Now that you have made the decision to go now you are wondering how to get there, where to stay, and how to get around.
NOTE: this post may have some similar items that my other PhotoshopWorld travel post has
How to get there - Fly or Drive?
This could be a no-brainer if you live a long way from Vegas, but if you live close enough to drive you may have a decision on your hands.
The Pro-Cons of Driving
Pro-Cost Effective: this option can save you some money depending on where you live. for example, here are some estimated costs to drive to Vegas.
Key:
Gas: $2.58/gal
Car MPG: 25 MPG
Traveling at 70MPH
Los Angeles - 265 miles - $27.35 - 3 hours
Chicago - 1,752 miles - $180.81 - 25 hours
Orlando - 2,433 miles - $321.64 - 35 hours
Dallas - 1,360 miles - $140.35 - 19 hours
New York - 2,565 miles - $264.71 - 36 hours
Salt Lake City - 426 miles - $43.96 - 6 hours
Seattle - 1,265 miles - $130.55 - 18 hours
Con-Time consuming: this can take up to 8x as long to get there than taking a flight
The Pro-Cons of Flying
Pro-Time Saving: This can save you tons of time over driving. to get to Vegas from the above cities it can take as little as 45 minutes all the way to 4 hours - A big time saver over driving.
Con-Cost is more - To take a flight to Vegas can go from $60-$350 depending on where you live. The PhotoshopWorld website has a widget form AirlineWatchDog that tells the cheapest rate to Vegas from a big list of cities.
Where to Stay
There are a giant list of Hotels to stay at in Vegas. The Conference is being held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel Convention Center.
The Mandalay Bay
Located on the South end of the Strip
The hotel can be (ok, it is) expensive but if you book through the PhotoshopWorld website the cost per night is $137 per night, compared to $180 per night. The best thing about staying at the Mandalay Bay is that the instructors and staff from the conference are staying at that hotel.
The Luxor
Located 1 block north of the Mandalay Bay
The Luxor is a Egyptian themed hotel that is a great place to find something to eat cheap. The hotal offers a large food court and numerous restaurants. The Luxor is a little less expensive than the Mandalay Bay. with rooms starting at $50 for the weekdays and $150 for the Weekend. I you stay Sept. 29 - Oct 4, you only have to pay for 1 weekend night stay.
Other hotel include
- The Excalibur
- Tropicana
- New York, New York
- and about a billion other hotels
When to go?
You want to arrive before the day the conference begins. If you are planning on attending a Pre-con session than arrive the day before as well. The Conference Registration begins on Wednesday, for Pre-con attendees, and Thursday morning for all others.
If you arrive before conference you can take advantage of more of the amenities of the Mandalay Bay (or whichever hotel you choose). The Mandalay Bay offers a great 11 acre pool area, and aquarium that have over a dozen species of Sharks.
Stay as long as you schedule permits. But do not leave anytime during the conference, you might miss something good.
To rent a car or not to rent a car, that is the question!
Well it just depends on what other things you want to do.
Taxi
Taxi's are convenient but can be expensive. it cost about $20 to get from the airport to a Strip Hotel like the Mandalay or the Luxor. Off Strip hotel? taxi is about $25-$30.
Rent a Car
One of the great services from McCarran airport is an off property Rent Car Center. When you leave the terminal to get a car you board a shuttle bus to the center where all the Rental car place are housed in one spot. You pick up and return you car here.
To rent a car is about $40-$50 per day from Budget. I think it is worth the cost because you can go wherever and whenever you want.
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