The Joys of Traveling Alone Pt 2
So, in Part 1 I basically discussed the build up to realising that I could jump out of my comfort zone and not only travel alone, but actually conquer my fear of flying – which I conquered alone too! Life’s all about learning what you can do and surprising yourself sometimes.
So, I’d just landed in Las Vegas and was bubbling with excitement. I wasn’t even in a rush to hop in a cab at first, obviously gasping for a cigarette after the long flight. I wasn’t actually even that tired, as it should’ve felt like late night to me, but I’d landed at lunchtime local time. It could have been the odd bits of sleep I’d grabbed on the flight or the adrenaline of excitement or a combination of the two, but I was wide awake and just stood there, having a good stare at everything I could see from the front of the airport.
While I stood there beaming to myself, the fact that I was alone was in the back of my mind in that I wanted to share my excitement with someone, but that’s not to say I felt lonely as I actually didn’t at all. I had literally never been so excited in my life!
So, after chain smoking about three cigarettes and not being in any particular rush, I headed to the taxi rank and waited for one to pull up. Everywhere in Vegas has cab ranks, I quickly learned as it’s apparently illegal to just flag one down and get in, but there’s so many around you won’t have a problem getting one usually.
So, one pulled up for me and the driver quickly got out to help me with my bags and was ever so friendly. You’ll notice this in Vegas, everyone who works there is cheerful and upbeat. The town is built on its tourism industry and they want you to have a good time. I’m not naïve enough to think that there aren’t dangers or shady characters, but if you stick to the well beaten areas, you’ll be grand. Even the cab ride was fun as the driver and I chatted away on the ride to my hotel, The Luxor – the big black pyramid that you’ll have seen. You can actually see most of the strip from the airport as you’re coming in to land, as the airport is really close.
We pulled into the Luxor and I now know we were at the secondary entrance, which was almost as impressive as the main one. I’d always wanted to stay in The Luxor as I’ve always been a fan of Egyptian history, art and architecture and oh my gosh, this did NOT disappoint! Going into the secondary door, I actually did a reverse of the story I later heard about Patrick Stewart and William Shatner queuing to check in when they stayed there to film Star Trek: Generations back in 1994. They queued at the main reception desk for ages in one of the regular long check in queues that I now know are the norm in any big Vegas hotels. They apparently got mocked by production staff after finding out that they could have gone to VIP check in where they wouldn’t have had a queue at all, let alone an hour long one! Now, I didn’t know at the time, but I was at VIP check in. I just headed to the first check in desk I saw and no one told me otherwise. It wasn’t til I saw the main queue while walking through later that I felt really smug and a little naughty.
Now, at this point, all I’d seen was the outside, the back cab rank and the VIP checkin, tucked neatly in a hallway just inside the doors next to some escalators to the main ground floor. Once I had my room key and a little map to the elevator, up I went to the main floor to find the elevator to my room. And oh god, I was not prepared for the site that greeted me!
As I walked into the main reception area and looked upwards, I was in complete awe. Obviously, the outside and the things I’d seen up til now were absolutely incredible, but what I was standing looking up at now was simply jaw dropping. Somehow, it looked bigger on the inside! Now, here’s another great thing about travelling alone that I discovered: you’re not on anyone’s schedule but your own, so that comes in really handy for just stopping and looking at things and really taking it all in. I’d never seen something quite so impressive, being a fan of architecture and Egyptian aesthetics, not to mention sci-fi, flashy lights and everything that my senses were being bombarded with in that moment. God knows what I must have looked like just standing there staring upwards at everything, but I didn’t care! I’d never felt like such a ‘country bumpkin’ quite so much in my life. The sheer scale of everything was incredible!
So, off I went to check out my room, which was a slightly confusing trip as there are multiple elevators in different parts of the building that go up the corners of the pyramid. The first few days, I kept getting lost, as it’s just so big, but after four years of staying there, I’ve pretty much got it now. I think. My room was enormous! Two queen sized beds, table and chairs, an armchair, a granite desk with a chair so pretty I considered dismantling it and taking it home, a separate dressing table, wardrobe with a safe in it and a slanting window (obviously with the building being a pyramid) that reminded me of all the slanting windows from Star Trek. The room was al done in soothing shades of beige, but not in a dreadful way, just a nineties way, which I rather enjoy anyway. Just like the sets of The Next Generation! Some of the rooms have been modernised, but I’ve not stayed in those yet. I’ve been in one and they’re just as nice, but I’m a fan of the rooms that I’ve stayed in. The furniture, particularly the wardrobe and desk units are styled in a slightly Egyptian style that carries the theme and the sandy beiges actually echo that perfectly. I actually thought I’d got some kind of super upgrade, but now I know that luxury is pretty much how Vegas rolls! I just had to take a few minutes to really bask in the luxury. I’m not used to this level of opulence without having to pay a super-hefty price tag for it, so I decided I’d take a moment to test every chair in the room and have a good explore because hey, I’m only working to my own schedule!
Now, this whole thing about only being beholden to your own schedule is the single GREATEST thing about travelling alone! It’s the thing that allows you to really take everything in at your own pace and go as in depth or leisurely as you want. I found that if I wanted to check in with anyone, I can always call or message (free WiFi is omnipresent in Vegas) equally, there’s no discussions about where to eat, you can decide for yourself, you can get up when you want and not worry about holding anyone up, you can just go somewhere on a whim, change your plans or whatever! Your holiday is truly your own, and as such, was the happiest and most relaxed I’ve ever been, which is one of the reasons I do it’s every year. That, and the convention experience. It’s the big Star Trek Las Vegas Convention I go for each year (though, apparently not this year).
So, excited that I was checked in, I had a quick shower and changed and headed up to The Rio where the convention was to take place. It was the day before the official start of the convention and for certain ticket tiers, you could pre-register so you don’t have to queue on the first day – you also get early access to the Vendors Room, which is where all the convention shopping and some of the autographs are. It’s quite a hub of activity that doesn’t really seem to happen the same at the UK conventions, as obviously they’re not quite on the same scale. I plan to cover the convention experience in another blog where I can go super in depth, so I’m going to skip forward to my second week, after the convention finished.
It had been absolutely amazing, doing the convention, all the people I’d met and all the excitement, but now I had a second week to really take in Las Vegas itself. I’d spent most of the first week going between The Luxor and The Rio, so I was excited to see the strip. It did NOT disappoint.
I’m a little bit (or a lot) of a magpie and can get easily distracted by something shiny, which there’s plenty of in Vegas. This is also great as, being alone, I could just change my plans. If I was heading somewhere and spotted something else that took my fancy in that moment, I could just do it without any great debate. If I got tempted by some exciting food I spotted, there was no “oh, but we’re going for a meal in a couple of hours” – I could indulge and just adjust my later meal plans. That’s if I even had plans! When you’ve normally got a schedule that’s full of obligations or planning around other people, this is a brilliant idea for a trip for you. Not necessarily to Vegas, but anywhere you fancy, just to go and explore at your own pace and only be beholden to yourself.
As I said earlier, I’d never felt so relaxed and this made it a brilliant trip. Well, there were obviously other things that made it so great, but the carefree feeling was definitely one of the biggest factors of it. And, even better…. The shopping! There was no one to stop me, so I shopped. And you’re never disappointed in the choice Vegas offers.
For a start, there’s a North Premium Outlets and a South Premium Outlets, both are worth doing, which I do every trip. High end designer products at heavy discounts… Yes please! Then every hotel is full of shops too, not to mention the Fashion Show Mall on the Strip. If you’re a lover of shopping, you’ve found the right city! If you’re a lover of shows, they’ve got you covered there too, with each of the big hotels having at least three different shows on all the time! Cirque Du Soleil has no less than seven permanent shows on and it’s always worth checking out which artists are in town as the likes of Cher, Journey, Celine, Mariah, Gaga end a host of others are all regulars in town. This is what made it all so great…. There’s always something to do ore something to explore. So basically, for a week, there was shopping, sightseeing, taking in shows (I managed to see three in a week my first trip – and would highly recommend Zumanity) and just being chilled out like never before. I only actually found time to make it to the pool twice and one of those times was for the big gay pool party that The Luxor hosts on Summer Sundays (Another experience in itself).
Yes, sometimes it’s nice to have travel companion to share it with, but sometimes the freedom is just as enjoyable. I wouldn’t swap the experience for anything. An in fact, I’m planning on doing more solo travelling in the future. It’s proof that stepping out of your comfort zone can be immensely rewarding. It could be something to consider…
Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Vidalicious x
