Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
So what might you want to insure? If you've booked a
condo or home rental
and
have had to put down a large deposit, that should be insured. If your home-
owners insurance does not cover lost luggage, you may want to insure any
valu-
ables you may be carrying with you
(as the airline will only pay up to $2,800
for lost luggage domestically, less for foreign travel). If you're an
international
visitor
coming to Las Vegas, you should probably invest in insurance that will
cover medical expenses.
Unlike most European nations, the United States does
not have any form of socialized health care, meaning that hospitals and doctor
visits can be extremely expensive. In non-emergency situations, both doctors and
hospitals have the right to refuse care without advance payment or proof of
coverage. (
Note:
We're not utter barbarians; if you're in a life-or-death situation you
won't be denied health care. But as with non-emergency care, the uninsured
pay dearly for any services rendered—you'll just get the bill a bit later.) American
citizens usually find that their regular insurance will cover them in Las Vegas,
making additional health insurance unnecessary (the exception being certain
HMOs, so check first).
If you do decide to buy insurance, you can easily assess the different policies
by visiting the website
InsureMyTrip.com,
which compares the policies of all of
the major companies. Or contact one of the following reputable companies
directly:
u
Access America
(
%
866/807-3982; www.accessamerica.com)
u
Travel Guard International
(
%
800/826-4919; www.travelguard.com)
u
CSA Travel Protection
(
%
800/873-9844; www.csatravelprotection.com)
TRAVELING FROM LAS VEGAS TO OTHER
PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES
Las Vegas, as a major travel hub, is a convenient hopping-off point for other areas
of the United States, even those located across the continent. Competition among
carriers has kept fares from Sin City to most of the major gateways of the U.S.
relatively cheap. To book airfares from Vegas to points west, north, and south take
a look at “Finding a Good Airfare to Las Vegas,” above. Unfortunately, Las Vegas
does not currently enjoy rail service, so that's not an option for travelers.
If you're renting a car to get around Las Vegas, you may want to consider simply
keeping that car for travel around the region. This will give you the most freedom,
but there are almost always one-way drop-off fees involved in renting a car in one
locale and dropping it in another, so be sure to calculate these costs before you
book. Priceline and Hotwire do not allow one-way rentals, but you can calculate
them using the website of any of the major car-rental companies (see p. 8 for more
info on car rentals).
For bus travel, an International Ameripass for international visitors is offered
by
Greyhound/Trailways
(www.greyhound.com).
Greyhound buses cover the
United States, and the company's prices, both for individual trips and for the
passes. The conditions aboard these buses aren't particularly pleasant, however—
cramped conditions, smelly bathrooms, and delays when traffic hits—making this
a less pleasant option than driving or flying. I recommend looking at car rentals
or a plane first.
