Travel is finally back on the cards, and you’re eyeing up a trip away. Where better to go than Las Vegas? It’s got everything you need for your first trip away in god knows how long.
If you’ve never been to Vegas, don’t worry, you’ll be joining the thousands of visitors who have made their first Las Vegas trip this year. In fact, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s mid-year visitor report states that nearly a quarter of all the people who have traveled to Vegas this year have been first-time visitors.
It will help you to know the things you should consider when planning your trip. Here’s your guide.
How Long Will Your Las Vegas Trip Last?
You might think that with so much going on, you’d need a fortnight to cover everything Vegas has to offer. Well, that assumption would be incorrect.
Most people don’t have the energy or the bank account to have an extended stay in Las Vegas, and in honesty, you don’t need any more than three days. Three days and two nights is the perfect length for your trip.
The average round trip to Las Vegas lasts around three nights and four days.
When Will You Go?
You can visit a desert city in the middle of summer if you want, but it might not be the wisest time to visit.
Summers get hot–”I can’t stand on the sidewalk without burning my feet” levels of hot. You’re best off avoiding the height of summer. The best time to go would be spring.
Springtime in Vegas provides enough heat to make the pool worth a visit, but you won’t be cooked alive in the baking sun for three whole days. The very best months are March and April. May is rather nice, too. November through to February can be surprisingly cold, so it’s worth remembering that if you’re planning on visiting around then.
Another thing to keep in mind is holidays. Holiday weekends are an incredibly popular time to visit Vegas, so bear that in mind if you want to avoid huge crows during your trip.
Budget
Las Vegas trip packages don’t have to cost a fortune, but it probably helps to bring more money than you think you’re going to need.
With all the casinos and other activities and trinkets that cost money to do, you can soon find yourself running lower on cash in Vegas than you perhaps expected.
Dinner will usually cost around $50 per person for a standard restaurant. Something more upmarket will cost closer to $100 per person. You can also expect to pay about $100 for tickets to any shows on the strip you might be interested in seeing.
It’s always possible to find cheap Las Vegas trips. Just bear in mind that almost everything to do in Vegas will set you back fair few dollars.
Bonus advice: make sure to keep plenty of singles on hand. Vegas is a service economy, and you’ll be expected to tip almost everywhere you go.
What to Pack
As mentioned above, Vegas lies in the middle of a desert, and it is typically a hot place, but if you’re visiting between October and April, the weather can sometimes be a bit unpredictable.
Don’t just fling a load of shorts, vests, and tank tops into a bag and expect it to be hot the whole time. It might rain, or it might just be a cold day when you’re visiting. Always check the weather in advance of your trip.
It’s also worth remembering that the hotter it gets outside, the lower the temperature gets inside. Casinos will set the aircon temperature relative to the outside heat, so you might find yourself getting chilly inside without at least a light hoodie.
How to Get There
There are a few ways most people get to Vegas. Most international or cross-country visitors arrive at McCarren International Airport. Because Vegas is a year-round destination, there isn’t a specific time to get cheaper flights.
Flying isn’t the most common mode of transport into Vegas, however. Most visitors opt to drive. Vegas is straightforward to get to by road, as the I-15 highway runs into and through the city.
If you’re driving along Route 66, you can easily take a detour off the main route to spend some time in Vegas.
Where to Stay
It goes without saying that when you plan a Las Vegas trip, you’ll have some of the world’s best and most extravagant hotels to choose from. You essentially have two main options, though. You can either stay on the strip or off the strip.
When you stay on the strip, you’re constantly in the heart of the action, and you’ll be able to walk to practically anything you want to do, but it will come at a higher cost.
Staying off-strip can help keep costs down, but you’ll be quite far removed from all the main attractions, and you might not even save that much money in the long run when you factor in resort fees and other hidden costs.
What to Do
Vegas is crammed full of amazing things to do. Most of the main attractions are located on the strip, and that’s where you’ll spend the majority of your time.
Of course, the casinos are what bring in a considerable amount of visitors. The casinos are glitzy and exciting places to spend an evening, just so long as you know how to quit while you’re ahead and not gamble more than you have.
If gambling isn’t your thing, you can take in Vegas’ famous show scene. Many top artists and entertainers have Vegas residencies, and you can catch them most nights at venues around the city.
There are also a host of day trips from Las Vegas that you can take like excursions to Death Valley and the Hoover Dam.
Don’t Miss a Thing on Your Las Vegas Trip
So that’s your guide to planning a Las Vegas trip. There’s a lot to consider, but Vegas is a city that you need to be prepared for, and planning the trip properly will enable you to get the most out of it.
If you’ve got a Vegas trip booked and you’re looking for something different to do for a night, come on down to the Minus5 Ice Experience. We have ice bars in the Mandalay, the Venetian, and The LINQ Promenade. We can accommodate private parties if you book in advance.
Contact us today if you want to book a party or have any questions.