THE LAS VEGAS STRIP

My personal list of non-scandelous places worth visiting (going south to north)

Drive to the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign- There's a parking lot (on the left hand side if driving south) that you can pull into so you can take pictures in front of it.

Mandalay Bay Aquarium http://www.sharkreef.com/visitor/prices.aspx $18 per person

NewYork NewYork Casino- Cool to go inside and look at- don't go on the roller coaster, its old and shaky and will give you a headache.

Cross the road and go to M&M World and giant Coca Cola Bottle (theres an Outback Steak House right there too if you're hungry! Also theres a tix4less stop to look for cheap show tickets)

Cosmopolitan Casino- go inside and look around casino, make sure you check out the really cool chandeliers (it's one of the newer casinos).

Bellagio Casino (if you park on the top floor of their parking lot you can see the mini eiffel tour really well). Go inside and look at the seasonal decorations in the lobby, the butterfly ceiling and of course the fountain outside.

Cesar's Palace- Go check out the replica Trevi fountain (outside on the north of the hotel)

The Venetian- PERSONAL FAVORITE hotel/casino, go see the inside and find the gondola guys in their boats. Thats also where the Madam Tussaud's wax museum is. 

Madam Tussauds Wax Museum- http://www.madametussauds.com/lasvegas/buytickets/default.aspx $24 each. Even if you don't go in- go to the entrance and they always have 2 sample wax people out that you can take pictures with for free.

Then from there DRIVE (it looks close but it's not!) to "Old Vegas" which starts around Circus Circus Hotel

Stratosphere- Only worth going to if you are going to go up to the top to the look out and/or the rides. At the top there is an observation level where you can walk around the whole thing and see all of Vegas. $18 a person to go up. Then one floor up there are three different rides, crazy but so much fun! Stratosphere Rides

Fremont Street Experience- Go at night. There are lights all around which is very cool. There's a zip line that goes through the whole street. 

See A Show
If you want to see a show I suggest going to Tix4Tonight (heres a map of the different locations, opens at 10am so go early to get more selection). In my opinion Cirque de Solei are the best shows but also the most expensive, but there's a really wide selection of shows that could be awesome!

Random Notes

- Free parking at all the hotels- very handy!

- Everything looks like it's close together but it often takes a long time to walk from place to place because there are crazy bridges and bendy sidewalks. 

FINDING FLIGHTS

THE BEST DISCOVERY EVER- GOOGLE FLIGHTS

Google flights is my best friend. Taken from the website mentioned below, "In 2011, Google purchased ITA, the company that powers airline comparison shopping for sites like Travelocity, Priceline, and Expedia. Their intent was to incorporate flight searches into Google, and that's exactly what they did."

Google Flights Search

About Google Flights

Once there, you first select your home airport and go from there. The key is fiddling with the dates, and if you are flexible, the location. As you move the days around the prices will vary. IT'S THE BEST. It is always cheaper to book your plane tickets as far in advance as possible. It is important to remember that prices increase or decrease with peak and slow seasons. 

ONLINE COMPARISON SITES

Do not book through the airline comparison shopping sites (sites like Travelocity, Priceline, and Expedia). Those should be used to help you find good deals, but then book your actual flight by going directly to that airline's website. My sister went to Africa for three months and had booked through one of those websites, while there my mom had a headache trying to change her flight around because she was dealing with the airline, and the online site she had booked it with. I would avoid the middleman for that reason. 

RANDOM THOUGHTS
- I have never seen Allegiant included on google flights so its always good to check if they have cheaper flights to your desired destination.
- Always take into consideration luggage costs when purchasing a ticket. (One reason I love Southwest- no luggage charges!)

Happy Hunting!

WAIKIKI, HAWAII

FLIGHTS- (for west coasters of the U.S)

Allegiant flies directly to Honolulu from quite a few different places now! It is such an inexpensive way to get to the lovely island of Oahu! I recently flew from Vegas to Honolulu for $99 each way with some sweet seat sales! Too awesome. 

Here's the website: Allegiant Air 

So if I decided to head to Hawaii here is what my itinerary would look like.

ACCOMMODATION
GROUPS- After staying in a few other hostels in Waikiki, by far my very favorite was Seaside Hawaiian Hostel. Starting at $22 a night (per person), it's affordable and a five minute walk from the beach. It comes with breakfast, access to the kitchen, free wifi, and they actually let you rent tons of stuff at no extra charge (snorkel gear, beach towels, DVDS etc). All around awesome.

COUPLES- They don't have rooms suitable for couples but on hostelworld.com there are a few other options that might fit better of that's your situation. Sadly I don't have one to recommend.

EXTRA INFO
- Getting from the airport to Waikiki costs $2.50 a person for the bus fare (takes about 45 minutes), or around $30 for a cab. You can catch the bus (the #20) on the second floor exit of the airport.
- To ride the bus is $2.50 per person and you get one free transfer pass with it. That will take you anywhere you want to go- great way to get around.
- Smart phones really come in handy for knowing the bus schedule. Luckily its part of the USA so you don't have to worry about international fees which is nice to use Google maps while you're out and about. They also have an app called 'Da Bus' that is a great way to find out bus schedules.
- Food is expensive there- even groceries. We found it cheaper to just order inexpensive things at restaurants than to prepare meals. If I could go again I would take instant oatmeal packets, granola bars, and maybe some boxes of macaroni and cheese with me.

- Renting a moped is a popular option. It is illegal to have more than one person riding on a moped so keep that in mind when thinking about renting (they will actually pull you over and give you a ticket). Keep in mind that you have to be at least 18 to rent one. Also, the prices seem cheap but then they get you with insurance and gas refill charges and so on, so find out the total price before committing.

ENTERTAINMENT

- Look on groupon to find deals for different things to do upon arrival. Whether it be scuba diving, or parasailing, its good to search for deals to entertain yourself. There is so much to do whether or not you go prepared.
- Diamond head is an easy, half hour hike, that has a great view of Waikiki from the top.
-You MUST visit the north shore (specifically, I am referring to the beaches along the north east coast of the island). Its an hour and a half bus ride from Waikiki and that is where you will find beaches that are less commercial, prime snorkeling, and the polynesian cultural center (and for Mormons: BYU-Hawaii and the LDS temple).

DO IT!

BIENVENIDO

After seriously considering various alternative options in order to become, "rich and famous," I decided this would be the most easily facilitated route for the moment. That being said, welcome to 'Traveling on Dimes.' I'm Laura, known for world travels accomplished on a low budget. Some of it has to do with my low-maintenance nature, but a larger part of it has to do with my love for traveling and my need to stretch each dollar.

Just within the past few years I have managed a ten day trip to Colombia for $650 (yes, the country), a twelve day trip to Hawaii for $800, a weekend trip to Hawaii for $400, a fourteen day trip to Puerto Rico for $800, and a week long trip to Aruba for $450. Those prices include flights, food, accommodation, transportation, and entertainment.

I want to use this blog to share any and all of the deals for trips that I encounter. I am constantly planning "hypothetical future excursions" and since I can only do so much, maybe it won't be a waste if I share it on here!

I was born in England, moved to Canada when I was seven, and immigrated to the States when I was fourteen. My parents finally calmed their nomadic spirits and settled down in Maryland, yet consequently they had molded my free-spirited self. At sixteen, I traveled to Taiwan for a summer, where I worked as a teacher assistant in an English immersion school. In the end my expenses equalled what I had earned and it felt to me like a free trip! At eighteen I had an unexpected desire to learn Spanish and very randomly moved to Chile for what was supposed to be four months. My love for Chile kept me there for ten months instead of four, and I now officially consider myself Latina at heart. I have been fortunate enough to return twice to my "motherland," England, and road-tripped through Wales and Scotland. While there I found round-trip tickets to Italy for $30, so my brother and I backpacked through Pisa, Florence, and Rome for five days and it cost around $150. Since graduating from high school I have lived in Maryland, Idaho, California, and Arizona.

My passion is travel, I'm on a budget, yet all I see are open doors.