Further Afield

The Sky is Not Falling

Story By Dale Irvin
Mount Charleston offers the option of a refreshing side trip rom the clanging slot machines
and summer heat of Las Vegas.
Okay, so it sucks that the airlines want to charge you to check a bag. But there are still deals for the Fourth of July if you pack light.

As of this morning, United was still offering roundtrip fares from New Orleans to Las Vegas departing on July 4th for under $200 plus taxes. And hotels in Vegas are an amazing deal in the summer. I found a room at Arizona Charlie’s, one of several casino hotels a few miles from The Strip, for a total just over $200 for four nights on Expedia. Car rentals are cheap in Vegas, so staying off the main drag is no big deal. And if you pay for your participating hotel reservation with a MasterCard, Expedia will give you a $50 gas card. The big fancy places can also be a deal, especially mid-week. If you’re planning to stay for awhile, you might consider staying somewhere off the strip over the weekend, then moving to one of the big name places during the week.

Use the money you’ve saved to treat yourself to a show or two. Travelzoo offers discounts to several, including Bette Midler’s new production. Still not cheap starting at $87, but that’s $40 cheaper than the regular ticket price.

Yes it’s hot in Vegas in July, but like most desert cities, things cool off dramatically after the sun goes down. So stay up late, and spend your days napping by the pool. Or make the sixty-minute drive to the top of Mount Charleston where it’s thirty degrees cooler.

More travel musings on my blog HERE.