Savings: $200 to $400
Upside: From shopping and gambling to dining and dancing, there is an overabundance of everything in Vegas -- including the number of available hotels. Thanks to the sheer volume of rooms, rates are generally a steal during most months of the year. But prices fall even further during the slowest (and hottest) months of July and August. Things pick up again when convention season kicks off in the fall.
A stay at the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore usually costs $200 to $300 a night but guests receive $100 in resort credit when they travel before the end of August, plus an additional 20% discount on their reservation. Other resorts offer deals on tours or shows, such as two tickets to Mystere by Cirque du Soleil for $100 if you book through Treasure Island.
Downside: There are very few cons to going to Vegas in the off season, with the exception of the heat -- the thermometer hovers in the triple digits in August -- but that only kicks up the scene at the many popular "it" pools on the Strip like Tao Beach at the Venetian or Wet Republic at MGM Grand.
Like the Griswolds, Americans are ready to hit the road for their summer vacation.
