How to Conquer Las Vegas in One Day
How to Spend a Day in Las Vegas
All of us have places we want to visit on our bucket lists. More often than not, the entertainment capital of the world Las Vegas tops the list. If this is the case with you too, then you will find this guide useful. We have compiled a list of 10 tips to ensure that you enjoy your stay in Las Vegas to the fullest even if you’re touring only for a single day. So here it is – your unofficial guide for discovering how to conquer Las Vegas in one day:
1. Plan Ahead for this One Day in Las Vegas
To make the best out of your vacation, one should prepare for it beforehand even if it’s only one day.
Your time during the vacation should be reserved for having fun and there’s a less than stellar chance of that happening unless you’ve at least thought out a rough plan on how you’ll go about with engaging in your preferred activities and sites throughout the day. Days before you go on your holiday, you should plan out where you would like (and can afford) to stay. Look out for discounts and reviews on travel websites and maybe even book a room if the booking policies are favorable for you.
Joining the loyalty program of a group of casinos can also be very helpful not only for this trip but also those that you might make in the future. These are very simple to join as they require only your ID but have incredible rewards that can make your vacation way sweeter than you might have expected.
Another decision you’ll have to make is how you would want to get around town during your stay. Deciding this beforehand means you won’t have to regret not choosing another option. For those of who don’t know how to play table games at casinos, they can take online classes or tutorials to learn how to play.
Although dealers at tables would quickly explain the game to you, it’s always better to have some experience and understanding under your belt. The whole planning part is simple really. You just have to take some time out and think about roughly what you’d want to do in your one day in Vegas. After all, you have one day to conquer the city. And what conqueror would not plan beforehand?
2. Rent, Book, or Hail?
Depending on how you plan on moving around town alone can make the difference in how your holiday goes. It’s something that can cost you big in terms of money but also, more importantly, precious vacation time. Therefore, it’s of utmost importance for you to decide whether you will rent, book, or hail your mode of transportation.
We suggest that you take some solid hours out before you leave for your vacation in Las Vegas to make a mental map on how you’d be moving around over the span of the day. You will have to consider a variety of factors, and then pick the option which serves you best.
First things first, think about what suits your needs. If you know you’re going to be moving around a lot, then maybe renting a car might be your best option. That way you won’t have to walk around extensively and it’ll also be more economical than paying for taxi multiple times.
If you are not comfortable with the first option, booking an Uber / Lyft ride is also a great alternative. You’ll have to factor in the waiting time for these rides to arrive which can sometimes be as long as twenty minutes. Price surges during rush hours might also mean that you can end up paying way more than you might have initially thought.
Personally, we would vote the option of taxis or Uber rides as the least preferred. Las Vegas taxi drivers are infamous for using underhanded tactics in a bid to make you pay more taxi fares. They purposely take longer, more traffic-heavy routes and when short on time, you’ll end up losing precious minutes that could’ve been spent on actually experiencing the various attractions that the city has to offer.
There are also trams and monorails which have stops at specific points in the city. You might find those helpful if you are okay with hopping on and off and walking the distance from station to destination. Make sure you read up online on their route details before you map out your plan.
Lastly, there is also the option of walking all the way. Naturally, that too has its own limitations. More on this in our next tip.
3. Walk at Your Own Risk
No matter what mode of transportation you choose, you will definitely have to walk in Las Vegas. But, beware, you should only walk at your own risk because there is no telling how much you’ll be able to take it.
First of all, many vacationers wrongly believe they can cover the distances between buildings solely by walking. This is a huge misconception and it’s widely-believed by first-time vacationers to Sin City. Although it might seem that the walk from the Bellagio to the MGM Grand isn’t that big of a deal, halfway through the distance you’ll regret even thinking about traveling through Las Vegas by foot. The fact of the matter is, the Strip is actually approximately four miles in length. This coupled with the fact that buildings are relatively in very close proximity to each other gives rise to the misconception in the minds of onlookers that the distance is doable for them. While it might be easy to walk the length of two buildings across to your destination, anything beyond that is challenging especially if you aren’t wearing the right kind of footwear.
It’s advised that you wear sandals or joggers if you plan on walking to and from multiple locations. Many locals pack a pair of sandals with them which they use on the return journey from clubs and bars just because it makes walking a whole lot more comfortable than with heels or dress shoes. Learning from their habits is a good way to make your holiday go smoothly. Obviously, it would suck to find the time and money to vacation to Las Vegas only for the whole trip to be spoiled because you couldn’t cope with all the soreness in your feet caused by continuously walking around.
4. Don’t Shy Away from Actually Experiencing Vegas
When going to Las Vegas to spend a holiday, you should be open to new experiences. You might have heard this enough already, but the city does has to offer a lot. Maybe even more than you could possibly imagine.
Contrary to its image, Las Vegas has various attractions for families, young adults, kids, etc. This means that rather than being intimidated by the outgoing and flashy lifestyle of the city, try to actively seek out things that might interest you. Even if you find yourself taking part in an activity completely new to you, just try to have fun and embrace the adventure that a city like Las Vegas promises.
Chances are, you’ll find something completely new that you previously had never heard of and be interested enough to maybe come back and try it again in the future. So just relax and go with the flow while you immerse yourself in life at Las Vegas.
5. Surviving The Las Vegas Weather
Most visitors especially those who are making the trip for the very first time, assume that Las Vegas is always hot due to the fact that it’s situated in the desert. This however is incorrect. While temperatures do rise over 100° Fahrenheit during daytime, in winters the temperature can fall all the way down to 40° Fahrenheit (or between 5° to 10° on the Celsius scale) at night. This means you might want to pack a light jacket or a sweater with you.
Even during daytime, as the temperature cranks up, you’ll mostly be spending your time indoors at casinos, restaurants or exploring other indoor attractions. All these places blast cold air from their air conditioning units and keep the temperature brisk. This all the more enforces the need to keep a light jacket or sweater on you as you might not always be the most comfortable in your summer clothes.
It’s also worth mentioning here that you should always a carry a water bottle with you at all times as well. The hot outdoors can leave you dehydrated which would spell disaster for your vacation. You might also have to walk at times which emphasizes the need to stay constantly hydrated. In short, don’t let the heat and cold play spoilsport for your vacation. Carry a water bottle and light jacket with at all times!
6. Know When To Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em
Las Vegas is as synonymous to gambling as it gets. You think of Vegas and the first image that pops into your head is of a metropolis amidst a desolate desert, host to a myriad of magnificent casinos bustling with life all day and all night. You can almost hear in your ear the buzz of slot machines flashing under a neon sign from the mere mention of this place. Looking for a certain type of gambling? Poker, Blackjack, baccarat, slots, you name it. Chances are, if it exists under the sky, you’ll find it in Vegas. After all, people aren’t joking when they call Las Vegas the “Gambling Capital of the World!”
While in Las Vegas, it’s undoubtedly tempting to spend all your time in one of the shiny casinos that will make you giddy with apprehension and excitement. However, if you are to conquer Las Vegas in a day, it’s important to note that Lady Luck will not always smile upon you and “gut feeling” will not always pay-off big time.
Remembering that being carried away by a casino or a bar in Las Vegas is a slippery slope at the end of which you can very well be penniless will help you stay on your toes. The way most casino games are designed, it’s unlikely that Lady Luck would grace you with anything even minutely resembling a smile. What most vacationers to Vegas forget is that casinos don’t earn their revenue from restaurants or in-house bars, but rather they earn the most from what vacationers lose from betting and gambling to the floor.
It’s also worth remembering that to ensure a constant revenue stream, casinos use a variety of methods aimed at making customers gamble for longer periods of time. There are no clocks and all light sources are artificial. This is so that your brain is unable to distinguish what time of the day it’s.
The concept of trading in real money for chips coupled with the fact that casinos regularly serve customers free drinks, helps to dissociate money with the chips making gamblers more open to betting heavily as well as frequently. To put it in simple terms, casinos operate on a business model that derives profit from making us, the customers, loosen our self-control over how much we spend our money.
Therefore, one very important tip that you should bear in mind when in Las Vegas is that you should limit the amount of cash you carry with you to any casino you visit. Leave your credit/debit cards at your Las Vegas hotel room and as well as extra cash which you weren’t planning on using to gamble from the start.
With only the budgeted amount of cash in your pockets, even when slightly tipsy, you won’t be enticed into going over the maximum amount you were originally planning on spending for gambling in the casino. Also don’t gamble on tables were the dealer knows the names of the rest of the players. This more often than not, means they are regulars on the table who are quite competent in the game. So unless you are extremely confident in your skills, you’ll just end up losing money which you could’ve used to gamble at some other table.
Gambling will undoubtedly be a big part of your trip to Las Vegas but it should definitely not be the only part. Spare some time and money for the other attractions that the city has to offer and know exactly when to hold them cards and when to fold them cards. If you’re unsure, don’t go to the casino at all.
7. Definitely Don’t do the Don’ts
Although this might seem an obvious advice but remember that failing to follow this can result in you getting into a lot of trouble.
Especially in casinos, any sort of gimmickry can get you instantly kicked out. From the very moment any player sits down at a table game in a casino in Las Vegas, there is surveillance observing their every move and security is always watching them. Every inch of the casino floor is under the coverage of security cameras. No matter what the game, the security oversight always remains in place. If someone tries to pull off anything that can even remotely be considered to have constituted as cheating, the customer is asked to leave the casino premises immediately. This can be the bending of cards, using markers, etc. Just make a mental note to never attempt anything of the sort. Don’t try to alter your in-game odds because this will only result in destroying all chances of you having a memorable vacation.
Some good news for smokers though: smoking is permissible on most casino floors, but restaurants will require you to extinguish and get rid of any cigarettes or vapes while in the dining room. Opened bottles of alcohol are also allowed outdoors in tourist sites but be careful to note that this rule might not hold for other places in Vegas.
8. There’s More to Vegas than What Meets the Eyes
While casinos and night-life is what defines Las Vegas, the city has a lot more to offer in terms of tourist sites.
Just a few miles outside the city is there is the mighty hoover dam in the black canyon. The whole site is a marvel to behold enriched with both history and the miracles of engineering. There are services which offer helicopter flights over the canyon to give you a birds-eye view of the whole scenery which honestly looks incredible.
If you aren’t that sort of adventure buff and want to stay in the city, there are many celebrity chef restaurants and cafes which offer a unique culinary experience.
There are also many other activities designed for families, lone wolfs and kids. All you need to do is to research into your options and go beyond the conventional tourist guides that you are likely to find. Don’t be afraid to forge your own unique guide and stick to it.
9. A Tip on Tipping
Tips are what makes the world go round in Vegas. Indeed much of the work force there rely on tips as a major chunk of their income. So much so that they are even taxed on it!
So it’s best if you remember to generously tip the employees while on your trip to Vegas. And this tipping isn’t just about giving your money away. Employees who are tipped are more proactive in their service. This means they’ll go out of their way to make sure you’re comfortable. Tipping reception staff can also earn your chances for room upgrades and additional benefits.
Knowing that tips are important in Vegas will undoubtedly help you in conquering it because it will make your trip significantly more easy and comfortable.
10. Cut Costs Where Possible
Once you have been given a tip of tipping, we also find it necessary to mention that spending all your wealth on a one-day trip to Vegas might not be the smartest way of conquering it.
The last thing you want after returning from your trip is to have a massive bill that will haunt you. Vegas can be very expensive to visit if you’re not careful with how you go about spending your money.
Book your hotels midweek or on Sundays to escape the surge in prices. Avoid eating in restaurants and hailing taxis during peak hours. Waiting for free drinks instead of ordering some at casinos and buying cold beers from a nearby drugstore are great ways of avoiding the overpriced alcohol sold in Las Vegas nightclubs and bars. Those are quite a few tips on how to conquer Las Vegas, but don’t forget this absolutely important one: just have fun. Don’t worry too much about the nitty-gritties, just be clever and efficient and we are sure you will have the time of your life.
