Whatever time you leave there's gonna be mad amounts of traffic heading back to SoCal.

I would leave early evening so you can enjoy your day Monday in Vegas instead of going 15 MPH all the way back home.

really? o_O

i figured if we left before 10 we'd be in the clear...

No, I thought that too.

i've never driven back on a weekend/holiday weekend so i will definitely take the advice of those who have itt but would totes prefer to leave early if it will make a difference

Before 9 AM or after 9 PM on Labor Day. Bring lots of water and food in case you get stuck - I have seen the entire exit of Primm (including Whiskey Petes, etc.) run out of food on Labor Day (not to mention rooms).

Even consider US 95 to SR 62 to I-10 -- it's that bad
.

It really is that bad. It took me 7 hours to drive back to LA from Vegas last Thanksgiving weekend when I first moved here. I'm a snob and I take the 45 minute flights now.

Yeah, ive made a dozen+ trips since I moved to San Diego last year and after the first experience driving I've flown since.

I need a converter for European electronic devices that's suited for American sockets. My laptop has a grounded power cable which doesn't fit in the converter I brought with me. I'm looking for something like this:



I have looked at Best Buy, but they only had USA to Europe converters. Does anyone know a store on or near the Strip where they sell these things?

Are you staying at a hotel? If so, start by asking them. If not I bet Walmart would have one.

I'm amazed Best Buy is still in business.

the walgreens attached to the venetian has a ton of that stuff.

95 is a lonesome backroad with no traffic or cops (or gas stations for that matter), I've done that road at over 100+ on the bike and never had a problem.

except at Searchlight, better slow down there.

I'm driving this weekend too. Holiday weekends aren't quite as bad as a normal Sunday because the traffic does get split between Sunday and Monday. That's not to say it will be fine, because it won't. Follow the advice of either leaving early or leaving late.

And I'm hoping the monsoons will cut down on the number of people making the drive, but it probably won't be noticeable.

You'll find them at the US international airport you land in. But you can find them cheaper. Amazon.com has one for $2.12 I see. Radio shack will also have them.

good advice from others on here who've made the drive on a regular basis but I just wanted to add one thing. Make sure you check the local Las Vegas news in the morning or evening (they have updates like every 30 minutes here in the mornings) before you head out and make sure nothing bad has happened on I-15 south. Every now and then there is a major accident that completely closes down I-15 for a long period of time. Fortunately the local news will report that so you'll know. Otherwise you're completely f***ed if you head out on I-15 - there is really no where to bail out to as you get closer and closer to the NV/Cali border. If by some chance you do happen to get stuck on I-15 around the Primm area, you can cut thru to I-40 via the Nipton Road exit and then cut thru the Mojave National Preserve to I-40. Hopefully you'll never have this problem but just in case a FYI.

you guys who drive here from LA/So Cal for the weekend are true road warriors. I drive down to San Diego every summer for the weekend leaving on a Friday. I'm typically headed South on I-15 down the El Cajon Pass around 1:30 to 2 PM. At a certain point, traffic starts backing up for miles and miles down I-15 headed North. Like a parking lot backed up - it has to take a couple of hours just to get to Victorville from the bottom of the El Cajon pass. I'd rather not even go than deal with that - I'd lose my mind and probably drive off of the road at a certain point.

Yeah I hope to leave from SD by 8 tomorrow AM...

Like the man said, on any Friday avoid northbound I-15 north of Rancho Cucamonga from 3P-9P; and on non-holiday Sundays leave Las Vegas before 11A or after 5P. Otherwise the Drive is a cruise-controlled 4-hour cakewalk.

Google Maps will often provide the average traffic density for any given time of day and day of the week.

Everyone should do the Drive through Pahrump/Death Valley, or through Amboy/29 Palms, at least once, just for the sake of variety. (The Death Valley route won't help you on Labor Day.)

in my old age, we've become early morning people and are on the road by 6am, miss a lot of traffic that way

Thanks guys, I finally got one at Walgreens.

Not really Vegas related but people in here might know.

Off to Florida in november and have car rental booked, currently a saloon type car but I'm worried about the size and wish I'd booked an suv sized car, would the rentals place upgrade me when we get there if I slip them a 20 or something? There is nearly no difference in price between the cars so I'm hoping they will but not sure about tipping etiquette and don't want to look daft lol

When the bill shows that 18% gratuity has been added, does that mean I don't need to add a tip and paying just the total is fine?

yes

and if the service was very nice, feel free to add on a little more...

AND if the service was bad, feel free to complain to the management. They will almost always allow you to adjust it downward.