Trip Duration - How Long's Enough?

Obviously, trip durations are influenced by the frequency of visits, available time, and expenses; but how long is too long?

Being retired, I now have plenty of time (though not necessarily plenty of money) for going to Vegas as often as desired; but in a weird sort of way, trip planning has never been more difficult. When working in Corporate Land, I had a limited amount of vacation time and usually had to pick dates well in advance. And while airfare, room offers, and other factors always enter into the equation, the most difficult part these days is just deciding how long I want to be there! Especially when the number of free room offers exceeds any reasonable trip length, how do you decide? When do x number of visits and staying x number of nights make it more sensible just to move there?

Ms. Gecko and I have been trying to put together a mid-August trip for weeks now and have lost track of the number of scenarios we've come up with. Trip duration has gone back and forth between 5 to 9 nights ... probably ending up at 9. (More free nights are available, but Ms. Gecko is hemmed in by other commitments. Besides, with the gambling results we've had lately, we shouldn't be going at all!)

Even after deciding on the number of nights, it's usually a royal pain trying to match offers with air. Dates, flight times, and fares are often not compatible, which necessitates starting over or playing the old wait and see game. Airfares bounce all over the place, and delay risks missing out entirely or paying through the nose. Flying Delta, flights are cast in stone once purchased; and while we often play "musical hotels," it's much more convenient to book on-line and not have to call to make changes, especially when three or more hotels are involved.

Being Vegas veterans and twice as anal brings other elements into play. Since we like staying at multiple properties and almost never rent a car there, hotels are often selected by the logistics of getting from one to another. Heck, we sometimes even consider specialty buffet nights and the work schedules of some of our favorite pit critters.

Sometimes the planets are in alignment and everything comes together fast and easy, but most of the time we find trip planning a BITCH! We're wondering how the rest of the maddening crowd goes about planning when trip frequency and duration aren't issues.

 

We just came back from an 8 day trip (although 2 nights were spent in Tucson in the middle). Three nights at the Gold Coast and three at the California. My wife is usually not available for that stint of time except in summer months so this was clearly our longest trip. The break was great and gave us what seemed like 2-3day trips. We had enough time to discover several new eateries as well as explore other casinos downtown and reinforce our preference to Boyd properties. But that's just us.

When going alone I take 5-6 nights only because I like to take a day or two off and sit in the sports book or walk and discover other avenues of interest for the next couples' trip.

 

If its just gambling and partying, 3 nights is enough and 4 is plenty.

If the trip is more spaced out (golf, events, wider tourism), a week or two.

I get sensory overload about the fourth straight day in a casino.

 

In May we went for 8 nights, it was our longest trip yet, loved it. Killed my vacation hours at work though. Four is the shortest we will do. It takes us 9 hours to get from our house to the hotel in Vegas (flying out of ATL), the hassle of getting there and back isn't worth it for any less than fours nights.

 

5 nights is just right for us.

 

We pretty much have to go 6 or 7 nights twice a year, otherwise it just doesn't feel right at all... but a friend of mine goes to Las Vegas twice a year for work and does a little gambling and partying from the companies he meets there and he gets sick of Las Vegas after 2 nights.

 

I gradually increased my trip duration over the 18 years I have been going to Vegas. I began with 3d/3n, then 4d/4n, then 5d/5n. Last month, was my first 6d/6n . As long as I have an itinerary for each day (that I may or may not follow) and I keep to my gaming budget, I can do well for extended trips. I may increase to 7d/7n at some point.

 

I'm almost a 5 hour flight to Las Vegas. I used to do 5 nights, but I've shortened it up to 4 nights. Anything shorter isn't worth the travel time. I like to get to Vegas by noon. I usually take a noon flight out that land me at my home airport by 7pm. I spend a lot of time gambling, so if things aren't going well.....4 nights is plenty. If I have other things on my agenda (golfing), I'll stretch it out to 5 nights and take a redeye out....to give me 6 days.

 

My annual August sister(s) son trip has always been six days. We had no other options flying Allegiant with the restricted flights. Now that they have pulled out of Duluth, we will be flying out of Minneapolis with mega options. Our August trip will be nine glorious days and nights (two at The Grand and seven at the CAL....all comped). We are really excited for our first nine day trip as we were never ready to leave after six days.

 

We come from the East coast and are a 5 hour flight away. Usually go for 7 days twice a year. Wish it could be more!

 

We are going to stay for 10 nights in December. I hope it's not too long but don't think it will be.

 

We always (4 times so far) go for 7 nights. We want to stay longer, but after a full week of gambling and drinking we are sooooo tired we're secretly happy to be going home again. Just to want to go back a week after we arrive home

 

With the short flight from SMF to LAS the travel portion is pretty easy and we don't burn travel days on the ends of the trips. We've found that four nights is just right and keeps us wanting to get back soon. We've managed to take 3-4 trips a year and try to space them so we don't have too much time between trips or I think I'd go crazy.

I just have to start having more self-discipline and not jump on the first offer for the hotels. I've boxed myself in by getting antsy to have things planned out too far in advance.

 

With the short flight from SMF to LAS the travel portion is pretty easy and we don't burn travel days on the ends of the trips. We've found that four nights is just right and keeps us wanting to get back soon. We've managed to take 3-4 trips a year and try to space them so we don't have too much time between trips or I think I'd go crazy.

I just have to start having more self-discipline and not jump on the first offer for the hotels. I've boxed myself in by getting antsy to have things planned out too far in advance.

 

East coast also so the trip is pretty long. We go twice a year, atleast 7 nights...although we have done up to 10.

We regard the Bellagio as a resort so we don't go all in crazy with gambling and drinking...but do that as part of the whole experience which includes hours at the pool and a top of the line restaurant every night. That is our only meal besides a buffet breakfast.

 

Coming from the UK it has to be at least a weeks stay, I have done 6 nights a couple of times though, I would like to do a 10 or 14 night stay and that might happen next year.

 

Five nights is my minimum preference coming from the east coast. Anything less and the flights in and out start to be a factor (arriving late or leaving early).

With airfare what it is from the east cost, four nights just seems like a useless spend of airfare dollars.

 

When I first started going regularly I would do 4 nights as a guys trip. While I live in a major city the buddies I'd go with were beholden to Allegiant's schedule which only allowed them to arrive on Thurs and leave Monday. Every since I started going with the GF a couple of years ago it's been 5 nights. And it's worked out great. Once we had a 6th bonus night due to a canceled flight and it kind of dragged but of course it was unplanned and we weren't totally prepared. My last trip was 7 nights though the GF was only with me for 5. If I did that long again, I'd rent a car so I could go places like Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc... to break up the trip.

 

Three to four nights.

 

Since we only go once a year at the most, we do between 5 and 7 nights.