How to Get to Las Vegas


Airplane

     Flying is convenient and popular, but not especially environmentally friendly.  (Planes use a lot of energy and cause a lot of pollution per passenger-mile traveled.)  For that very reason, I stopped flying myself.  There's more about this on my Don't Fly page.

     If I didn't talk you out of flying, then my #1 tip for getting the cheapest airfare is to use the "flexible dates" feature of the airfare search engine you use.  When you insist on traveling on specific days you almost certainly pay more.  You'll get the best deal if you just tell the engine where you want to go and then let it tell you which dates are cheapest to fly.

    Before you buy your tickets, consider that Vegas hotels are often three times more expensive on the weekends.  So it really pays to visit Vegas mid-week if you can.

    The best search engines for finding fares are Kayak and Travelocity.  (For last-minute fares, Hotwire can sometimes find a better deal.)

    The above is a good short summary, but I actually have a whole website about finding cheap airfare.



Bus

     The U.S. has only one nationwide bus company, Greyhound.   But if you're coming from California, you can get a first-class bus for not too much more money.  If you buy your tickets on the web, you can get Los Angeles to Vegas on Greyhound for $42 one-way.  The standard fare is $57, and a first-class bus like LuxBus is only $60.  The trip takes about 6.5 hours.  (I know, their website says 5.5 hours, but my trip was 6.5 hours without any traffic congestion.)  If you want to sleep on the bus, Greyhound is actually a better deal than LuxBus, because on LuxBus the attendant will regale the passengers with jokes and stories over the soundsystem periodically throughout the trip.



Train

     There is no train to Las Vegas.   The best you can do is to take Amtrak to Los Angeles or Anaheim, and then take the bus from there.



Rideshare

     You can find travel partners for traveling by car on Craigslist.





 
 
a d v e r t i s e m e n t s

Online Casino Guide
Guide to gambling online features casino reviews, game guides, payout percentage information and a guide to online casino bonus offers
CasinoChecklist.com

Best Online Casinos
Online casino reviews, rules of popular casino games together with strategies and tips, hot casino bonuses and news.
NetBet.org

Cottage Cafe

(Ethiopian Cuisine)

20%-off Coupon

Great for vegetarians!

Coupon is good for
20% off entire bill.
(A veggie combo is
$10 pre-coupon.)
Expires December 31, 2011

Get the printer-friendly coupon & map.

4647 Paradise Rd. (Vegas)
(see map)
(702) 650-3395


Gambling Problem?
Call the 800-522-4700 hotline, and read this.

Also, know that Parkinson's drugs encourage gambling


Reason I like Bodog #3:

Good Odds

Bodog online casino ad

I recommend against gambling for real money, since you'll always lose in the long run. But if you're going to gamble anyway then you might as well make your money last as long as possible, so I looked for an online casino which offers good odds.

Most online casinos are greedy when setting the odds on their games. They think they'll make more money by setting the games tighter, so the player has less chance of winning, but they're wrong. Most gamblers eventually gamble away all their playing budget anyway. They're going to lose the same amount of money no matter what, the only question is how long it takes them to do so. And when they play at a tight casino and lose quickly, they're less likely to return.

A casino which offers good odds will make just as much money as a tight casino, because the players will usually gamble away whatever they deposit anyway, no matter what the odds. The only difference is that with better odds, they'll get to play longer before they go bust. And that means they had more fun in the process, and they're more likely to return.

Bodog is one of they few casinos that understands this. They offer games with good odds, knowing that if your money lasts longer, you'll be a happier, loyal customer. Among their offerings are:

  • Two blackjack games returning over 99.8%
  • Single-0 roulette
  • Full-pay Jacks or Better (99.54%)
  • Six other video poker games returning over 99%
  • Pick 'em Poker, at 99.95%!

Why play anywhere where the odds aren't this good?

Try their blackjack for free.
One click and you're in.

Gambling Problem?
Call the 800-522-4700 hotline, and read this.

Also, know that Parkinson's drugs encourage gambling.