by Andi B.
My Mister and I recently had a great trip to Las Vegas, for very little out of pocket. It was our Vegas vacation, tightwad style.
Flight: I had a leftover flight credit that was going to expire and combined that with an incredible Ding! fare from Southwest. Keep your dates flexible if possible. We saved $20 per person by flying out Wednesday night instead of Thursday morning. The total cost for two tightwads to fly roundtrip from Portland to Las Vegas? $250. Put the word out to others for those flight credits, too. They don’t do any good if they expire and you might be able to purchase them for pennies on the dollar.
Room: We took advantage of a deal that popped up on Travelzoo to stay at the Rio Hotel for the first two nights we stayed in Vegas at a whopping $35 a night. We stayed the remaining time as planned with family, but it’s important to make sure you have relaxing time and take a vacation…when you’re on vacation. After I found the deal it seemed to disappear, but I thought it had been valid through December. I googled “Rio Las Vegas $35 Hotel” and found the offer on another website. Don’t ever give up on a good deal.
Food: Rule #1 is no minibar, no room service. We ate at some of our favorite off-strip locations, like Kobe Sushi on Fort Apache and Flamingo, Memphis BBQ on Rainbow, but we missed our favorite blood orange mojitos from Firefly on Paradise. There are always comparable, if not better, restaurants off the strip as there are on. For French food try Marche Bacchus at Lakeside, and for fine American dining, try Rosemary’s on Sahara (They have a beer pairing for goodness sake!). One of the best meals I had this past trip was a sandwich at JJ’s at the Paris, though. It was a proscuitto and provolone sandwich on a giant baguette for around $10 that was exquisite and fed both my husband and myself. If you have to stay on the strip, many fine dining restaurants are offering “Prix Fixe” menus that allow excellent food at very reasonable prices.
Transportation: Originally, we planned on renting a car. The only deals we could find were for Friday through Monday, but we were staying Wednesday through Tuesday, so we planned on taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. The price ranges from free to $15. From that we were going to stay close to the strip and use free shuttles to get around between hotels. Our rental car company was going to pick us up and deliver us to a $10 a day rental car deal. At the end of our trip we were going to take a shuttle, cab, or bus back to the airport. My grandmother intervened with her spare car so we didn’t have to do any of it, but the point is…we had a plan.
Souvenirs: The great thing about Vegas is all the cheap souvenir places. We went to ABC stores and got very random souvenirs for everyone for around $2-4 per person, and that’s only because we were aiming for under $5 instead of under $1 (also doable). Try the Fremont Street Experience for great little shops with T-shirts, shot glasses, playing cards and more.
Shows: Try Tix 4 Tonight if you want to get a good price on a show, but these are last minute, day-of tickets, and you may not get the exact one you were hoping for. There’s also lots of free entertainment such as the Bellagio fountains, the Sirens at Treasure Island, the statues at Caesar’s. The best show is always people watching, though. You really never know what you’re going to see. Who knows? You might see a famous person drop cocaine out of a purse that isn’t theirs.
Gambling: I really get out of Vegas cheaply because I don’t gamble. Shock, gasp, awe, I know, but I don’t. The best way to gamble in Vegas is still with the house’s money. You can sometimes get a slot or table credit deal with your hotel room, or for signing up for the hotel’s rewards programs. This is how Vegas tracks its comps and can be your best friend or worst nightmare depending on how much you play. Just remember, consider any bet you place as a gift to the house, or payment for entertainment; plan on it evaporating.
Frugal travel trip: only bring a carry on, they are free and you get around the airport a lot faster. We are going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving this would be a great way to save some extra change!
I also subscribe via google reader.
I have been to Vegas several times and it is fun. I would really like to go on an Alaskan trip!judyylee@hotmail.com
I subscribe via email.
judyylee@hotmail.com
Love the reference to Paris Hilton.
We save money on vacations by going off-season whether it is to Hawaii or the Caribbean.
I subscribe to your blog and follow you on twitter!
I subscribe to your blog and follow you in twitter!
I love Vegas. But it is not the cheapest vacation for us because we like to stay on the strip, we gamble and I love to shop. Oh, and we like to eat! LOL
My favorite frugal vacation tip, specifically for Vegas, is to sign up for the casino's player club to receive coupons and discounts.
I've also subscribed, added you to my next roundup this following Saturday, and tweeted. Thanks!
I love Firefly! I'll have to check out Kobe Sushi next visit…sounds great.
As for how I save, I play a lot of poker!!! I'm very meticulous with tracking my winnings and losing, but over the course of a year it's often enough to sport the trip.
ps Welcome to Yakezie!
Awesome giveaway and really cute piggy. Whoever gets it will be really lucky. Unbelievable savings on your trip as well…the nightly hotel rate is UNREAL!
Very cute piggy bank, and I'm quite impressed with your vacation bargains.
I went to follow you on Twitter and discovered that I already did…no wonder your blog title is so prominently in my mind.
especially for Vegas Deals – our local Car dealer have some sort of promotions where you can get free hotel stays just for showing up and picking up car info or making test drive
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
schnitzomage {at} gmail {dot} com
following you on twitter @left_the_stars
http://twitter.com/#!/left_the_stars/status/29164138405
Nice details here. I want to visit Vegas one day but will likely stay away from the gambling too.