L.A.-Las Vegas bus-hotel package costs $99 each, third person free

Here’s a way to beat the high price of gas on your next road trip to Las Vegas: Take a bus, specifically a bus-hotel package. GotoBus.com offers a bus tour that includes two nights in Vegas and a day spent touring the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The cost is $99 per person -- and a third person goes free.

The deal: Two people pay $99 each and score the free third spot. You all have to stay in the same hotel room, but it’s an inexpensive way to go -- particularly with all the sightseeing stops included (provided you like to pack a lot into your vacation days).

The rate includes round-trip bus transportation (yes, it’s air-conditioned), two nights at the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel and Tower, a tour of the south rim of the Grand Canyon and a stop at the Ethel M chocolate factory and the Botanical Cactus Gardens on the way home.

When: Tours depart Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 14 locations in Southern California.

Tested: I found the deal available in June for $99 each on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday departures. I tested the June 16 departure (Father’s Day weekend) for the slightly higher rate of $119 per person plus tax. I also chose to leave from a stop in Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles (you select your departure location when you book).

Total cost for three people sharing a room with tax and fees: $238, or about $80 per person. Note you can stay in Vegas and skip the Grand Canyon tour.

Contact: GotoBus.com and Take Tours, (888) 428-7255