Do you feel lucky? Expert tips for taking a casino vacation

Casinos on the strip at night in Las Vegas.

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For many active older adults, going to a casino can be a fun way to meet people or spend time with friends, and provide a recreational outlet.

Whether sticking close to home or flying away, there are many options when planning a gambling junket.

There are 13 casinos in Missouri, according to the Missouri Gaming Commission, one of which is right here in Cape Girardeau. For a complete listing, visit www.mgc.dps.mo.gov.

The Isle of Capri operates a casino at 777 Main St. in Cape Girardeau, and it's open from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily. The same company operates two other casinos in Missouri, one in Kansas City, the other in Boonville.

Carolyn Sandgren (Kempf), president of Elite Travel & Cruises in Cape Girardeau, has 30 years of experience making travel arrangements for gamblers in their golden years, and says about 40 percent of her business is comprised of casino-related trips. When she meets with clients, she conducts an in-depth interview to determine their likes and dislikes and just what they are after in an ideal trip.

Several things factor into that determination, such as whether the clients most enjoy shows, food or want to keep the focus of the trip solely on gambling. Other considerations are if they prefer going solo or with a group, and how far they want to venture from home.

For a day trip, going to one of the three casinos in the St. Louis area might be just the ticket.

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Those who don't mind driving a bit farther may opt for Boonville, Missouri, or Tunica, Mississippi, where a cluster of casinos is located. Both cities are about a three-hour drive from Cape Girardeau.

People who enjoy the big city excitement of Las Vegas -- one of the major U.S. destinations for folks looking for a longer trip but who would prefer not to fly -- may opt for a bus tour, which Sandgren says is a popular choice for many retirees, for several reasons.

"Someone takes care of all the details," she says. "You can relax and enjoy the company of other people, and people make really good friends on these trips."

When planning a bus tour, travelers can round up a group of 30 to 50 of their friends, or sign up for a trip where they'll join others. Bus tours also can include planned stops on the way to the destination, such as at a national park.

When a tour arrives at the chosen city, travelers have options for how to spend their time.

"There is free time, with the option of add-on tours," Sandgren explains. "So if you want to stand in front of a slot machine all day, or if you'd rather see the Painted Desert, you can do that."

Bus tours also are attractive because the price is usually less than the cost of driving yourself, and group rates for booking rooms are available.

People who are serious about gambling, Sandgren says, usually fly to Las Vegas, and they can get round-trip tickets for nonstop flights for $250 to $350.

Jennifer Christensen, a travel consultant at 1st Class Travel in Cape Girardeau, says most of the casino trips the agency books are to Las Vegas.

"We see more of that than anything for gambling," she says. "A lot of people from here go to Vegas on a pretty regular basis."

Another attractive, cost-efficient travel plan is to go to New Orleans by Amtrak.

"Train travel is very inexpensive, if you book in advance," Sandgren says.

Those who choose this option may elect to drive to Carbondale, Illinois, and take the train to New Orleans, while others might drive to Memphis, Tennessee, and stay for a night or two, where Tunica casinos are less than an hour away. Then they can catch the train from Memphis to New Orleans and hit the casinos.

People can also go to Memphis, about a three-hour drive, stay a few days, game at the Tunica casinos, and continue to New Orleans, where they can jump on a four- or five-day casino cruise.

"When the casinos are open on the ship depends on which waters they are traveling through," Sandgren says.

If the destination is a casino when cruising, the Caribbean is a popular destination because Nassau, Bahamas, is home to one of the biggest casinos in the world, the Atlantis.

"It's a major casino destination," Sandgren says.

Cruise rates are less than $300, and can be as low as $199 per person, double occupancy.

Casinos also are in almost any state that has a Native American reservation, including Minnesota.

Sandgren says one of her favorite casino destinations is Minneapolis, not only because she hails from there, but also because there's a free round-trip shuttle from the Mall of America -- the largest indoor mall in the U.S. -- to the casinos.