"Our Choices Set our Fate in Motion"
A few silly choices can turn the perfect Las Vegas vacation into the perfect storm of disappointment!
If this is your first time in Las Vegas, here's 8 things guaranteed to wear you down. Stress you out. And swear you off any Las Vegas vacation for as long as you live.
PHOTO: Vegas Vic, courtesy of Las Vegas News Bureau / Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
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8. Plan the PERFECT Las Vegas Vacation
HAHAHAHAHAHA
When a brain has too many choices, it becomes less and less happy with every decision (see video).
Instead of trying to find 'the best' or 'what's perfect' in Las Vegas. Reframe your Las Vegas vacation experiences as:
What would make me (us) feel good right now?
Las Vegas excels at making people feel good right now.
TEDTalks: Barry Schwartz (2005)
http://www.ted.com Barry Schwartz is a sociology professor at Swarthmore College and author of The Paradox of Choice. In this talk, he persuasively explains how and why the abundance of choice in modern society is actually making us miserable. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 20:22
Runtime: 20:22
69237 views
10 Comments:
'Paradox of Choice' -- a great book to read before visiting Las Vegas
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 10/07/2008)
List Price: $13.95
7. Grab Every Special Offer You See
When Is Enough Enough?
But there's still a lot of Las Vegas vacation deals, discounts and comps, if you know where to look.
But when do you cross the line?
When does a Las Vegas vacation stop being about doing things for passion and fun? And start being about doing stuff, because it's FREE or cheap?
Stay in control of YOUR Las Vegas vacation.
Budget for the full price of the Las Vegas vacation YOU want. Then find discounts, deals and FREE-bies that reduce your costs.
How Do I Save Money in Vegas?
Links and suggestions for findings coupons, discounts, freebies, etc. Updated whenever I find something worthwhile to pass along.
6. Assume 'Desert' Means 'Big Sandy Beach'
They Called It a DESERT for a Reason!
- Kinda Cool
- Summer
- Oven Hot
- Summer
Graphs: Seasonal Temps and Rainfall.
Obvious: June-September, outdoor temps of 100+ degrees Fahrenheit can cause heat-related illnesses.
Less obvious: If outdoor temp is 110 degrees. And the AC inside is 70 degrees. That's a 40-degree temp change. Some sensitive people like a light jacket or sweater to ease the transition.
Brush up on heat-related tips for your summer Las Vegas vacation. Because dehydration and desert heat can be deadly !!!
How Do I Cope with Hot Temperatures in the Desert?
Links to info on dehydration, heat illnesses, sun and sunscreen. PLUS: an inside look at Vegas paramedics dealing with more than 200,000 tourists every 24 hours, who are doing their best to party harder than everyone else. (video by MSNBC)
Related Reading Suggestion
According to the author, water can prevent and reverse aging, cure asthma, eliminate pains (heartburn, back pain, migraine headaches) and more. He supports his claims with over 20 years of clinical and scientific research.
Water: For Health, for Healing, for Life: You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty!
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/07/2008)
List Price: $14.95
5. Act like Las Vegas Is a Disneyland for Adults
It's a Fantasyland. But NOT Fenced Off like the Magic Kingdom.
But wander too far from The Strip, and you're instantly back in the real world of big-city life.
Las Vegas Police (LVMPD) numbers I hope you never have to use.
- Emergency Service: 911
- Non-Emergency Service: 311 or (702) 828.3111
- Tourist Safety Unit: (702) 828-3204
Tourist Safety Video Hosted by Magician Lance Burton
See how quick PROFESSIONAL crooks -- pick pocket, room burglar, purse snatcher -- can take your stuff. A real eye-opener.
A List of Safety Tips
Common mistakes, tricks and scams. Brush up on your street smarts, just to be sure.
Everything Traffic in Real-Time
Road conditions and gas prices across the entire Las Vegas Valley.
Weather Conditions & Forecast
More than you could possibly want to know about Las Vegas weather at McCarran International Airport, south end of Las Vegas Blvd (The Strip). (from Weather Underground)
4. Hear "...next door." Think "Let's walk."
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.
Everything on The Las Vegas Strip is BIG. VERY BIG.Walking one block may take 15 minutes. In some cases, 20-25 minutes to walk to an adjacent resort.
Bring comfortable shoes. No...2 pairs of comfortable shoes. And if you're not used to walking, consider catching a cab, the monorail or double-decker bus - The Deuce.
Let your feet have a Las Vegas vacation, too.
3. Share your Las Vegas Vacation with Hoards of Conventioneers
Is this Line Moving at All?!!?
All it takes is 1 or 2 big conventions to- fill up the hotels.
- send prices through the roof.
- turn streets into parking lots.
- guarantee long lines and wait times for everything.
Ideally, check the LVCVA Convention Calendar before you book your Las Vegas vacation.
But if you do find yourself sharing your Las Vegas vacation with swarms of uninhibited fugitives from The Office, adopt a strategy that:
- schedules your activities opposite to convention activities.
- allows twice as much time to do anything.
- budgets significantly more money for everything.
- includes packs & pockets of food bars and extra water.
2. Insist on Finding the BEST Restaurant
It's this One. No, this One. No, this One. No,...
Instead, try something do-able. Reframe the question as:
What's the best restaurant for me (us) right now?
Here's two simple strategies:
- Ask your Concierge. They know what's hot and what's a little off.
- Before you leave for Las Vegas vacation, make a list of about 10-15 Las Vegas restaurants you'd really like to try. Prioritize them with the best on top. Once you get to town, ignore your original rankings, and prioritize them again. Ask your Concierge to make reservations based on your new preferences.
Google Local - Restaurant Search
My favorite service. Fast, Easy to Use. Reviews from all the major restaurant review sites, if available. Step-by-step instructions for using Google Local.
- TIP: Averaging 5-7 restaurant reviews provides a fairly accurate prediction of what to expect of a restaurant.
1. Measure your Happiness by the Wrong Yardstick
Do You Know What REALLY Makes You Happy?
So we make ourselves miserable instead.
The video explains...
TEDTalks: Dan Gilbert (2005)
http://www.ted.com Dan Gilbert is a psychology professor at Harvard, and author of Stumbling on Happiness. In this memorable talk, filmed at TED2004, he demonstrates just how poor we humans are at predicting (or understanding) what will make us happy. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 22:02)
Runtime: 22:01
59815 views
10 Comments:
'Stumbling on Happiness' by Dan Gilbert
Stumbling on Happiness
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Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/07/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Your Turn...
Got any tips for screwing up your vacation? Any vacation! (All comments are reviewed before posting)
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NetworkInVegas
There are conventions here year round, the worst one to be in town for is CES in January. Room Prices Triple during CES Posted February 17, 2008 |
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EntrepreneurDevelopmentCenter
Thanks for joining my world travel group! World Travel Group Posted February 15, 2008 |
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allysa
the brightest city with lots of colorful lights. More stars for my hometown! :) Posted July 31, 2007 |
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schaghticoke
I've read Stumbling on Happiness. Good read, but this lens was better! 5* Posted July 20, 2007 |
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Karendelac
Super lens Robert, a 5 star thank you for all your research. Please visit me soon. Posted July 14, 2007 |
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