Your Vegas Vacation Itinerary Check List - the Planning Starts Before the Trip

So you are heading to Las Vegas for the first time. Congratulations! You will have a lot of fun as there is so much to do and see. Las Vegas isn't just about gambling anymore.

To get the most out of your Las Vegas trip the best thing to do is to plan ahead.

Make a List:
First, make a list of all of the things you want to do and see. Have anyone else who is going with you do the same. Sit down together and discuss your plans. The next thing you want to do is go to the computer and see where all of the sites and things to do on your list are located. Now that you have the addresses and general area if your site is on the strip, downtown or a drive it is time to start planning.

Find out what time you will be arriving in Las Vegas. Start planning from there. To make the most out of your trip group the sites in one area and do them the same day or two. For instance, you want to see Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas and do some gambling. Plan to walk around Freemont Street and enjoy the moving 'ceiling'. Then gamble downtown as it pays out better than on the strip. *Tip: Allow yourself a certain amount of money each day that you can gamble with. For instance, maybe you allow yourself to lose $50.00 each day.

Do not dip into your money. If you lost it all, you have to wait until the following day to gamble again. You don't want to lose all of your money the first day. Also, it won't be a very memorable trip if you lost thousands of dollars. Get all of the things you want to do downtown done. The following day you may have some shopping, a gondola ride, and a show to take in. Start with the shopping, rest on your romantic gondola ride, and then in the evening you are ready to see your show. The third day you may want to take a drive out to see some scenery and the majestic Hoover Dam.

Saving Time:
Put a general time you want to do each activity and allow enough time for each of them. It is all about planning and not flying by the seat of your pants. Sure, you can make changes but knowing ahead of time you can get all of the sites you want to see in makes for a more relaxed and comfortable trip.

Getting Married:
Day one go to the court house and get your marriage license. Look around at chapels if you have not done so beforehand online. My husband and I fell in love with the first chapel we looked at and got married there. If you fall in love with a chapel, make an appointment to be married. Choose the date and time. Our wedding ceremony was only seven minutes long. We were in the chapel for fifteen minutes which gave us time to take photographs afterwards!

*Tip: We paid money for our marriage license in Las Vegas at the court house. They gave us a copy of it. Then a few weeks after we got home, we got a letter in the mail that our marriage license was a souvenir. Las Vegas wanted an additional $75.00. We were fuming. Since I am the one who handles the bills I told my husband I am not paying more money. The copy was good enough for us. We never sent any money and about five months later we received a paper in the mail that was our marriage license. We didn't pay an extra dime and they still sent it.

Shows on the Strip:
Make reservations ahead of time. When planning your flight, plan the show(s) you want to see and book reservations. You want to make sure the show you have your heart set on is not sold out. Plus, you will get better seats buying your tickets ahead of time.

Shoes:
Do not make this painful mistake that I did. I bought two pairs of new shoes for Las Vegas. One was supposed to be a comfortable pair of tennis shoes. Since they were not broke in, I had blisters all over. Wear a very comfortable pair of shoes that you are used to. You will probably walk more in your life than you ever have. A large selection of casinos are all in one area (such as either downtown or the strip) but really are not that close to each other as most of them are huge. There is a lot of walking just from casino to casino.

Camera:
Bring a good digital camera. Maybe brush up on learning how to take great night time pictures by practicing at home first. You will see many photo opportunities especially at night with all of the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas.

See the World:
Plan a day all over the world. New York, New York. Get your photo taken by the model of the Statue of Liberty. Then eat in Rome at one of the exclusive restaurants. After lunch take your gondola ride in Italy. Stop in Paris. Where else can you travel around the world in one or two days except in Las Vegas.

Restaurants:
Since you planned ahead of time, you probably know which restaurants you want to try out. Some of my recommendations are Slots of Fun for lunch. They have the hugest beef hot dogs I have ever seen in my life. You can put your toppings on after you pay. I swear these are 12 foot hot dogs. Try out a seafood buffet. We had the loveliest dinner with any type of seafood you could imagine. You cannot get a deal like that in most places except Las Vegas. Find a prime rib dinner special. Deals are changing all of the time. I highly recommend trying to get a good prime rib dinner. Also, be sure to search for Las Vegas restaurant coupons online for the restaurants you plan on dining at. If you use the airline FunJet, you usually get a coupon book for restaurants and other specials.

Children:
If you brought your children be sure to take valuable nap times. Las Vegas is a fun-filled place for children and adults but with all of the activities there are to do in a day it can leave you with tired, whiny children. Make sure everyone gets a little nap time back at the hotel. Circus-Circus has an exciting circus for your kids. There are casinos with roller coasters inside. If you and your husband need time alone there are babysitting services in some casinos. Or if you can afford it bring a babysitter along so you can enjoy some adult time.

Pool Time:
Since you will be doing a remarkable amount of walking take a little time out to unwind by the swimming pool if it is in season. It will do you a world of good to get away from the change clanking from the slot machines, people hustling and bustling all over, and fast-paced life. My husband and I literally had dreams that we heard the change clanking.

Be planned, organized, and most of all enjoy Las Vegas.