10 tips for an ace trip to Las Vegas

If you want to plan the best bachelor send-off in Sin City, take it from one who knows. New Yorker Lee Abbamonte, 37, the youngest American to travel to every country in the world, has been to Vegas more than 50 times. His top piece of advice? Pace yourself. “Enjoy Vegas,” he says. “Don’t just spend the entire time drunk or in casinos.”

Piloting a fighter plane ranks among his all-time favorite things to do in Vegas. “Sky Combat Ace is simply the best thing I’ve ever done. If you like adrenaline there’s no bigger rush,” he says.

He also insists you shouldn’t leave town without throwing yourself off the highest tower in Vegas first thing in the morning—“especially with a hangover, it’ll wake you up”—or playing poker at Bellagio.

“Bellagio is the home of high stakes poker. Just be careful because you never know what pro you might be sitting next to,” he says.

Read on for 10 more ways you can save money, stay safe and make the most of your time.

1. Don’t just book direct 
There are loads of specials on offer in Las Vegas, so hit up Kayak, Booking.com and Skyscanner for some of the best deals available and save a few hundred bucks that will be better spent on beers, chopper flights and limo rides.

2. Go in spring and fall 
Vegas offers action aplenty year-round, but in summer expect dry hot nights and winter some chilly evenings. Spring and fall are your best bets, so hit it between March and May and September and November.

3. Stay street-smart 
Although prostitution is illegal, there are plenty of working girls in bars in this city, so careful who you’re talking to late at night, watch out for pickpockets and leave the TAG at home!

4. Don’t over tip 
A number of venues in Vegas have gratuity included on the bill, so always check before accidentally double-tipping.

5. Forget the rental
McCarron International Airport is close to The Strip and many of Vegas’ other casino resorts and hotels, so grab a cab and forget the rental as you won’t use it. Plus, get a car and you will be stuck with excessive valet fees.

6. Bottle service rules 
Unless you’re walking into a club with a group of women—and your ratio better be two to one girls to guys—expect to fork out a few hundred for a bottle in a booth or you probably won’t get in.

7. Don’t ask the cab driver
Many of the cabbies in Vegas are on the take, be it for strip clubs, restaurants or attractions, so ask for their suggestions and you could end up with something cheap and nasty. Do your research and have a back-up list of places you want to hit.
 
8. Two nights is good
If you’re heading to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, chances are you’ll be partying both day and night, so after three days and two nights you’ll have had enough. This city is good in short doses—two nights is perfect. 

9. Expect to drop a lot of coin
Let’s face it: Vegas ain’t cheap. You can skimp in some areas (yeah, beers from 11am–3pm instead of cocktails), but the best experiences here (heli tours, fighter jets and racing Ferraris) are best when splurged on. Go home with an empty wallet—and no regrets.

10. What happens in Vegas…
…doesn’t stay in Vegas anymore! When you take off for Sin City, log out of Facebook, turn off Twitter and shut down Instagram. This is your moment to enjoy and your 85 followers don’t need to see you getting a lap dance or knocking down that last beer bong. You’ve been warned.