No Next (Yet).

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So now I've figured out why my traditional first trip of the year weekend, the 1st of March, is so jacked up on hotel rates.

NASCAR.

So yeah, I won't be going to Vegas 1st week of March like normal - both for the expense and for the redneck cousin-fuckers who take over town. Lowest rates at any respectable resort for my non-comp having ass is $130+. Homie don't play $650 just for room rates; with resort fees and a flight tacked on to that I'd be lucky to get it done for less than a grand.

So, that gives me options.

A) Don't go to Vegas at all. I think those of you who follow this blog know how that plan would end up.

B) Go earlier than 1st week of March. That's risky as I rely on my tax refund to supply a goodly portion of my 1st trip fund; with filing usually opening up around the last week of Jan/first week of Feb that's cutting it dangerously close. Too close.

C) Go in April. This might make good sense as for a lot of reasons I'm probably cutting down to a 3-trip year next year (assuming they're all Vegas) and that would obviously put me in Vegas for my birthday if I go the right week in April. Trouble with that is my birthday is on a freaking Wednesday which would be awkward from a requesting time off standpoint, I'd have to use a lot more vacation time. The room rates aren't much better birthday week, unless I go full on midweek and only include one weekend night, so Mon-Fri fly out Sat. That would still be around $100/night plus resort fees. Gah.

There are pluses and minuses to going later in the year for trip one. Plus is giving myself more time to recharge from the Xmas trip and reload, mentally and financially, for April. Minus is DAMN, almost 5 months of no vacation is going to be a bitch ass bitch. Looks like no real choice though, If I go later in March I'll have crazy rates from the March Madness bullshit and also it's spring break during that time which I want NO part of. Cant go any earlier as there will just not be enough time to save up for a February trip.

Which, on the plus side, gives me some time. I don't have to rush to book anything. I can use the time to build up some myVegas comp days for that trip so I don't have to pay complete full boat. I also hopefully will still have at least the one comp night I have earned at Cosmo, thus covering 3/5 of the nights.

If I decide on April I still have plenty of time to get a good rate on flights too. Worst case as of today is around $70 net on JetBlue, which I really have to fly since I need to use up the $75 flight voucher I have for them fucking up the in flight on my August trip. Not a bad round trip, though they don't do direct flights anymore from SFO- LAS, everything runs through Long Beach now. Bullshit. After this possible April trip I may be dropping JB.

So, it's all up in the air. Have the formulation of a (forced) plan but nothing concrete yet. Feels a little weird after this past year when in some cases I had trips booked 9 months ahead of time. This one will be more on the fly. Not my preference, but I guess there's not much I can do until after Xmas now anyway, so we'll hang out til then and see how things shake out.

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