If you have ever wanted to go to Las Vegas for spring break but thought you couldn’t afford it, think again. A trip to Sin City can certainly be expensive, but if you cut costs in the right places, there are a number of ways to make that memorable getaway happen and not go broke in the process.
Plane tickets can easily be a deal-breaker for your dream vacation. Rather than dole out the cash, University graduate student Frani Geiger@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Frani+Geiger@@ suggests taking a group of friends and driving down together. Las Vegas is only 875 miles from Eugene. If you split gas four ways, you could end up paying around only $100 each round-trip, just a fraction of what a plane ticket costs.
University junior Tara Cowen@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Tara+Cowen@@ says that paying for a hotel was the most expensive part of her trip to Vegas last spring. However, if you don’t mind passing up the Bellagio’s allure, you can find great deals while still staying close to the action. For example, Hotels.com offers rates at less than $50 per night for several hotels on or close to the Strip.
Once you get to Las Vegas, it can be easy to throw your budget out the window. University junior Brittany Dorris@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Brittany+Dorris@@ says she made sure to keep that in mind at the casinos while she was in Vegas in February.
“I found what really helps is having that limit and really sticking to it,” Dorris says about gambling. She says the penny and nickel machines are a great way to slow the spending process. “You don’t have a chance to win as much, but your money won’t go so darn quick either.”
Buying food and drinks can be another budget-busting element when it doesn’t have to be. Dorris recommends avoiding the pricey food courts and casino bars.
“If you’re gambling, the cocktails are free,” Dorris says.
As long as you don’t lose all your money at the blackjack table, the free drinks help keep the experience exciting and the wallet closed.
Cowen says that buying drinks from the store rather than bars and restaurants would have saved her and her friends a lot of money, too.
Instead of eating on the Strip every night, look for the restaurant deals your hotel offers and enjoy the less-expensive luxuries in the city that Oregon might not provide. For instance, Las Vegas boasts In-N-Out Burger@@food of the gods@@, a restaurant that has always been just out of reach for Oregon students.
So if you get a car loaded with friends, book hotel rooms online and be smart about your daily spending, a Las Vegas spring break might not be so far out of reach, after all.