Vetting Your Vegas Companion


Have you ever had the unpleasant experience of traveling with someone whose personality is diametrically opposed to your own? It never works out well. I have read many a cautionary tale in my ten years of reading trip reports. You must be very careful who you ask to accompany you on Vegas trips, or your stories will sound like some of the disasters I have read about. The wrong kind of companion could turn your vacation into a nightmare.

One of the first things to consider when choosing a traveling partner is finances. If they were thinking Wynn, and you were thinking Super 8, this isn’t going to end well. If they plan to eat at Giada’s, and you had Denny’s in mind, you are going to have problems. You don’t want to end up with one person having to support the other because they blew their budget in the first two days. You need to discuss your expectations thoroughly before the trip to avoid conflict. If you can come to an agreement about the budget then having someone to split costs with can indeed save money. It also allows you to take advantage of those “two for one” coupons that abound in Vegas.

It is also wise to know something about your partner’s interests and activity level prior to vacationing together, although sometimes you can think you know a person and be dead wrong. You might be uncomfortable with someone who wants to jump off the Strat or fling themselves out of a plane when your idea of excitement is a Royal Flush or a Buffalo Stampede! Is their idea of a good time simply moving from bar to bar? If you aren’t a heavy drinker and would like to actually remember your vacation, that won’t work out.

Another important question to put to your future roommate is whether or not they are agreeable to spending time alone. If you want to shop and they want to lay by the pool are they going to be upset if you go your own way? No one likes a clingy roommate. Time spent apart can enhance the trip and your relationship. Also, how punctual is your potential roommate? Will you be anxiously chewing your nails while they make you late for a show or dinner reservation?

Since my Vegas traveling companion and I are similar in age, taste and activity level, we get along well. It is nice to have someone to watch your back. Someone who will notice if you never return to the hotel room. One of the first things we always do is to exchange contact numbers and emergency medical information. In case one of us gets mauled by a random street character, we will know who to call. Of course, we have discovered some differences. One time when we were napping I awoke to find her with a pillow over her face. Was she experiencing suicidal tendencies? Did I smell? No…apparently it was for warmth. I keep the room just a touch cooler than she is used to. I have promised on our upcoming trip to turn down the air conditioning before icicles develop on her nose.

We also tend to react to stress differently. One morning we went for breakfast at a restaurant that shall remain unnamed (but that rhymes with Smargaritaville), and we were told there was no coffee available on the second floor. The waitress seemed unwilling to make the long trek downstairs to the first floor to get us some. I wanted coffee as much as my roommate did but was willing to sit down and discuss the matter further in a calm manner. She, on the other hand, gave the waitress a look that promised her death was imminent if the coffee was not produced immediately. Happily someone else intervened and provided coffee just in the nick of time.

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I will spare you the details of the time we had simultaneous cases of food poisoning, but again it was helpful to have a partner to share Gravol and Imodium.

If you can’t locate a compatible traveling companion, going solo is always an option you could consider. It is universally believed that traveling alone is preferable to travel with someone who drives you up the wall. The criterion for being a good partner is to be considerate and flexible. When approached with humor, disastrous problems can become fond memories. Your trip is one week out of your life, just “go with the flow” and relax.

And keep in mind the most important rule of all, in order to be a good Vegas companion you must never interrupt someone on a hot streak!

5 thoughts on “Vetting Your Vegas Companion

  1. The incident at Smargaritaville sounds awful, but your travelling companion in that case might need to be forgiven if she happened to have a SEVERE caffeine-withdrawal headache!

    Also… what kind of restaurant server, if they have a non-working coffee maker in one area, actually REFUSES coffee to their customers at breakfast time, because they have to go “All the way downstairs to get it” ? Hmmmm, I think I’ll ask for her section again…. ;-)

  2. NEEEEEED my coffee the morning after a heavy night in Vegas! Endless amounts of the stuff! I love the Pyramid Cafe at Luxor where they never let my mug go empty. By the way, brilliant new site guys. Fills the void left by VegasChatter. I can keep up to date again with my favourite (it’s not a mis-spell, I’m English!) place in the world.

  3. this is VERY true. luckily this year out party of 8 got along great as we all had the same likes but sis in law did not bring any sneakers at all and got upset a few times with all the walking in her flat sandals.

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