Las Vegas. Images immediately spring to mind of out of control bachelor parties, entire savings accounts being drained in one night of gambling, and drinking and partying to extremes that would put any British Freshers’ Week to shame. But most uni students, after legally abusing their livers for years, would find themselves in the biggest party city of the world and unable to so much as order a drink, thanks to the drinking and gambling age of 21. I found myself in such a situation this summer but discovered, to my surprise, fun can still be had without alcohol, even in a place like Vegas. Here’s how:
Be part of a cute coupleWith night-time fountain displays set to the music of Frank Sinatra, gondola rides through ‘Venice’ and even the opportunity to place your own lock on ‘Paris’ ‘love lock bridge’, there is no shortage of opportunities for romantic moments with your loved one. So try to be in a cute couple for the trip. Don’t go with your brother – the photo on top of the ‘Eiffel Tower’ would be pretty awkward (not that I have any experience or anything).
Get out in the day The advantage of not being able to drink is that you don’t waste all the daylight hours building your death bed on a sun-lounger out by the pool. This is the perfect opportunity to either join the families on the Strip for some wholesome sight-seeing or, better yet, to get out of the city and into the desert beyond.
Travel the world
Where else in the world can you see the ‘Eiffel Tower’ while standing on the ‘Brooklyn Bridge’? With a little determination and a lot of walking, you can visit Venice, Rome, Paris, England, New York and Florida all in one day. If you crop the photos well, your Facebook friends never have to know you didn’t really tour continental Europe over the weekend.
EatAny holiday is the perfect excuse to forget about diets and healthy-eating ideals. For any American holiday, that’s going to mean consuming an embarrassingly large amount of fast food. But with chains we don’t have at home so readily available (such as Taco Bell and In-N-Out Burger) it’s virtually impossible to say no.
Finally, if tee-totalling is not an option for you, fly with a British airline and get smashed on the plane.