Gray Cargill of SoloFriendly graciously tagged me in the 3 Best Travel Secrets challenge, and seriously it has been a challenge to think of 3 secrets that aren’t widely known. This game was kicked off by Katie at TripBase.com as a way to unite the travel blogging community and create a list of our collective best travel tips. Hopefully my secrets will add some value!

1. Sweet Potato French Fries, Squatters, Downtown SLC. Squatters Pub and Brewery is by far my favorite restaurant in all of Salt Lake City and trust me there are quite a few good ones to choose from. I have never had one thing from their menu that I haven’t enjoyed. I’m not a drinker but if you are you will enjoy a variety of choices brewed right under their own roof. But what I enjoy the most is their perfectly crunchy sweet potato french fries… but I’ll skip the fry sauce.

2. Reindeer Sausage, Anchorage, Alaska. On Sunday mornings in the heart of Anchorage they have a market downtown with fresh produce, Alaskan souvenirs, and various other food vendors. Among those vendors they sell Reindeer Sausage that is savory and delicious. Reid loved his so much he wants to go back just for more.

3. Cheap(er) Buffets in Las Vegas. What would a visit to Las Vegas be without a trip to the buffet? The buffets on the strip are rather costly but you can get the same quality buffet at much less cost if you step away from the strip for awhile and visit one of the Station Casinos located all around Las Vegas and Henderson. My favorite is Sunset Station Casino.

And there you have it. My three best travel secrets. If you happen to agree with any of these or disagree would love to hear your feedback.

I tag:

Jaime at seatofourpants.com

Matt of nomadicmatt.com

Maribeth at bonjourcolorado.com

Erica at travelblissful.com

Kara from thevacationgals.com

Las Vegas is well known as the ultimate getaway and has some of the world’s best shopping, world’s best dining, world’s best accommodations and of course some of the world’s best entertainment. The shows come in a large variety with magicians, legendary performers, Broadway musicals and plays and of course the many different Cirque du Soleil shows.

In our most recent getaway to Las Vegas for the weekend we had the privilege of attending Mystere, a world class Cirque du Soleil show that is permanently located at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. It’s no doubt that this was the highlight of our trip and we looked forward to it all weekend.

Mystere is actually a groundbreaking show because it paved the way for the rest of the Cirque du Soleil shows being that it was the first of its kind to be permanently set in Las Vegas. Mystere provides a mixture of acrobats, gymnastics, dance, opera, new age music and comedy all wrapped up nicely into a circus style of entertainment with it’s own unique flair.

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What would you do? Would you head straight to the casinos in hopes of getting lucky? Would you spend your time sight seeing on the strip and perhaps indulge in one of Las Vegas’ award winning shows? Or would you jump in line at one of the premiere buffets and stuff your face all day?

Or would you have breakfast with your family at Coco’s bakery, meet your mom’s pet hedgehog for the first time, play with your niece and nephew (including numerous puzzles, trains, and cards), and top it all off with a trip to In-N-Out right before you get dropped off at the airport?

The latter is what I chose to do with my short visit to Las Vegas this past Saturday. I landed at 9 am and was back on the plane at 5 pm. I really just needed a good family pick me up and I hadn’t seen them since Thanksgiving. Plus we got my mom a hedgehog for Christmas and I really wanted to see her! It was fun. It was fast. And it was memorable.

In order to celebrate the fact that Blog World is only 16 days away (I can’t wait), I decided to give some tips to travelers, who might be traveling to Las Vegas, for Blog World or otherwise. Las Vegas, Nevada is a place that I would feel comfortable saying I am pretty knowledgeable about. My family lives in Las Vegas so I visit there more than anywhere else. I also lived there for a semester while in college.

It used to be Las Vegas was about 25 cent shrimp cocktails and going there with a pocket full of quarters in hopes that you would double or even triple your investment. Those days are long gone and now are the days of luxury, high rollers, lush, and anything else sinful by nature. However, this is not always true either. Las Vegas has done a rather good job at marketing themselves as a family city. Casinos offer roller coasters, movie theaters, food courts, and arcades to keep the kids at bay so the parents can gamble. Las Vegas is truly a city where anyone can find something to do and be happy.

Even the penny pinchers (i.e. me) can find solace. There is even a load of free stuff offered on and off the strip in Las Vegas. Some of my favorites are:

On the Strip:
The Bellagio Atrium: I love the atrium and it changes for each season and holiday, so it is something you can visit every time you go and it will always be different. It’s a family favorite.

MGM Grand Lions Habitat: In the middle of the casino there is a special habitat made and maintained just for lions! Usually during the day there are about two adult lions. They also have a lion expert there to talk to you about the lions, their likes and dislikes, and some educational facts. It’s really actually cool. And in the morning you can go and they have baby cubs you can get your picture taken with (not free).

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Since I have been feeling a little land locked lately (mostly because I have been working like crazy), I decided to cheer myself up by listing some of the trips I am planning to take in the next six months, as well as recap the trips I have already taken due to the fact that the year is already half over.

Trips I have already taken this year:

1. Anaheim/Disneyland
2. Washington DC
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. Saint George, Utah
5. Las Vegas, Nevada

Ok, so the first part of the year was a little slow as far as travel goes, which makes me a little sad. However, when I think about it- we bought a house in February and we spent the winter doing a fair amount of snowboarding, so I guess you could add Park City, Utah to the list.  Anyways, I am gearing up for Fall travel season which includes an awesome trip to Europe (my first time!). I used to say that we are going to backpack through Europe but apparently that’s not true- I was told we are packing our clothes in a backpack and going to Europe. So that accounts for the first five places on the list- and the rest are stateside cities or states I want to visit.

Trips I want/will take this year:

1. London, England
2. Athens, Greece
3. Ireland
4. Slovenia (here is a map- in case you want to know where this is)
5. Paris, France
6. New York City
7. San Diego
8. Seattle
9. Oregon Coast
10.North Carolina