Vegas.
I was with family and everything was pretty much pre-planned. More than anything, I wanted to be with them the whole time.
But OMG... everything was ridiculous! There weren't even coffee makers in the rooms, because Starbucks has a franchise in every hotel!
Everything I spent money on was so painful. My family helped me crack my wallet open so I wouldn't actually starve to death.
I felt fine buying the tickets to the shows we saw, and the tickets to the hop-on-hop-off bus tour. I even gambled a little and lost some money. That's part of the experience.
But by the end I'd purchased things like $6 bottles of water, $8 cups of coffee, $8 alcoholic beverages, $30 Uber rides, $40 buffets (and hurt myself in an effort to "get my money's worth"), $20 souvenirs, and so on!
I also got sick, and my South Carolina Blue Cross health insurance won't cover me out of state so I had to pay out of pocket for an urgent care clinic (plus meds) in the middle of the night when I had a painful 102F fever and could barely keep my footing. (I had a combo sinus infection and inner ear infection. Spinning rooms are not fun when you're sober.)
Lessons learned:
Always call your hotel and verify the amenities you expect, even if you feel silly verifying something "every" hotel has like a coffee maker.
Google "grocery stores" and see if there are any even remotely close to where you will be staying. Never assume.
Ask to look at pricey buffets before agreeing to buy them.
Verify that your health insurance will cover you if you're traveling within your home country of the United States. If not, contact a "travel agency" and ask about special traveler's insurance (which is apparently a thing).
Non-money related tip: Always assume that you will need more sleep than you normally do at home, regardless of your age.
(I'm not sure what kind of advice/comfort I'm really after... thank you, subreddit, for giving me a place to vent a little. I love you guys.)
October 20, 2018 at 03:11AM