... thats at least 30 minutes round trip to start the process over again... or plans change. So being on the strip has its perks that will save you a lot of time, and time is money. Your already paying HUNDREDS of dollars a day to be in vegas so calculate what your time is worth while you are there.

My first trip to vegas I got a standard room... and I got sick... and never left the room. It was much like being in a hamster cage for 4 days. My second trip I stayed in New York New York and I upgraded to a top notch penthouse room -- and I learned that if your NOT sick in vegas then you don't ever see your room.

So next time... try Treasure Island or Excaliber and go for like the Spa room... affordable, very nice, but centralized. Just makes a lot of sense :) If your on a budget then try some of the nicer downtown rooms -- great stuff. NEVER spend more then $100 a night for a room in vegas... no reason to.

I also learned that if your just flying in then you shouldn't worry about trying to get comps -- you won't be there long enough for it. Some places offer a new player comp... and if so, gamble as little as you can to get that comp then move to the next chain and do some more. More around, gamble here, gamble there -- there is no point in loyalty anymore. Just ride who ever has the best deal.

But let me tell you how you win in vegas... utilize social gambling. Gamble for fun with large groups of people, talk to the people around you, make crazy bets, 'follow' other players bets, match their bets, bet for the dealer -- have a party. You can't beat the tables so just have fun and make friends -- thats the only way to win. If you want to draw a crowd goto a 25 cent / $1 roulette and bet 50-100 chips stacked on top of each other on a single number. Its a GREAT crowd drawer, and who knows, you might win.

But after I won lots of money this last trip... go see some shows. DON'T go cheap... the shows are worth it. $100 a ticket is rough but pay it, you won't regret it. Use the Ticket Master booths to save money on both TICKETS and FOOD.

To save all that money for the shows... let me tell you how I plan my food. Never order two entrees.. or even one. If there are two of you... just order an appatiser. If your VERY hungry... just order one entre. If your still hungry afterwords... get you some desert. Portions are HUGE in vegas -- dont waste your money over ordering. Next... don't order cokes. Bring your own drinks in, or bring along those drink flavor packs so you can flavor your water. Why spend $8 for two cokes when you can load up for free? Otherwise... most entrees you will find are goign to run you from $20-30 a person, so eating out can become $100 or more a day for the two of you with EASE and I usually spend up to $250 for a meal on four people... so go cheap! Plus this has a lot of perks because now you can eat at many places in one day, try their special item, and move on -- allowing you to eat all kinds of great foods for little to no money.

Finally... a lesson I learned on my last trip is to drink LOTS of water. Your in the desert so its hot and if you don't drink your going to get sick and pay big money on medicine. Don't buy water in the casinos... walk outside and you will find lots of people selling $1 water.

I also learned... never rent a car in Vegas. No point because there is no parking and everything is in walking distance or you use the bus. NEVER rent a car in Las Vegas. You will learn this the hard way like I have when your paying to have it parked for a week and no place to drive it.

Anyway... just something to learn... and I hope you enjoy your trip to vegas :)