Find out how to plan a trip to Las Vegas on a budget. We’ve selected some great tips to help you make the most of your stay.
1. Travel in the low season months in Las Vegas
The first tip in this article on how to plan a trip to Las Vegas on a budget is the simplest of all, but it’s the one that will save you a lot on your trip. Therefore, avoid traveling during the high season, which runs from the end of March to the beginning of June, and from September to December, when everything gets more expensive.
At any time of the year other than during these high season months, you’ll pay less for almost every item on your trip. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy Las Vegas’ attractions and sights much more without having to queue for miles.
2. Take advantage of the free tours in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is full of attractive places and free tourist attractions. It’s very interesting, for example, to take a stroll along the most striking parts of the city, such as the famous Las Vegas Strip. At 7 km long, it is the city’s main avenue, home to the best hotels, casinos and other attractions.
You can also take a few hours to wander around The Linq complex. It has a total area of 18,000 square meters and is home to several restaurants, stores and entertainment options. Enjoying the Old Las Vegas area is also great. There, you’ll find some of the first hotels to be built in the city, which means they now carry a lot of historical value.
Taking a free walking tour to the Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas sign is also very popular with tourists. It’s a very famous attraction in the city and the walk there is great, as it won’t take up more than 2 hours of your day and you’ll come away with beautiful souvenir photos.
3. How to save on travel insurance for Las Vegas?
One item that is indispensable on a trip to the United States, or anywhere else in the world, is International Travel Insurance. Even though it’s not a mandatory document for Las Vegas, it’s highly recommended, as it covers any unforeseen circumstances you may encounter there, such as medical and dental assistance and theft of luggage.
To give you an idea, a medical consultation abroad costs more than US$500 and hospitalization is a fortune. We have already tested several companies and this one has been the best. It’s reliable and at a good price.
4. Save on tickets to paid attractions in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is a magical city and there are incredible tours to be had there, taking you to the best places. We’ve traveled the world and have always done a lot of research on tickets, until we found a great company that offers all these guided tours at very good prices.
On our last few trips, it was precisely this Las Vegas ticket site that we used – after all, it sells tickets for the city’s main tourist attractions. It also has options for nearby locations and for all the other cities in the United States.
5. How to save money using your cell phone in Las Vegas?
Another way to travel cheaply to Las Vegas is to save money when using your cell phone. In short, using your international roaming abroad is usually the worst option and ends up being much more expensive. And sometimes, in order to use the Wi-Fi, most hotels charge a very expensive daily fee and you can only use your cell phone inside the hotel.
For this reason, and many others, what most people do to travel cheaply to Las Vegas, and which is very worthwhile, is to buy an American prepaid SIM card. We always use this Mobile Chip. It’s electronic (eSIM), you install it instantly and you can use your cell phone’s internet anywhere in the world.
6. How to save on food in Las Vegas?
It’s hard to eat healthily if you want to travel cheaply to Las Vegas – that’s the truth. And that’s because the best restaurants in the city are very expensive. So the ideal choice if you want to spend less is to go to the traditional fast-food outlets, as a full meal costs between US$10 and US$15.
There are also some good restaurants scattered around the streets of Las Vegas, which are cheaper options. But you’ll need to do a lot of research to find the best price. On the other hand, some of the city’s shopping malls have great food courts, with several places where you can eat well and pay a fair price.
In addition, almost all hotels in Las Vegas have a buffet service. In other words, in these places you can serve yourself at will for a fixed price. However, the tip that will really save you money is to use and abuse the CVS and Walgreens stores. They are very famous pharmacies in the city and sell everything from drinks, food, snacks and even water. It’s super worth it.
7. How to save on car rental in Las Vegas?
Another good recommendation on how to plan a trip to Las Vegas on a budget is to save money on car rental. Many tourists who go there choose this option to have the freedom to get around, to be able to visit various places in the city, to go to the outlets and shopping malls with a trunk and to get to know the neighboring cities. So take a look at the tips below and make the most of it.
Book your car in advance
Make your reservation online as soon as possible, because another tip on how to plan a trip to Las Vegas on a budget, and get a cheap car, is to book as far in advance as possible and online. The earlier you book, the cheaper you’ll pay. It’s well worth it and you’ll save a lot with promotions, paying much less than renting a car on the spot.
Don’t rent a GPS in Las Vegas
Another good tip is not to rent a car with a GPS, as it costs a lot per day. Instead, you can buy a good American chip, like the one we listed above, unblocked for international calls and with unlimited Internet. That way, you’ll be able to use the map and location apps with your own cell phone.
Use this incredible price comparator
There are some car rental price comparators in Las Vegas (and throughout the United States) that are sensational and search all the main car rental companies there, finding the best prices and excellent deals.
We recommend one that you can use by going to the website and entering the date of your trip. It then searches for all the best car rental companies in Las Vegas.
If you want to do the search, click here on Car Rental Comparator. In just a few seconds, you’ll have all the options for renting a car in Las Vegas from the best companies on your screen, and you can choose the cheapest one. You really will save a lot.
More tips: prefer larger and reliable rental companies, such as Alamo, Hertz, Dollar, Budget and Avis. Take out basic insurance when booking, which is super important and is usually included in the price. But don’t fall for the companies who, when you pick up the car, try to push extra insurance that isn’t worth it.
8. How to save money on transfers in Las Vegas?
One tip we think is important for those who don’t want to rent a car or spend a lot on cabs is that the best way to get from the airport to the hotel, and vice versa, is by transfer. These days, they are cheaper than cabs and much safer, plus you don’t have to wait in queues and risk wasting time looking for one.
Unfortunately, as in every tourist city, we always hear reports of tourists being scammed by taxi drivers. They often charge a lot more than normal, or take much longer routes – which is very unpleasant, of course.
There is a very good website, Transfer Search, which is the largest in the world. It offers 3 transfer options: one way from the airport to the hotel, one way from the hotel to the airport or both (round trip). Just enter the airport you’re arriving at, the destination and choose the best option and type of car.
They give you the price, the journey time and all the information. We found it much cheaper than taking a cab from the airport and everything was always very quick and easy. It’s very worthwhile if you’re not going to rent a car. It’s also an excellent place to buy Las Vegas tickets and tours.
9. How to save money on shopping in Las Vegas?
Choosing the right places to do your shopping is also important if you want to cut costs and travel cheaply to Las Vegas. There are some souvenir stores scattered around the more touristy streets, and even inside the casino hotels. But they’re not cheap.
So, to save money, it’s best to look for places further away from these centers, where the price will be lower for the same products. If you want to do a lot of shopping, here are the best options:
1. Malls in Las Vegas
Las Vegas has some good shopping malls with a great variety of stores, such as the Fashion Show, located in the middle of the Strip. This complex has the most popular stores, such as Macy’s , Forever 21, Guess , Adidas and Nike. There is also the Galleria At Sunset, which has department stores with good prices.
2. Galleries in Las Vegas
Galleries are shopping centers inside the main hotels in Las Vegas. These places are usually themed, huge and home to several luxury brand stores. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is an example, located inside the Caesars Palace hotel and with more than 150 stores.
There, you’ll find huge corridors within a luxurious Roman-themed setting, full of statues and a ceiling that simulates a real sky. Here you’ll find all the main brand stores, such as Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
3. Outlets in Las Vegas
Outlets are the cheapest places to shop in Las Vegas. These complexes are huge, with stores of all brands selling excellent products at absurd discounts.
To give you an idea, you can find discounts of up to 80%. The best prices are undoubtedly at the outlets. In Las Vegas, Premium North and South Las Vegas are the main outlets. North is a little bigger, but South has more well-known stores and is all enclosed, so the city’s sun or rain won’t get in the way of your shopping there.
10. How to save on accommodation in Las Vegas?
Following on from this article on how to plan a trip to Las Vegas on a budget, let’s talk about accommodation. The city is known for having some of the most expensive hotels in the world, meaning that even the simplest ones don’t end up being very cheap. So do your research to find a cheaper option, or one that is worth your while. Here are some tips.
Location: the best place to stay in Las Vegas if you want to see the city’s main tourist attractions is the Las Vegas Strip. This is the city’s main avenue the city’s main avenue, home to the best hotels, casinos and entertainment attractions. Moreover, as it stretches for 7 km, it will certainly make it much easier for you to get around if you stay there.
If you want to see more about where the Strip is and which hotels are on it, click here. This will open a map we’ve put together showing all the hotels there. We’ve even set a filter to only show those with a rating of 8 or above, to guarantee you excellent accommodation. Then you open the link and just enter the date of your trip to see the prices and choose your hotel.
Hotel finder: a great tip for finding good hotels at incredible prices in the area you want, as well as saving a lot of money, is to use this Las Vegas Hotel Finder. We always use it because it’s the largest hotel booking site in the world (as well as having hostels and hotels for all tastes and budgets).
Free cancellation tip: another great tip for those booking a hotel is that this search engine, shown above, has a very strong partnership with the establishments and offers free cancellation for most hotels.
In the search, just look at the hotels that have “Free Cancellation” written on them. So you can book your hotel right away to guarantee the price, and if you later find a better one or don’t want to stay there, just cancel. It’s super simple and free of charge.
