The festival starts in 78 days and odds are good that you have your ticket, shuttle pass, hotel and flight booked but do you have spending money? If not, you should start now. That’s only a handful of paychecks left for most people who get paid every other week. If you get paid once a month that’s only three more checks if you’re lucky.
Depending on how you experience Las Vegas will depend on how much money you need. You’ll need money for the simple things like eating meals every day, buying beverages, the random gambling and of course souvenirs.
To go with the bare minimum you’ll want at least $20 for each night of the festival. Assuming you bring your own Insomniac water bottle or a camelbak you’ll be able to refill water for free. The money you’ll want in case you get hungry or desire something other than water to drink. Your body will get tired and run down being on the go for at least 12 hours and food will help energize you. If you can’t stomach food there are smoothies sold throughout the festival.
Walking can take a toll on your body and feet so make sure to always have cash for a cab ride if you end up on the opposite end of the strip from where your hotel is.
If you drink alcohol you’ll be tempted by all of the various stands in casino’s that sell special mixed drinks and those can range anywhere from $7 to over $30 for those large yard sized drinks. You may say you don’t plan on it now but it’ll be hard to say no. Also, bottles of liquor in the hotel lobbies are a lot more expensive than your standard liquor store so unless you make a trip to the outskirts of the strip expect to pay at least double what you normally would.
If you’re going to a club or pool party you can expect to pay at minimum $7 for a cheap beer. When I went to Tao Nightclub last year it cost us $64 for two shots of Patron and two Grey Goose and Red Bull mixed drinks. You read that right, $64 for two drinks and two shots.
A round trip shuttle ride from the airport to your hotel is going to cost you $13 when you get off the plane. If you’re downtown or off the strip it’ll cost you $15.
You’ll also want to make sure to tip those in the hotel that take care of you, including housekeeping. Chances are your hotel room will look like a bomb went off by the time you leave so take care of the person who’ll have to clean up after you.
This is all bare minimum so make sure to think about how crazy you plan on getting and how long you’ll be in Las Vegas. Someone who is landing on Tuesday or Wednesday will be doing more than the person arriving on Friday and leaving on Monday.
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