Save Your Money in Las Vegas: Move Around with Smarts and Style [Article]
Steven Stuller
Copyright Steven Stuller 2012
Published at Smashwords
Save Your Money in Las Vegas:
Move Around with Smarts and Style
Welcome to Las Vegas! You’re here to have nothing but fun. And let’s face it: you don’t get to come here every day. So while you’re on the ground, you want to maximize both your time and your money in order to really make this trip count. In the next few moments, I’ll share with you the absolute best ways to save this time and money. And get around in Vegas with a whole lot more style.
Unfortunately, far too many Vegas visitors needlessly sacrifice both time and money by choosing the wrong mode of transportation. They make the mistake of using what seems convenient or simply follow the crowd – and then literally get taken for a ride. Don’t let this happen to you. Depending on the length of your stay, a few critical steps can make or break your trip, not to mention the bank.
Las Vegas is the absolute easiest city to traverse. While it may not have the greatest public transportation system in the world, what it lacks in this area it makes it up for in transportation options at relatively low costs. At the same time, it is one of the easiest cities in which to leave a ton of money on the table. Literally.
In the pages that follow, you will discover many tips and tricks that you won’t find in tour books about Las Vegas. I’ll also includes a few true stories “from the trenches,” as I learned these lessons the hard way. After reading this, you will skip many mistakes and embarrassments, along with the money and time wasted as a result. Prepare to maximize your limited time in a city that has endless offerings.
Taxi
First, let’s begin with the most common. Despite some of the horror stories you may have heard about Vegas taxi drivers, this city remains one worth exploring by taxi. But as with anything else, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Let’s say you’ve just arrived at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and you decide you want to take a taxi. Follow the signs to the taxi line located just past the luggage carousel area. The line is usually quite long but don’t worry. It moves rather quickly
When you enter the car, the driver will start the meter and an initial charge of $3.30 will show. When picking you up at the airport, an additional $1.80 per trip is added as an airport surcharge. After that, the ride will cost $2.60 per mile unless the car is travelling less than 8-12 MPH, at which point the meter will switch to $0.25 every 30 seconds. That’s about $30 per hour. This becomes important when you consider which route to tell your driver to take.
Once inside, let the driver know your destination and tell him to take the most direct route. Legally, the driver has to take you the way you tell him. Sometimes, he might tell you there is construction and ask if you’d like to avoid it to get to your destination faster. This is a tricky question. Is he serious and trying to help you out? Or are you about to get long hauled by giving up your right to take the most direct route? Hard to say and I’ve experience both types of drivers; sometimes they helped me, other times they ripped me off. By the time you arrive, there may be some construction to delay your trip. And who needs to burn Vegas hours sitting in a taxi? Follow these general guidelines and you’ll minimize the chance of being “long hauled,” or taken out of your way to jack up the fare:
First and foremost, avoid taking the tunnel if your destination is anywhere on the strip. Going downtown is a different story, although there are better ways to get downtown such as using Paradise or the back roads I’ll mention in a moment. But using the tunnel is a frequent way to “long haul” passengers and add a few extra bucks to the fare. And who would know any better? You’re new to Vegas, sitting in the comfy backseat of the taxi while enjoying the views and excitement of new city. The taxi ducks down into the nice, cool tunnel where the blinding sun is off your back, and speeds right on through without a traffic signal in sight. It really feels like the smarter route.