Smart travelers know that when it comes to experiencing the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the Las Vegas luxury bus tour is the only way to go.

This fabulous tour leaves from the Vegas Strip all year round and runs about $130 per person. It includes Skywalk tickets, BBQ lunch, and a guided tour at the top of the rim. The same tour by helicopter or airplane will set you back $375 and $205 per person, respectively.

The entire trip is filled with sights. Fresh out of town, you'll see Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, and the new Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Many trips include a photo stop. Crossing into Arizona, you'll weave through a series of impressive canyons before entering the Mojave Desert. Then it's a bit of a rough drive (easily negotiated by your motor coach) on an unpaved road to Grand Canyon West.

The Skywalk is 120 miles away from Las Vegas and takes 2.5 hours to reach by bus. Today's deluxe motor coaches make this an effortless trip. How so? Consider the quiet-ride suspension - tough enough to handle any road condition. Or the superbly climate-controlled cabins. Other outstanding features include plush, media-room-style seats, flat screen TV's, big windows, spotless restrooms and personal headphones that allow you to pick one of 11 pre-recorded tour narrations.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is, in my opinion, the crown jewel of 21st Century engineering. The "glass bridge" hangs 70 feet over the side of the canyon and suspends guests 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. Designed for the most extreme conditions, the bridge can support 71 fully loaded 747 airplanes and withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes. Eight hundred people can be on it at the same time but maximum occupancy is 120.

The glass walkway consists of 46 glass panels that cost a whopping $250,000 each to make. To protect the glass from scratching, the Hualapai Indian Tribe, which jointly owns and operates the Skywalk, has banned personal electronics, including digital cameras and cell phones. Cloth booties over your shoes are required. Tribe-hired photographers are around to take your picture.

The guided tour at the top of the West Rim is worth the price of admission alone. Your professional driver-guide will lead you to all the key West Rim lookouts, including ones that let you see Eagle Point, Guano Point, and the legendary Colorado River. There's also a stop at the Indian Cultural Center, where you'll meet real Native Americans and see special cultural performances.

Shop online for the best-priced Skywalk trips. I suggest you book online direct from the tour operator. I order all my trips on the Internet. The websites I've used are safe and secure and I've never had a foul up with my reservations. I strongly suggest you book in advance. Further, make sure that your tour includes Skywalk tickets. These trips are very popular and sell out quickly.

The Las Vegas Grand Canyon Skywalk bus tour is a knockout deal. This all-inclusive trip comes with free hotel pick up and drop off, lunch, Skywalk tickets, West Rim guided tour, and a Hoover Dam photo stop. Travel time is a breeze, especially aboard a modern-day luxury coach. With a travel package as great as this, don't settle for simply seeing the Grand Canyon. Skywalk it!.