Everyone told me how spectacular Las Vegas would be, with its mega resorts, huge entertainment venues and bustling casinos, but there was something no one warned me about
Mega resorts towered over me as I walked along the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the echo of country music seeping from a four-storey bar, colourful signs flashing in every direction and the Bellagio fountains taking centre stage every 15 minutes.
Inside the sprawling resorts, I was met with the vibrant, blinking slot machines, elaborate interior themes and celebrity restaurants, along with impressive nearby venues that make up ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’. This was everything I expected from the city of Nevada, and so much more.
With its bustling, energetic and chaotic atmosphere, it felt as though I had stepped into a parallel universe. After all, I was at the heart of America’s playground. Yet, amid all of the expected madness, there was something that completely took me by surprise during my first time in ‘Sin City’.
Las Vegas is situated in the Mojave Desert, the smallest and driest desert in North America. Beyond the glitz of the Strip, you can see the rugged mountains and sprawling golden desert that make up this striking landscape. But what I didn’t factor in was how dry the air would feel.
Of course, I knew deserts were dry, offering hot days and cold evenings, but it was nothing like I had experienced before, especially while walking around such a built-up city. It left me constantly thirsty, made my knuckles crack, and my lips were as dry as the Mojave Desert itself!
I needed to constantly carry a bottle of water around with me to quench my thirst at any given moment, moisturise my knuckles multiple times a day, and apply lip balm as if my life depended on it. I panicked when I accidentally left my lip balm in my hotel room one day, and saw my knuckles become redder and redder as the days went on.
It bewildered me how much it affected my skin and thirst. I could feel the dry air around me, even though it was only around 20C during the day, and I can only recall the air feeling fresh once during my five-day trip. Yet, it only added to the experience and reminded me that I really was in the heart of a desert.
While I was taken aback by the climate change, it appears that other travellers are familiar with the Las Vegas air. One shared on TripAdvisor: “I have a real problem with dry skin in Vegas and always take crack cream. Seems to help.”
Another advised: “HYDRATE – you cannot drink enough water. This is your best defence. (If you are enjoying those wonderful free cocktails while gambling, ask for a bottle of water with each drink.)
I had another encounter with the desert during a guided hiking tour through the Valley of Fire with Love Hikes, just a few hours’ drive away. Here, I was instantly amazed by the dramatic orange rock formations and miles of golden floor as I wandered through towering valleys.
Notably, the majestic desert in the state park has been used as a movie filming set, including for Transformers, Star Trek: Generations, The Professionals and Viva Las Vegas, which starred Elvis Presley. While it’s a far cry from the casinos, you can still find some glamour in the rugged terrain.
Yet, there was something else that surprised me during my trip, and that was how much smaller Las Vegas felt than I had expected, even while wandering around the iconic Strip. I thought it would feel like a gigantic city, but the span of the Strip, despite its enormous towering resorts and gigantic landmarks, was more compact than I had imagined.
There was so much to see and explore, but with its Strip measuring approximately 4.2 miles, you could easily walk its length, something I really didn’t think about until I saw it for myself. Although it would take around two hours to walk the extent of it, it felt like nothing compared to the streets of New York or London.
The population of Las Vegas was 641,903 at the 2020 census, but is thought to have increased since then. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas metropolitan area has an estimated 2.4 million residents across an estimated 7,891 square miles. This is in contrast to New York, which has an estimated population of 8,478,072, as of July 2024, spanning across a whopping 300.46 square miles.
However, while I think the Strip was more compact than I had expected, the city stretches far beyond the glitz with neighbourhoods scattered across the desert right to the edge of the mountain backdrop.
To book your trip, you can check out the Visit Las Vegas website or find direct flights with Virgin Atlantic.
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
