Las Vegas a good 'gamble' for break
Other popular trips for students include Florida, Gulf of Mexico
By Trine Nygaard Andersen Special to the Kansan
Instead of ski slopes and over-crowded beaches, why not take a gamble on Nevada this Spring Break and hit the bright lights and casinos of Las Vegas.
Lawrence travel agencies say they have noticed an increase in the number of students who want to go to the city that never stops gambling, this year's spring break hot spot.
"Maybe they want to try to win money for school," said Christy Dudley, a travel agent at Maupintour Travel Service, which has offices in the Kansas Union and at 831 Massachusetts St.
Andy Strasser, a travel agent at Ports Unlimited Travel Service, 601 Kasold Dr., said the increased interest in traveling to Las Vegas was the "shocker" this year.
But not all travel agencies were surprised at the number of airline tickets to Las Vegas that they sold.
Vicky Bahnmaier, manager of Cruise Captain Travels, 7 W. 11th St., said that more people were considering Las Vegas as a vacation spot because the casinos were becoming family oriented and open to groups.
Rosalie Stollpe, a travel agent for Lawrence Travel Center, 1601 W. 23rd St.,
said that students usually traveled in groups which got the cheapest rates when they booked an entire apartment for a five-night period.
Strasser said that living expenses were low in Las Vegas and that the city offered a variety of activities.
Tom Dangermond, Sacramento, Calif., senior, said, "Las Vegas is actually one of the cheaper places to go to if you don't gamble. I go gambling, but it is also fun to just walk around and look at all the neat stuff."
Because casinos are the main source of income in Las Vegas, food, drinks and hotels are cheap, Dangermond said.
"Some places even give out free hot dogs,"he said.
He said that students often played games such as Blackjack where they did not lose fast and could the enjoy free drinks offered to gamblers.
Brad Hamilton, Kansas City, Kan., senior, said he was planning to go to Las Vegas because of the "very cheap flight out there." He didn't plan on gambling to get money for tuition but would like to "win enough money to spend two nights in a penthouse."
Besides gambling in the countless casinos, students also could play golf and tennis.
Bahmaier said that gambling and sports were not the only activities for students in Las Vegas.
Even though the city had no beach, students can still relax and enjoy the sun by the pool.
Dangermond said that most hotels had amazing pools with waterfalls and bars where students spend time during the day.
The average high temperature for Las Vegas in March is 66 degrees, and with 310 days of sun a year students have many opportunities for getting tan.
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce said that it was always ready for students and looked forward to providing them with vacation information.
Although the interest in Las Vegas was surprisingly high this year, the traditional spring break destinations are still the most popular. A lot of students go to South Padre Island, Cancun or Florida for some days in the sun.
Bahnmaier said that students usually drove to the Gulf of Mexico because driving as a group was cheap and the distance could be covered in a short time.
Bahnmaier said that many older students wanted to get away from the large crowds on the popular beaches, anyway.
They chose to go to Arizona or San Diego or to take a four-day cruise from Miami.
Some students even go to Jamaica to get away from the mainstream Spring Breakers.
The students who went on cruises often drove to Miami and made a road trip out of the extra days, she said.
Students plan their spring break as early as before Christmas. Bahmaier said that the agency's air tickets to Cancun were gone in October.
Ellen Brown, assistant manager of Adventure Travel, 544 Columbia Dr., said that the booking usually started "hot and heavy" in January when students were back from Christmas break.
Viva Las Vegas
For more information about Las Vegas contact:
NevadaTourism
1-800-638-2328
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce (702) 735-1616
Convention and Visitor Authority of Las Vegas
(702) 892-0711
KANSAN
Bahnmaier said that neither hotels nor airlines promoted special Spring Break discounts. They know that they will sell their tickets and rooms no matter what, she said.
The travel agencies themselves don't promote or favor any particular spots.
"We just go as people ask for it," she said.
The travel agencies most often sell package tours to students.
They book hotel rooms at the destination so that everything is taken care of when the students arrive, Bahmaier said.
She said that some trips to Jamaica may still be available in mid-March, but the closer to Spring Break, the more innovative people will have to be if they want tickets to a spot in the sun.
Although Strasser said that it might be possible to book a ski trip, his message was: "You don't have the ticket in your hand paid for by now? You ain't going any place."
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SPRING BREAK • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • March 16, 1994