Renting a Camper Van
Renting a camper van is an awesome way to get out and see the country. It can be a daunting task to plan a road trip, and then travel to the van. We made a list of tips to help you plan your trip.
Tag: trip
Best Things to Do in Las Vegas
We broke our favorite stops in Las Vegas into “To Do” and “To See”. The stops that are “To See” are great photo ops with not much else to them. When we planned our trip I made a google map with pins of all the …
First Time Visitor’s Guide to Las Vegas
First time heading to sin city?
If so, then you’re in the right spot. Our First Timer’s Guide to Las Vegas covers everything I wish we knew before our first trip. When we were planning our first trip to Las Vegas I found that most guides were written by Las Vegas pros or locals. That should be good right? It is, but I noticed that there were some things missing that you would only think about if you had never been somewhere. We created our First Timer’s Guide to Las Vegas in hopes that we can bridge the gap so you have all the tools you need to plan your first trip.
Getting Around
To and From the Airport
You have a few options to choose from if you need to get to your hotel or Airbnb from the airport or vice versa. Your best bets are a toss-up between Uber, Lyft, and taxis depending on where you need to go. Depending on the time of day and the supply and demand of the ride-share services the prices will vary.
Tip: Download both Lyft and Uber (and make the accounts) before you go, if you don’t already have them.
Our Experience: We flew into LAS super late, and ended up not being able to step foot out of the baggage claim until 1:30 in the morning. The first thing I did was compare the fares between Uber and Lyft for the same ride to the Luxor. It was $35 before the tip for Uber and $37 for Lyft. We didn’t attempt a taxi because the ride-share pickup was right next to our baggage claim spot. This was the most we paid for an Uber our entire trip (not including the ride back to the airport from the hotel).
Walking from the airport is not really an option, trust me I looked into it. I can be incredibly stubborn and frugal to a fault and I certainly would walk if it was possible. I mean it was technically only 2 miles from the airport to the Luxor right? That would be the most painful walk and after seeing it in person I realize I would not make it all the way.
Around Town
This was one of the most confusing parts of our trip that took me a solid bit to learn. What you’ll need to take into account for getting around is 1) what side of the street is the location you’re going to on, 2) what form of transportation is there 3)how much do you want to spend.
Taking a taxi on the strip is not worth it. The traffic is bad and they take longer to get around than public transportation. The primary mode of transportation we used on our trip was our feet. We each averaged 30,000 steps a day, which is a ton of walking. If you’re not interested in walking that much or are not able to, be sure to schedule more time in your day for getting around.
Tip for the wise: Bring comfortable shoes. I mean it. Don’t wear a pair of shoes for the first time, wear your nicest heels, or even shoes you haven’t worn yet for the season. I wore my Birkenstock sandals for the first time of the season, even though they are well broken in, I got the biggest blister I have ever gotten in my entire life on the FIRST DAY of our trip.
Monorail
The Monorail is a 4-mile ride that starts at the MGM Grand and ends at the Sahara. There are 7 stops total, with the remaining five being at Bally’s/Paris, The Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah’s/Linq, Las Vegas Convention Center, and Westgate Center. You can buy tickets online or in-person to ride the monorail.
There are several different types of passes for the monorail, starting with a 24-hour pass going all the way to a 7-day pass. The 24-hour pass is $13.45 and the 7-day pass is $51.75 as of October 2022.
There is also the monorail system between the Excalibur, Mandalay Bay and Luxor. The operating hours of this monorail are slightly less than the other monorail.
RTC Bus System
The RTC runs all over Las Vegas, but I will be focusing on getting around the strip. The bus you’ll be looking for is the “Deuce”. The RTC has an app that is a good guide but somewhat unreliable for bus times. We found that we used it for finding the bus stop we wanted but that was about it.
An important thing to note when taking the Deuce around town is that it stops in different locations if it is heading North or South. Buses go by each stop every 15 minutes or so. They offer 2-Hour, 24-Hour, and 3-Day passes.
Getting to Fremont Street from the strip
This is something that ended up catching us off guard on our first trip to Las Vegas. On our trip out to Fremont Street, we got on the Northbound Deuce at the Venetian stop. It took a whopping 50 minutes to get there…at 1 AM. 8 Miles in 50 minutes, that is not a good time. Taking a taxi or a ride-share is without a doubt the fastest way to get there, but also the most costly. I was so tired by the time we were done at Fremont Street, I did NOT want to wait for the bus to come back around. The RTC app was saying it would be another 35 minutes just for another bus to get there. We called for an Uber pickup at the Golden Nugget, had some issues getting an actual pickup spot, then paid $30 to get back to the Luxor. So, keep in mind how long it takes to get there, how long you want to spend there, and the ride back when you’re planning your day.
Rental Cars
If you are spending your entire trip on the strip there is really no point in renting a car. You will spend all of your time trying to find parking or spending more money than you want to on parking. If you plan on doing day trips it may be worth it to just rent the car for the days you need it.
Hotels
Where you stay is really up to you. There are budget hotels and there are world-class stays all on the same road. Book your hotel based on your budget, but also keep the location of the hotel in mind. If you don’t want to have to travel far and often, try to pick a hotel in the middle of the strip.
Resort Fees
Most hotels on the strip charge a “Resort fee” for use of the internet, the gym, the pool, etc. Basically, anything that you think should be included in the resort grounds. If you see a hotel listed for $75 a night, don’t forget they probably charge a $25 resort fee. This can make your budget hotel seem not so budget.
Pool Season
Another thing I didn’t know before we got to Las Vegas is that there is a “pool season”. We are from Maine, so any weather above 65 degrees is pool season for us. Here it is March through October, and most pools close during the other months. During our two days at the Luxor and Excalibur, their open pools closed both days due to wind.
Notes and Tips
Drinking on the strip
Open containers are legal on the strip, so feel free to grab a drink and walk around. You can bring your drinks with you from restaurants if you don’t finish them. We stopped at Walgreens and got some beer to walk the strip with for the evening. It is a lot cheaper that way as well.
Drinking while gambling is free
If you are gambling in a casino, drinks from the waiters are generally free while you’re actively gambling. We didn’t take advantage of this but you definitely should.
Show discounts or “free” things
Beware of free things. There will be people on the streets promoting clubs, shows, hotels and other events. They often promise free things or experiences for you to come but they are scams. You will even see them in some hotels trying to sell you show experiences run by the hotels. “No thank you” works pretty well.
Luggage Storage
Have a late flight but need to check out of your hotel? You can store your luggage at a hotel concierge until you need to pick it up. Ours was free at the Excalibur, but we tipped the concierge. In our situation, we were not staying at the hotel and were turning in our camper van. We had a 6-hour gap before needing to be at the airport and it worked great.
What to Bring
If you like to dress up and look nice, feel free to do so. Wear comfortable shoes though. As I noted in the “Getting Around” section I got a pretty bad blister on our first day. If you think you might get a blister, come prepared with a blister kit. If you’ll be gone from your hotel all day I suggest bringing a refresh bag-especially if it’s a windy day. I had a brush, wetwipes, bandaids, new deodorant, etc. Going from AC to the hot outside can leave you feeling gross.
I hope that our notes from our first trip to Las Vegas will help you plan your first trip. It can seem daunting to plan a trip to a new city. Las Vegas is an awesome destination no matter what type of trip you are planning. Happy traveling!