How to Plan a Las Vegas Vacation on a Budget

Booking a fun Las Vegas vacation on a budget doesn't mean you have to sacrifice any of the fun things you want to do. A little bit of planning and shopping around will go a long way towards stretching your dollars in Vegas. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your budget for your Las Vegas vacation.

Travel & Hotel

Assuming that you're out of driving distance, airfare is going to represent a big chunk of your travel budget to Las Vegas . Utilize a website like Orbitz to comparison shop multiple airline rates on the dates you're looking to travel. Once you've narrowed down the airline, check the rate offered by that airline on their own website, and double check one or two other comparison sites like Expedia or Travelocity. Even if this takes you an hour, you stand to save a few dollars by diligently looking at all your pricing options.

If you're a little bit more adventurous, you can utilize blind booking websites like Priceline where you enter your travel dates and you propose the price you want to pay for your round trip airfare. The upside here is that you can save a significant amount of money if seats are available, the bad news is that you may fly at odd times and possibly have to make a connection in exchange for this discount. The other downside is that once you place a bid on a flight, you automatically purchase that ticket if the bid is accepted.

The same tools can be utilized in shopping for the best hotel rates. When shopping for a Vegas hotel, take into consideration where you're going to spend a lot of your time during your vacation. It may seem like a good idea to get a cheaper room in Downtown Las Vegas, but if you plan on visiting the strip every day, that's going to cost you more than $30 in cabs each time, so factor that into your decision making.

When booking hotels, also take your arrival date into account. If you're taking a family vacation to Vegas, then Monday through Thursday rates will be far more favorable whereas party people flock to Vegas on the weekends driving hotel rates through the roof.

Be sure to check out CheapoVegas.com as well, as this site ranks all Vegas hotels in terms of the value they offer the frugal traveler (that's you!). CheapoVegas also ranks buffets and comps so before you make a decision about where to stay, be sure to read their very unique hotel reviews.

Sightseeing & Show Discounts

If you're looking for attraction and show discounts, the best place to begin is to sign up for a players club card in every hotel you visit. Sure you'll get a little bit junk mail from then on, but you'll usually get useful coupon books as well, and if you gamble at a hotel that has a show you're interested in seeing, you have a good chance of being offered discounted or comped tickets once you are a players club member.

Luckily, there is so much competition between casinos for customers, that there are always people handing out coupons all times of the day on Las Vegas Blvd, and in and around Vegas shopping malls. You won't be able to walk too far without someone handing you a coupon so keep your eyes peeled for the types of attractions you're looking for.

Food

Although all you can eat buffets are omnipresent and alluring, they don't always offer the best bang for your buck. Consider casual dining and fast food options that are available all over The Strip. Familiar chains like McDonalds, Chipotle, Subway, are located all over The Strip in places like The Fashion Show Mall, Casino Royale (which has a great Denny's!) and the shops at Planet Hollywood.

Take some time to identify these casual dining and fast food locations so that you'll have alternatives to the buffet when you get hungry during your trip.

Gambling

Finding lower stakes gambling is all about sticking with certain casinos. CheapoVegas is once again an outstanding resource for locating casinos with low table minimums, good odds in Craps, and large numbers of penny and nickel slot machines.

The smaller casinos on the strip like Casino Royale & OSheas cater to low minimum players with $5 Blackjack available at all times and you can sometimes find $1 Blackjack tables during the week at these establishments. Downtown Vegas casinos also offer low minimums to attract gamblers away from The Strip, but just keep in mind the cost of the taxi ride when figuring out if its worth the trip to gamble there.

It bears repeating that signing up for a players card is also useful for budget minded gamblers as in addition to earning comps, it is very common for card holders to receive coupons that offer match play in Blackjack (e.g. You bet $10, and the coupon adds another $10) and other table game and slot benefits.

The key to getting the most out of your budget on a Vegas vacation is solid planning. With a little bit of preparation, you can party like a rock star on a shoestring budget, and be a winner before you even get off the plane!