We spent six days through Friday afternoon working an incentive trip in Dana Point, CA. The incentive trip was for a large, publicly traded company and the red carpet was out for the top salespeople who attended: the first evening’s entertainment was Aerosmith, followed by an assortment of dinner cruises, open bars and sun and sand activities. The hospitality job was super easy and five of the six days we mostly just sat behind a desk staring at the Pacific Ocean. With a steady wind and highs in the 70s, it was a welcome respite from slaving away in the new house under the heat of Florida’s August sun.
Normally I wouldn’t be able to justify such a trip, but by being creative we covered our travel costs (the company that hired us did not reimburse our expenses). I used Hilton Honors points and stayed at a Hampton Inn that was a half hour away. We stocked up on groceries at Wal-Mart and ate pitas with hummus and spinach every night, along with $2 bottles of wine. Since we were less than 300 miles from Las Vegas, and booking our flight and car via Las Vegas would save money, that’s what we did.
So here we are, enjoying the day in Vegas. The five nights we are here are all free, so the only added cost of taking this mini-vacation was a few days car rental, a little food, and our gambling. In anticipation of this trip, I ordered the American Casino Guide, which has several pages of coupons in it. Yesterday I redeemed a free buffet and a couple of game play coupons. We won $20 using the gaming coupons. I have more to redeem throughout our trip.
Sometimes, when you desire something, you find a way to make attaining it possible. This hospitality work fit the bill, as the money we are being paid should cover all our expenses for this trip (unless I gamble too much).
That sounds like a great deal. I hope you win in Vegas (or at least don't lose much.)
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