When it comes to vacations, I like to go someplace warm and beachy….or lively and touristy, like Las Vegas, baby!
Here’s a little tidbit – you don’t have to love gambling to have a great vacation in Vegas!
While the city is a gambling extravaganza, it has so much more, like concerts, shows (Michael Jackson, Circ O le), special exhibits (Princess Diana), and even just walking around sightseeing and eating a ton of food.
If you’re like me in any way, I always like to run down a quick checklist of items to make sure I’ve got myself covered and prepared as much as possible. I hope this article helps you plan a trip to Las Vegas and have the best time ever!
You can’t plan for everything, but you can plan the best you can.
Plan a Trip to Las Vegas Essential Know-Hows
Besides the trip itself, remember to plan out your home life & have that taken care of while you are away. This includes children, pets and your home. #5 below for more on that!
Things to consider when going on vacation include:
- special amenities (beds, views, etc)
- all-inclusive resort (meals, drinks, etc are all paid for as part of the package)
- adults only
- events & touring options
- preferred weather
Let’s get you to Las Vegas!
- Step 1: Booking (online or with an agent)
- Step 2: Flight or Package
- Step 3: Hotel & Amenities
- Step 4: Travel & Events (Itinerary)
- Step 5: Home Life
- Step 6: Packing
Step 1: Booking a Trip (online or with an agent)
I have done both. When I have gone online to book a trip, I usually go through Booking.com or Expedia.com. For either one, you often have the option to use a financing choice like a company called Affirm.com. and I would highly recommend seeing if they have this option because it helps if you cannot spend all that money at one time or upfront.
I can’t say I’ve been to Las Vegas every year, but I have gone at least once every couple years and I was able to find cheap enough tickets at around $250 round trip. This was flight only.
Financing available:
The financing was where you paid a portion upfront, I believe about 1/3 the total so around $1200 and the remainder was financed. The financing was for 12 months at around $150/month.
The financing fee was not very much either (as in there was not a huge interest charge). I think the financing only added on another $200 which isn’t much at all if you think about it. So to us, the financing option was completely worth it.
The other option can be through a travel agent.
Most agencies have a group option to ensure your traveling group gets the proper discounts and group amenities.
Here is a list of items to keep in mind when booking your vacation:
- is the flight included
- is the hotel included
- if you are choosing all-inclusive or not
- specific view luxuries, like strip view, globe view, downtown view, mountain view, etc
- room amenities (larger room vs king bed vs work area)
- other special needs you may want
- insurance for package (in case of cancellation, postponement, etc)
- luggage protection
I know it appears to be a lot of things to keep track of when you plan a trip, but I will tell you it is so much better to go through the list and pre-plan and prepare for as much as possible. If there are any hiccups or issues along the way, you can at least have a grasp on a lot of the items that are taken care of. It allows you to flex if needed.
Step 2: Flight
Booking a flight on its own is actually much easier than it might seam if it’s your first time doing it on your own. You can check out Step #1 above for places to do it but also remember there are other items to consider with the flight.
Here is a list of other items to keep in mind when booking your flight:
- your flight out location/airport
- flight out date and time
- travel to airport
- luggage option & fee
- number of stops (non-stop or multi-stops) – remember this will take up more traveling time
- which airport the flight ends
You will also want to plan for traveling from the airport to hotel and back again when you leave. There are often shuttle buses you can grab outside the airport. Or, if you feel comfortable, I’ve used Lyft many times and it was very similar cost (about $15 a person).
Step 3: Hotel & Amenities
This is one of the fun parts of taking a vacation to Las Vegas…. choosing the hotel!
- all-inclusive or not
- specific view luxuries, like strip view, globe view, downtown view, mountain view, etc
- room amenities (larger room vs king bed vs work area)
- other special needs you may want
Step 4: Travel & Events (Itinerary)
Are you a site-seeker, a go-go-go or relaxing type of traveler?
It’s important to know before getting to your destination what exactly you will be doing while you are there. Do you plan on traveling? Will you be doing “touristy” things? Do you have certain sites that are on your must-do list?
While me and my husband are definitely the types of travelers that just want to enjoy the destination slowly, sit on the beach, drink, and eat, we are often with others who were go-go-go type of people. It’s good to know if there are days or times that you will have by yourselves or be doing group activities, taking trips to other locations or needing to travel outside of your location.
A great example is when we were in Cancun, Mexico, our group wanted to go to Isla Mujeres island. For this, we needed to be sure to get to the dock and purchase tickets well in advance to the boat that took us over there. We also needed to rent a go-cart for travel on the island (which we rented 2 for our group).
These were things that we needed to pre-plan not only with coordinating times to actually do this, but also with the group.
Step 5: Home Life
Besides the trip itself, remember to plan out your home life & have that taken care of while you are away. This includes children, pets and your home. Once you have your flight, hotel and vacation booked and planned out with the dates in hand, you can now work on planning for your home life during your trip.
Things to plan for:
- babysitters
- house sitters
- pet sitters
- someone to get mail or postpone your mail
- watering plants
- mowing the lawn
- snowblowing and/or shoveling
Step 6: Packing & Travel Tips
When it comes to packing and other traveling items, there are a few things that are a must-have in our book just from experience and knowing what we know now to make traveling SO MUCH EASIER AND FUN.
Shop around my favorite travel items on my Amazon storefront for Best Travel Items >>
You can take a look at a bunch of pins we have on Pinterest for Tavel and Vacations >>
Packing Tips:
- pack plenty of underwear (and socks), at least 1 for each day with 2 to spare
- don’t forget to put your soaps, shampoos and lotions in travel-size containers if they are going to be carryons
- bring backups of clothes and sanitary items in your carry-on just in case something happens to your checked luggage
- always keep your tickets, phone, passport, money, and IDs ON YOU… AT ALL TIMES WHEN TRAVELING…Use an easy document travel organizer. When at your resort, lock them up in the safe provided in every room
- plan for layering – tank tops, t-shirts, short sleeve shirts, and versatile zipper pants that can minimize your clothes and you can mix and match
- contact your dr to get your prescriptions available near where you are traveling to just in case you misplace yours
- pack with room to spare – you might need room for gifts or other bought items
- label your luggage vividly and clearly – we’ve used bright luggage tags and colored luggage to easily identify ours
- bring a heavier overshirt (long-sleeved or sweater) for an unexpected chill
- be sure to pack multiple swimsuits and/or shorts – often you’ll have one hanging up to dry while you wear another
- as a bonus, bring extra singles for tipping – we found this an extraordinary benefit and added to the way we were treated by being able to leave a few dollars for housekeeping, tip the bartenders, waitstaff and anyone. We brought about $100 – $150 in singles on each vacation.
I hope this has helped you plan your trip like a pro. I know after I booked my first trip I was able to feel a bit more organized for next time.
Good luck and have a great time on your vacation!
~~ And as always friends, take care, be kind to yourself and others, and always keep learning to be better and do better.
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Items from this article:
Go directly to my full list on Amazon called: Best Travel Items >
Or Check out my Amazon storefront with ALL MY FAVORITE THINGS! >
Other Related Articles:
17 Cool Things To See On Isla Mujeres – Cancun, Mexico
How to Plan a Trip to Anywhere – Step by Step Guide + Our Mexico Vacation
