A Frugal Guide to Las Vegas

Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps, what happens there stays there, just the right amount of wrong, the City of Entertainment – you get the idea.

Vegas is notorious for its lavish nightclubs, exotic locations, bigger than life hotels and casinos, and more shows than you could get through in a lifetime. Because of this, travelers looking to save money on their vacations are hesitant to choose it, out of fear of going for broke shortly after arriving at the airport (which is a valid concern, given that even the airport here has slot machines threatening to part you with your hard earned cash before you even step onto Nevada soil).

After spending 3 days there this past weekend, I’ve learned (in some cases the hard way) how to save some serious money in Vegas without sacrificing the excitement that comes along with it. As always, a small bit of preparation goes a long way. The following list outlines some effective ways to save in Vegas, divided by three major categories that affect all travelers: Transportation, Accommodation, Entertainment, and Food.

Transportation

Tip # 1: Download the Lyft App and save $10 per person for 5 rides

Lyft is a new rideshare service very similar – identical, in fact – to Uber. The problem with Uber is that everyone already has it, so there are no opportunities for first time rewards. By downloading the Lyft app, you can save $10 (USD!) off each trip up to 5 trips in total. Even better, by sending the app to your friends, they also get the $10 off 5 trips, but you get an additional $10 credit on your account. Let’s do some math to see what you could save:

For 2 people, one person downloads the app and gets $10 x 5 trips = $50 off. By sending the app to another person, they get $10 more, so $60 off. The other person also gets $50 off ($10 x 5), totaling $110.00 worth of FREE ridesharing around Las Vegas!

There are two important things to remember if you choose to do this: (1) Tips are not included in the free amount, even if your trip is less than $10, and (2) this is $10 one-way trips, so if you take a $15 trip, you still have to pay $5, even if you are under your total allowance of $50. We ended up taking a car half way, getting out, walking a block, calling another car, and finishing the trip on a new fare, essentially getting a $20 trip for free (plus $1 for adding a tip).

Tip # 2: Consider buying a monorail 24-hour pass when casino hopping

The monorail in Vegas is incredibly convenient, air-conditioned, offers great views of the city, and stops at all major casinos along the strip. Additionally, a voice-over announces the attractions at each stop, including popular restaurants and landmarks worth checking out. If you are planning on sticking to the strip for the day and want to conveniently visit each casino without making the trek from one end to the other (especially in 42 degree weather!), consider spending $12 on a 24-hour monorail pass. If you also followed the Lyft suggestion, that is best saved for short trips to non-casino destinations, or in several short trips to make a longer one (as described above).

Tip # 3: Look into free airport to hotel shuttles before paying for a taxi or Uber

This one we didn’t realize until we got to the hotel – after a $15 (CDN) Uber ride from the airport, we were told that the hotel offered free airport shuttles 24/7. In all likelihood, the majority of decent hotels in the area will offer this, as this would be a great chance for them to pick up people from the airport that haven’t chosen a hotel yet to come to theirs. Either way, don’t pay for fare from the airport. Please.

Accommodation

Tip # 1: Avoid the expensive hotels, but don’t cheap out either

Staying at The Mirage or MGM Grand will cost you big time. Personally, I’d rather spend less on the hotel and more on the experiences outside of it. That being said, if you go too cheap, you’re going to either be too far from the strip and feel out of the action, or you’re going to miss out on amenities like a swimming pool which is potentially the most gratifying thing you can have in 40+ degree weather. The hotel I booked was the Fortune Hotel and Suites, and although it was a little dated and a 15-minute walk from the strip, it had a pool, free breakfast, and free wi-fi. Other hotels to be considered are Circus Circus, where at around $80-100 per night, you can be very close to the strip, and have a theme park inside the hotel. How many people can say they rode an indoor roller coaster? Be sure to book wherever you stay well in advance to take advantage of online deals, such as those through Hotwire or Trivago (you can even set up price alerts if you have a specific budget in mind). Also, consider contacting the hotel directly and asking about their rack rate – which is the price they are willing to go down to in order to fill an otherwise empty room. This may be less common in Vegas, but you could get lucky (sorry for all of the gambling puns).

Entertainment

Tip # 1: Book shows online ahead of time and use the Tix4Tonight booth for low-cost entertainment

We booked Cirque-Du-Soleil, a gravity-defying hour and a half show where tickets can range greatly from $50 to over $300. The higher the price, generally, means the closer you are to the stage, and could lead to some audience participation with the show. However, you don’t have to choose a nose-bleed section to get a better price – a quick Google search for tickets will take you to various websites offering prices at different rates, and usually at least $10-20 less than you would pay at the venue. If you’re alright with choosing a less popular show, hop into the Tix4Tonight line at Flamingo Road and S Las Vegas Blvd. Here, you can find fairly deep discounts on a variety of shows available throughout the day along the strip and on Fremont Street.

Tip # 2: Gamble your own money on Fremont Street, people watch on the Strip

By far, the fastest way to lose your money is by gambling in any of the big name casinos along S Las Vegas Blvd. With its reputation as the most popular street in the most famous gambling city in the world, it is no surprise to see tables with minimum $20 bets, a wide variety of $5/play slot machines, and never ending poker games and high stakes areas. Keep your wallet in your pocket in these casinos, and instead hover innocuously around some of these tables, watching the bets take place by other players who are more willing to part with a day’s wages than you are. When they win, you’ll still get that dopamine hit seeing their reaction to a big increase in their chip count, and when they lose – you’ll be grateful it wasn’t you in their chair.

Obviously, you’re in Vegas, so odds are you plan on doing some gambling – the better place to do this would be off the strip, at one of the smaller gambling houses where the odds are higher and the drinks are cheaper. Better yet, gamble at Fremont Street, still incredibly popular with tourists, but a less-expensive version of S Las Vegas Blvd. It even has a cool zip line ($5 cheaper if you do it before 6 p.m.) and after the sun sets, the entire ‘Fremont Street Experience’ lights up for a dazzling display of colours and sounds. Head into the Fremont Casino for $1 minimum bets on many tables, as well as digital roulette wheels with a single 0 (European style), rather than a 0 and 00, moving the odds more in your favour. The only other advice I have on gambling is to set a limit at the start, and stay within it. It is easy to get caught up in the “one more time” mentality, but one more time is a never-ending concept. It’s fun to see money you brought to be entertained with go into the hands of the hard-working casino staff, it’s another thing to start dipping into credit cards to try to leave a winner.

One last gambling tip is to choose your poker table wisely – wait until late in the morning when slightly inebriated players join the tables, and make sure they all look like tourists, and aren’t locals. Your odds of beating slightly drunk tourists at poker are much, much higher than any other form of gambling you will be doing all weekend.

Tip # 3: Free Drinks! (For the shameless)

A lot of people think you need to be a high roller on a streak in order to get free drinks. Although this is definitely true, you can also use a more shameless approach to getting what you want. Servers will walk around with trays of drinks, taking orders from those playing at the tables. Unfortunately for them, the turnover for these players can be quite high, and the time between a drink order and getting out of your seat is often times very low. After someone leaves their seat, the server will still come by with the drink, but quickly learn that it has no owner to give it to. At this point, they take the drink back to the bar and discard it, or give it to another patron if the same drink happened to be ordered. This can be a great opportunity for you to ask the server with a tray of drinks if they have extras. If so, these extra drinks can be given away, free of charge, which is done happily by the server who would prefer to give it away than pour it down the drain. Although this technique is going to be less likely for mixed drinks, it works great for beer and water.

Tip # 4: Don’t spend money on activities you can do elsewhere – keep to Vegas attractions only

This goes without saying, but a movie theater ticket, bowling, etc. are going to cost you a lot more in Las Vegas, and are frankly a waste of time (unless you’re dying to see the next installment of Star Trek and can’t wait until the weekend is over). There is so much to see and do in Vegas that is only there, why pay more for activities that you can do at home?

Food

Tip # 1: Go to all-you-can-eat buffets to refuel, buy snack food ahead of time or at CVS or Walgreens to fill in the gaps

We struggled to find these all-you-can-eat buffets after being told they are all over Las Vegas. In fact, they really aren’t, but they do exist. The one we went to was called Paradise Buffet, in the Fremont Casino. For $18 per person (!) we were able to get a wide variety of great food, including soda, tea, coffee and desserts. The staff in the restaurant were incredibly fast at clearing plates, and the total price for 2 people was a mere $45 (USD) including tip for as much food as we could eat. To put that in perspective, I bought a chili cheese hot dog and a beer from Nathan’s earlier that day for just under $20 (USD). Nearly the same price!

When not eating meals, eating granola bars, fruit, etc. that you either bought ahead of time or at one of the convenience stores on the strip will help you save tons of money. If you’d rather sit down and eat, there are some guides that list restaurants by price, and if you’re desperate, there is a McDonald’s on the strip. I suggest avoiding this place at all costs at 3 o’clock in the morning.

Tip # 2: Buy liquor off the strip and drink it in your hotel room

Pre-drink, it works at home before a night out at the bar, so why not use the same approach in Las Vegas? Drinks can get pricey on the strip (we paid nearly $40 (USD) for two shots at The Mirage), the cost of an entire bottle of vodka at one of the many liquor stores in the area.

Tip # 3: Keep lots of water in a backpack that you carry around with you

There is NO free water anywhere in Vegas. Even the faucets in the bathrooms of the casinos are designed to make refilling a tedious task. Water fountains simply do not exist anywhere, and you pay a minimum of $1 (USD) for 400ml bottles anywhere you go.

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So there you have it – Las Vegas for those who didn’t think they could ever go. If you’ve ever been, did you have any ways that you were able to save some cash? How about a horror story of where you spent way too much, and what you learned from it? Feel free to comment below! And thanks for reading!

Talk is Cheap (But Travel is Cheaper): The Thrifty Guide to Deeply Discounted Traveling

Think of the last vacation you took. What if I told you that you could have the exact same experience for 1/3rd of the price that you paid for it?

The idea of saving money on vacation isn’t a new one. In the title, I use the word “cheap” to describe what may better be described as frugal or thrifty – in essence, the “prudent planning in the disposition of resources so as to avoid unnecessary waste and expenses” (Dictionary.com 2015). How much could some planning really affect the cost of our holidays, however? It turns out, the savings opportunity could be substantial depending on the type of trip you are intending to take. I will break down the savings potential of the three most expensive aspects of modern day travel: accommodation, food, and transporation.

Accommodation:

Choosing where to stay during your trip will be the most deciding factor on how much you end up spending while there. Fortunately, today there are a plethora of options available to us that will help to make the search for the ultimate cheap-sleep a reality.

AirBnB
Perhaps the most popular option of all, AirBnB offers registered users a large selection of rooms and sometimes even entire homes to rent during specific periods of time. The difference between this and a hotel is the fact that you are essentially sleeping in someone’s home. Creepy? It could be, if it weren’t for the fact that AirBnB actually does a great job of maintaining a rating system not just for guests, but for hosts as well. Any and all negative feedback for a host will be publicly displayed for those conducting their searches. If you’re not comfortable staying at a stranger’s home, you can even look up a description of the host as well as reach them by their provided contact information. In fact, AirBnB reached 1 billion bookings within just three years, and is only continuing to grow as a viable option. If you still think this option is a little unsavory, might I suggest forgoing the next option as well.

CouchSurfing
Introducing, by far, the cheapest way to visit a new place – couch surfing. Couch surfing is almost precisely what it sounds like: staying (for free in most cases) in someone’s place and sleeping on their couch. Although there are no expectations in regarding to reciprocity, the entire community is hinged on the concept of I scratch your back, you scratch mine. This notion of staying for free is novel not only for its obvious cost-savings factor, but for another unexpected benefit: you get to meet locals in the community in which you’re visiting rather than isolating yourself to a hotel room. This way, you will get to see the place you are visiting through localized lenses, opening you up to a much more authentic experience than you may have otherwise had without having done so. The same practices apply here as they do at AirBnB, so expect detailed descriptions of your host (and details about the guests for weary hosts), and a full rating system.

Aside from these two most popular options, most places around the world have a large array of hostels, car/tent camping options, and other means of getting a night’s sleep without breaking the bank.

Food:

I love eating. This is by far my own personal worst offending area when I travel, as I consider sampling local food as a staple of any meaningful vacation. This ranges from funnel cakes at Wonderland all the way to spaghetti in Italy and everything in between. Next month, I`ll be taking a trip to Chicago where I will undoubtedly gorge on deep dish pizza and a dish known as pig face. However, one solution is to buy ingredients like you’re home and cooking, only trying the local delicacies when appropriate. Knowing where the grocery stores are can be a huge contribution to keeping you within budget in the food category. In between meals, snack on nuts, granola bars, etc. that you have with you. Finally, if staying at a hotel, ask about discounts and coupons to restaurants or suggestions for cheap fare in the area you’re staying.

Transporation:

The best and most prolific advice for any attempt to save on transportation has always been to book very, very early in advance. While this remains absolutely true, there are other contributing factors that could help to reduce this cost even further.

Megabus:
If you’re looking for the ultimate cheap bus trip to New York, look no further than MegaBus. Even if their lowest fare promise seems too good to be true ($1 one-way to New York City), the runner up fares of $5 and $15 (which I found myself through a quick search of their U.S. website) are absolutely the most fantastic deal going.

Attend Trade Shows:
Many trade shows often have discounted travel fares for trade attendees at their booths. At the very least, it is worth meeting with booth attendants that represent places or companies you are interested in to hear if they have any insider knowledge of ways you can save some money. Just beware that these trade shows typically charge for you to attend them, so do this option sparingly.

A good trip is a good trip – plain and simple. If the amount of emotional happiness you get out of a trip that costs 1/3rd of what you initially budgeted for it, why would you even consider not trying to squeeze every wasted dollar out of the equation?

Some examples of trips you could take for incredibly cheap:

Toronto to New York City, 4 days, <$100. Take MegaBus down and back ($10 total), Couch Surf while there ($0), spending $50 on food by bringing snack items with you (make sure it’s something you can bring across the border, so no nuts for example), and coupons for one or two restaurant meals. Have the remainder of your meals at vendors or buy a few staple grocery items to keep with you while there, such as bread. For attractions, visit Central Park, and some of the museums which offer free admission during one day each week. Visit other popular destinations, including waiting in line at 6 a.m. to get a spot in the audience of a host such as Jimmy Fallon. Spend $30 on any must-see attractions (for instance, standing atop Empire State Building’s observation deck). Buy an Empire State Building statuette for $10, and call it a trip.

Eurotrip, 1 week, <$1,000. Getting to Europe is not cheap. Fortunately, some countries are cheaper to fly into than others, and by doing so you can always take local transit to get where you really want to go once you’re there. Spend $600 round trip on a flight from Brussels, Belgium. Take a bus from Belgium to Germany, then to Luxembourg, then to France, and finally back to Belgium (to spend even less, consider hitch hiking where safe and appropriate). Use a combination of AirBnB and Couch Surfing options while abroad ($200). Free attractions are abound in Europe, but to get up close and personal consider bringing ($100) spending cash for such occasions. Finally, for food, offer to split the cost of food with those you are staying with at your Couch Surfing locations, and for the rest of the trip keep an ample supply of trail mix, granola bars, and dense bread in your pack. This way, you could afford the occasional bite at an affordable restaurant ($100 if done right).

These are just two examples of ways to employ some of the ideas I had in my discussion. One last piece of advice I have is to try to have an opposite mentality to other tourists in order to capitalize on “down times” – if taking a long flight, consider leaving at night so you can sleep on the plane and arrive in the morning to your destination, rather than arriving in the evening and spending money on a place to sleep. Eat at non-peak times and days (2:30 p.m. on a Tuesday versus 6:00 p.m. on a Saturday) to take advantage of promotions in-store to encourage more patrons during less busy hours. Visit bakeries at the end of the day for cheap baked goods that would otherwise be discarded. There are really countless ways in which you can save on your trip, in order to maximize the amount of time you are able to spend there.

What are some strategies you have for when you take your vacations?

Do you have any good success (or even better, horror) stories of times you spent a different amount of money than you expected?