Opulent casinos, dazzling streets and vibrant night life, barren yet beautiful desert landscape on one end. The Mecca of the entertainment industry, cultural hub and scenic beaches on the other. Vegas and Los Angeles are the 2 cities to surely tick off from your US bucket list!

I had gone to California on a work trip but had around 5-6 days to explore places nearby. Sharing below the itinerary that might help you plan a part of your much longer US trip.

The blog contains these sections:

1. 🗓️ High level itinerary
2. 💰Budget
3. ✈️ Flights
4. 📃 Visa
5. 💵 Forex
6. 📱Must install apps & SIM
7. 📝 Detailed itinerary

🗓️ High level itinerary

4-5 days is a good time to cover both the cities – you can spend 2-3 days in Los Angeles and 2 days in Las Vegas

• Los Angeles – Santa Monica, Venice beach, Hollywood area, Malibu, Universal Studios
• Las Vegas – Themed Hotels (Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, New York, Venetian), Fremont street experience, Grand canyon

If you have few more days, you could consider covering San Francisco, Joshua Tree National Park and San Diego as well

💰Budget

	Per person	Comments
Flights to & from India	Rs.90,000	round trip
Internal Transportation	Rs.15,000	inter &intra-city
Accommodation	Rs.30,000	Rs. 7.5K per night
Food	Rs.15,000	Rs. 3K per day
Experiences	Rs.10,000	Grand Canyon
Miscellaneous	Rs.25,000	incl. visa fees
Total Budget	Rs.1,85,000	per person

✈️ Flights

Singapore Airlines offers the best rates between Bangalore and Los Angeles with a quick layover in Singapore. The other options include Emirates and Qatar which offer amazing food and entertainment options but would cost 1.5-2X of Singapore Airlines. Book at least 4 months in advance for the best prices

Internal flights: Low Cost Carriers are the best options to travel within US. Some of them don’t come on the flight aggregator apps hence would suggest you to check their individual websites. One could consider Southwest or Spirit airlines as they have quite a few daily flights between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Book at least 2 weeks in advance for the best prices

📃 Visa

I have come across a lot of people encountering difficulties in getting a US Visa even for just vacation purposes. From my understanding, three key factors significantly influence the likelihood of securing a US visa:

1. Accurate documentation
2. Compelling reasons for visiting the US
3. Strong rationale for returning to one’s home country

I had applied for a visa through my company for an official visit. While the specific documents may vary slightly for official visits, the overall visa application process remains largely consistent.

Type of Visa: One has to apply for B1/ B2 non-immigrant visa (short term Business/ Tourism visa) – ideal for short term vacation or a business trip (can stay up to 6 months during a single visit). It comes with 10 years validity with multiple entries

Visa Process: Includes the following steps:

• Fill the DS-160 form online without any mistakes/ errors. Select the embassy closest to your city
  • Save the DS-160 confirmation page – this is required during the visa interview
• Create your profile on the US travel docs portal and pay fees
  • Application fee is $160 and is non-refundable
  • Fee payment receipt number will be sent to your email ID within 24 hours
• Schedule appointments on the same portal (US travel docs portal)
  • Log in and input the payment receipt number (sometimes it would get autofilled as well)
  • You will be then asked to schedule 2 appointments – 1) With the VAC (Visa Application Centre) for biometrics and photograph, 2) With consulate or embassy for visa interview
    • Scheduling appointments can be challenging, with slots being booked out for months together. You might find a VAC slot but the interview slot would not be available most of the times. New slots get released in bulk at random time slots. So check the availability on a daily basis and consider joining a Telegram group for B1/B2 visa aspirants to increases the chances of getting appointments
  • Book both appointments in the same city and on closely aligned dates to minimize back and forth
• Attend the interviews
  • Biometrics at VAC is quite simple process. Carry your DS160 confirmation page and appointment confirmation. The process involves capturing biometrics and taking a photo, lasting approximately 30-45 minutes.
  • Visa interview: You will be interviewed by one of the many panels available. You will be asked questions on purpose of visiting the US and the source of funds. The make or break questions are generally is about your intent of coming back to India – are you married? do you have kids? are your spouse and kids in India? do you have a job in India? do you have home in India? Convincingly communicate your intention to return, and if approved, the interview concludes, and they keep your passport for stamping.
    • I received the stamped passport in 2-3 days (Chennai centre, residing in Bangalore). If you chose premium home delivery, the passport is delivered to the provided address with a cash-on-delivery fee of INR 650
• Documents required: DS160 confirmation page, interview appointment letter and passport are the only documents that you are required to carry for the biometrics and visa interview
  • Sometime the visa interviewer might request for additional documents such as invite letter (if visiting a friend/family or it is an official visit), hotel bookings (if going on vacation), proof of funds (ITR), proof of employment in India (payslip) – so good to keep these handy as well

💵 Forex

• I didn’t spend even a single dollar in cash during my stay in US. Every place accepts Forex or International credit card (even the slot machines in Vegas :P). You could carry some $200 if required for some immediate use on landing. I used my credit card for all transactions (HDFC Infinia or Diners Club cards charge 2% forex markup but reward 3.3% in points so net positive)

🧳 AK’s Travel Tidbits 🧳

Use the extravelmoney.com (applicable to India) to find which authorized forex vendor offers the best exchange rates in your locality

📱Must install apps & SIM

Lyft app: It is the US equivalent of Ola. Download it and have your Forex card/ International Credit Card added as the payment option to reduce cash usage. Also always make it a practice to check for rates on both Lyft and Uber before booking a cab. Also Uber in US offers additional services such as food delivery (like Swiggy)

SIM: It is best to avail the international roaming on your Indian SIM. It would cost almost the same as the buying a local US SIM. I had availed 15 days International roaming on my Airtel postpaid SIM

📝 Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Los Angeles arrival

My flight from India landed around evening time in LA. Since it was a 20 hour long travel, I decided to have an early dinner and rest for the remainder of the day

Day 2: Hollywood, Beverly Hills

• Started the day early by heading to the Hollywood area. Visited walk of fame and got pictures in front of my favorite celebrity stars
• Had breakfast at Solar de Cahuenga (Solar omelette was yummy!) and explored the famous hollywood street
  • Major attractions in this street include Madam Tussaud, Ripley’s Believe it or not, TCL Chinese theatre
• Made a quick pitstop at the downtown area and admired the skyscrapers and the hustling crowd
  • Bottega Louie makes one of best macaroons!
• Headed to Grove market. It is a bustling market with a myriad of restaurants and brand outlets. Had lunch at Dupar’s, renowned for serving some of the city’s finest pancakes
• Ventured next to Rodea drive, the epitome of luxury brands, where opulent cars grace the thoroughfare. At one end of the Rodeo drive is alley-like walk through to the golden triangle and at the other end is Beverly hills garden. There is also a fashion industry version of walk of fame with quotes from the top fashion industry experts on the walkway

Day 3: Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica

• Headed to Malibu, known for its picturesque landscapes and luxurious lifestyle. The drive from city center is quite scenic. Had breakfast at Le Cafe De La Plage in Malibu – would recommend their Goat Cheese omelette and Affogato!
• Walked for 30min in the neighbourhoods to reach Point Dume. It is know for its tall cliffs and panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. This is also the location of the hypothetical mansion of Iron Man. Spotted few seals and dolphins from the cliff and then got down all the way to the pebble beach and relaxed. Later spent some time in the sand beach on the other side of the cliff
• Had lunch at the Cheesecake and Co. on the way while heading to Venice Beach. Walked around the Venice canals, Italian inspired artificial canals built in 1905. Headed next to beach which is very lively – filled with runners, fitness enthusiasts, tourists and streetside souvenir stalls. Few steps away from the beach is the very first Gold’s Gym which was started in 2000s. Venice Beach (also known as Muscle Beach) is historically known for body building and also has an outdoor gym and there is a two-mile boardwalk on the beach
• Headed to Santa Monica Pier in the evening. Despite going on a weekday evening it was super crowded. The Pier is filled with cafes, sea facing restaurants, souvenir shops. I would recommend reaching the end of the pier before sunset to witness a breathtaking sunset
• Had dinner at The Bungalow – Quesedilla and Burrito wrap were good. Ambience is a bit laid back and dimlit and was perfect for dinner

Day 4 Hollywood sign hike, Vegas

• Decided to go on a morning hike to the Hollywood sign. Took cab till Lake Hollywood Park. If one wants to get a great view of the Hollywood sign without any effort, then this park is the best place
• Then headed towards Innsdale Trailhead to begin the trek. First part of the hike is through the rich neighbourhoods of Hollywoodland. Spotted few Lamborghinis and McLarens casually parked on the roads. Continued in this trail crossing Mulholland Hwy and Mt Lee Dr for 30-40min and reached the peak which is behind the Hollywood sign. On the way, witnessed great views of Hollywood sign and also the LA city. From the top, I could spot the city’s skyline, Griffith observatory and Hollywood Lake. Also make sure you head back before noon else it gets super hot and there is minimal shade on the trail
• Post hike, headed to the airport to catch flight to Las Vegas. If you’re taking an evening/ night flight to Vegas, catch an aerial view of the Vegas Strip – the brightest spot on earth from the flight
• Checked into the hotel on the Strip and headed out to explore the famous hotels & casinos. First went to Bellagio which houses an impressive conservatory and botanical garden. Then witnessed the famous fountain show that happens every 15 min till midnight and made pitstops at Ceaser’s Palace and Paris hotels
• Then headed to Venetian hotel. The hotel’s ceiling leading from the reception to the casino is modelled after Michelangelo’s masterpiece ceiling in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. They’ve also built Venice canals experience with indoor Gondola rides along to complete the Venice experience

🧳 AK’s Travel Tidbits 🧳

Book a hotel on the Strip and not outside of it. Generally the hotels on the strip are prices quite reasonable since they would expect to earn revenue in the form of gambling and dining from you

Hotel rates on the weekends (Fri – Sat nights) are easily twice the weekday prices. So plan to either do Thu – Fri or Sat – Sun nights stay. Apart from saving some money, this also enables you to explore the city without the crowd and also enjoy the weekend shows and activities

Day 5: Day trip to Grand Canyon

Vegas during daytime is quite hot, so one can either choose to stay back in the hotel/ casino and rest or go on a day trip to national parks in Arizona. I was actually confused between the following three options – 1) Grand Canyon West, 2) Grand Canyon South Rim, 3) Grand Canyon, Antelope & Horse Shoe Bend. The 3rd option offers the most beautiful views of the Canyon, however it involves 13 hours of bus travel for just 3-4 hours of sightseeing. Even the 2nd option was too much of commute (10 hours travel). Hence I picked the 1st option – Grand Canyon West. I was also looking for something shorter since I wanted to come back earlier to spend time in Vegas as it was my last night here. However, if someone has an additional day in Vegas, I would highly recommend them the 3rd option

Day trip highlights

• Trip started from the pickup point near Treasure Island hotel at 8AM. On the way, the bus stopped for 20min at a gas station – one can grab something for breakfast here
• Around 10:30AM, bus reached the entrance of the Grand Canyon West national park. We were first taken to the Eagle point. We spent around one and half hour at this point exploring the massive landscapes of the Grand Canyon. Lunch was included and we could pick from the various options in the Sky View restaurant. Would recommend one to head here first to secure the limited Canyon-facing tables which offers majestic views
  • Consider skipping the Skywalk ($25 entry fee) at Eagle Point which promises better views of the Canyon. The restaurant’s Canyon-facing seats offer the same stunning views. Skip the Skywalk, as mobiles are prohibited, and their photographers charge additional $25 for photos—avoid this trap
  • There is a souvenir shop at the basement of the restaurant – one could purchase magnets, coasters, etc.,
• The next stop was Guano point. This offered a bigger area to walk on the Canyon formations – make sure to go up the top and around the base to get a 360^o view of the Canyon and the Colorado river. This point was the highlight of the day trip – views were much better than that of Eagle point. We spent around 1.5 hours here and headed out of the national park
• On the way back, we made a stop at the Arizona Joshua Park to see the famous Joshua trees – these trees hold spiritual significance to the Hualapai tribes that reside in the Grand Canyon and are not allowed to be cut for any reasons
• We were then shown a documentary on the history and architecture of Hoover dam in the bus. Quite an architectural marvel given the complexities that were involved during its construction. Our bus drove through the Hoover dam area and made a short photo stop at a point overlooking the dam and the Colorado river

Got back to Vegas around 6PM. Rested for a while and then headed to downtown Vegas for the Fremont street experience. The entire area was buzzing with music and lively crowd, also features a zipline right above the street. Quite a few happening pubs are in this area. The casinos here offered reasonable minimum bids compared to the Vegas Strip

🧳 AK’s Travel Tidbits 🧳

A bus named Duece runs 24×7 on Vegas strip & downtown. Would recommend buying the unlimited Duece pass (costs about $8 for 24 hours) for the duration you are planning to explore Vegas. Every hotel in Vegas is huge and covering them by foot will be quite tiring. Just strip is 7km long, the downtown is further away from the strip. So just get the pass

Day 6: Return from Vegas

• Visited the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign early in the morning. Wanted to avoid the peak hours, since there will be long queue to click pictures in front of the sign. Then made a quick pitstop at the vintage wedding chapel located near the Vegas sign
• Later, explored the New York – New York Hotel – it features replicas of famous New York City landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. Inside the hotel, they’ve created the essence of New York City by designing NYC styled alleys and housing numerous NYC eateries within those alleys. Don’t miss having the Pizzas and Pretzels from these eateries!
• Headed back to airport to head to LA and catch my flight back to India