Las Vegas Solo
Tips for solo travelers & how to meet men or women in Vegas
If you want to skip to how to meet men or women, scroll down. But first some useful tips:
Las Vegas used to be the place for ‘sins’ and for doing whatever you could not speak of back at home. It also used to be where every celebrity under the sun would come to be photographed or written about. These days it’s different. It is more of a ‘business’ place than ever before, in my opinion: the business of making money from every visitor in a unique and highly entertaining way. I love this city for this reason: it entertains me, it pampers me, it relaxes me and it rejuvenates me more than every other city in the world.
This is why I visit solo very often, though most times my friend/s join me one or 2 weeks later, and then we spend some great time together there before coming back home or moving onto further travel. I love staying in Vegas by myself, at least those initial 2 weeks where I just take care of myself in every way I can!
Is Las Vegas dangerous for a solo traveler?
This is a place where a man and even a woman traveling solo will have no problem trying to stay safe. You can walk by yourself at any time, day or night, along the Vegas Strip without even thinking about being in any danger. There are so many members of the police force dressed as civilians around, that any criminal or ‘unsavory character’ would think twice before even considering to hassle a woman. I love that; after a bit of gambling at a few casinos, I can walk back to my resort without any concern, not even in the early hours of the morning. Quite a different story is if you walk away from the Strip or even in the Northern parts of the Strip (where it’s safe in general but just not nice because it’s not crowded enough and has barren, unkept places, though things keep improving); after the Stratosphere, for example, if you continue to walk northbound, you will find yourself feeling quite unsafe and, I would say, with great reason. Some areas of downtown Vegas have been a little ‘seedy’ for a while now although even there, if you stay in the main tourist areas around the main resorts, you will have no real problem: just a few drunks looking unsightly, perhaps, late at night. So, the rule of thumb is: stay in the most crowded, most tourist-oriented areas and you will be absolutely fine.
What about any valuables? I never had my valuables stolen in any rooms or suites I stayed in; at the same time, I have never had any trouble of any kind carrying any type of valuable with me when I was walking alone in any tourist area of Las Vegas. Having said this, I have never stayed at ‘dubious’ motels or places in Vegas which are not reputable. Watch your valuables when you are in washrooms. There are no video cameras there and unfortunately my friends have left a few times over the years and, only a few seconds later, they were gone. The Rio was the worst of them all, in our experience and in this regard.
DO’s and DON’Ts. It really depends on what you are looking for. If it’s just relaxation and pampering, do your math and study each resort spa price list before you go since it can be pricey; if you are a solo traveling woman, they often give you freebies, such as free spa entrances or free buffets, especially if you play a little. I never spend a fortune (actually, quite the opposite). I would advise that you do not gamble when you are drunk or even inebriated; the ‘hypnotizing’ effects of slot machines, combined with alcohol, will make you lose money more than you can imagine! In fact, if you travel solo I would recommend that you never get drunk, especially if you gamble or if you want to meet men or women.
For Women & Men: you will be accosted by some men or women, sooner or later. Drunk males mistaking you for a ‘working’ girl (don’t take it personally, it just happens when they are so drunk they can barely see the floor), especially if you are provocatively dressed, or for a woman seeking a bit of ‘fun’. If you are a man you will definitely be accosted by some women sooner or later, working girls mostly, in some shape or form. Whatever you decide to do, make sure they are not con artists; a safe way to do so is to make sure you never pay for anything when they accost you and never start chatting with them whilst you are gambling (at least as long as you are spending your own money).
‘Solo’ men you will meet in Vegas:
if you are a woman traveling solo, the greatest majority of solo men you will meet are local players, local gamblers, the occasional business traveler (visiting Vegas for a convention) or, if you are lucky, professional poker players who just want a chat with someone who is different (I had many pleasant chats with them) and will sooner or later invite you to join them at a free poker tournament (to watch, among the VIP people)…. It happens 🙂
If they are not ‘top-players’ they will probably say that you can use their ‘comped’ rooms, which is a bit difficult to do unless they book for you and show up at check in: so, who knows, maybe they are hoping for some ‘luck’ of a different kind (smile). It happens often, don’t be too concerned; I have never been harassed by professional poker players and, when it comes down to the ‘comped room’ issue, well, I politely decline, but it’s up to you of course.
‘Solo’ Women you will meet in Vegas:
well, you will meet some working girls (they are relatively common although not a nuisance in any way – they are quite common in some Vegas resorts where single men are supposed to be more plentiful). Plenty of servers everywhere, in half-naked casino uniforms most of the time, table dancers (some perform in public casino areas), and entertainers of many kinds. These days, since Vegas resorts are trying to attract young crowds into alcohol and parties, you will also meet tons of girls traveling with friends or alone seeking a great party-time.
Of course, you will also meet a huge number of young women during the weekend (often Vegas first-timers, in large groups) and, during the week, you will also meet a decent number of business women (and I mean ‘real’ business, such as Las Vegas conventions and conferences and attendees). There is also a large number of 30 to 50-something female visitors (by themselves or with female friends) who just want to have a good time; they can go a little ‘wild’ in Vegas, but not all of them, of course!
Escorts: we all know of the ‘vibrant’ escort industry in Las Vegas. It’s huge and it’s everywhere. Escorts are everywhere and operate in any resort face to face (no matter what the official policy of a resort may be, they will walk around casinos, even gamble a little, and seek out potential clients), over the phone or online. You can end up paying thousands of dollars per night for a ‘high-class’ escort and, sadly, you can also get ripped off. Always double check the fine line of any escort contract unless money is not an issue for you. Not all of this industry is as glamorous as it may appear to be, and it comes with a good dose of horror stories too; moreover, and this is a personal point of view of course, I would advise to opt for a high-end escort operating solo with her own website, checkable and trackable, better if recommended by reputable sources, so you actually know the person in advance, at least to a point. There are escort agencies of course but, as you can imagine, some of them operate like a ‘factory farm’. However, it’s such a personal choice that we don’t want to get into this too much, ethics aside.
Vegas Night Clubs and Vegas Lounges. If you go to VIP events in certain Vegas nightclubs you may meet some celebrities but so will other dozens of people, of course and, often, celebrities have their own sectioned-off area where ‘commoners’ cannot go. Vegas Lounges are just great to mingle with nice people; some of them are high-end and if you can afford them they are worth a visit or two!
Pool Areas: plenty of people meet in the pool areas. Personally, I meet more interesting people at Vegas hotel gyms! We have a page on the best resort pools in Vegas.
Vegas spas are a great way to pamper yourself and relax; I love them but, of course, here you can mingle with members of the same sex, though for relaxation is just what you need, really! We have written a page on the best Vegas spas.
On a side note: if you are after some ‘outside-the-box’ ‘executive’ feel, besides the lounges mentioned above, sit at the fantastic cafe/aquarium at Silverton (yes I did go after reading about it). It’s a bit far out but if you drive it’s only about 10 minutes from the center Strip and it’s meant to be a single-haven (professional singles, no ‘drunk nonsense’ here). Things are changing all the time of course, so I would not recommend making a special trip, but rather check it out if you have a car and are in the area; you can always eat at their affordable buffet (which is not a solo hot-spot, of course) whilst you’re at this establishment.
Clubs, Bars & Lounges (click on the underlined words).
Read ‘First time in Vegas‘ for more tips and advice.
Best of Vegas (see top menu) is where you can find a list of ‘best of everything’ in Vegas, which will hopefully help you organize your solo trip.