From: Jim in Denver, Colorado
Question: Where do I find discount packets or coupons for all sorts of random things to do in Las
Vegas?
Answer: One good place to start is >LasVegasFunBook.com where you can view and print coupons directly from your computer for a variety of attractions. I also recommend checking out the web sites of the various hotels (you can them in the accommodations section of Vegas4Visitors). You can sometimes find coupons or special Internet offers.
When you actually get to Vegas, ask the front desk if they have any coupon books if it isn't automatically handed to you upon check-in. I recently stayed at Bally's and included with my room key packet was a booklet full of stuff for Bally's, The Flamingo Las Vegas, Caesars, and more.
When you get into your room, check magazines like "What's On" or "Showbiz." They are usually loaded with coupons for shows, meals, and more.
Then, as you go from hotel to hotel, look for people standing out front handing out coupons or check with the front desks and slot clubs to see what you can get.
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Question: Are there currency exchanges in Vegas?
Answer: Virtually all of the major hotel/casinos have a currency exchange, although you may want to consider using the one at McCarran airport when you get off the plane. It's not that the rates are any better it's just that it's further from the slot machines where you may be tempted to blow your new American dollars.
Rates vary from day to day so it's hard to give you any advice on that, but for the most part you won't find a lot of variation between the exchanges in different locations as long as you stick to the high-profile places.
Our recommendation is that you leave the bulk of your cash at home and use traveler's checks and credit cards for your trip. Not only are they easier to use and easier to replace if lost or stolen, but it's not quite as easy to blow your dough in the casino when you don't have a lot of cash on you.
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Question: Should I bring cash or use travelers checks?
Answer: When planning a trip to Vegas my advice is to budget your entertainment, food, and hotel money in one column and use a credit card to cover it, then put your gambling budget in another column and bring cash or traveler's check to cover that.
Then only bring the one credit card and leave your ATM card, all other traveler checks, your checkbook, and all but maybe a small store of emergency cash at home.
If you keep your gambling budget separate from everything else, it's a lot easier to keep track of exactly how much money you're losing in the casino. Plus, if you have the fortitude to do so, you can stand by the mantra that once your gambling budget is gone, you stop gambling. If you don't have the fortitude to do that, leaving the ATM card and everything else at home will keep you from running to the cash machine to increase that particular line item.
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