My travel to New York New York without my family for the first time when I was still a child!
As a little girl my family went on a lot of vacations. It wasn’t an annual thing but it was something I very much enjoyed. The excitement and anticipation of visiting a new city or town was something we all looked forward to. Out of all the places we traveled, the ocean was by far always and still is my favorite place to be.
Before graduating from high school our senior trip was planned to Cancun Mexico. My parents were going to fund the trip, however I instead opted for the cash. I loved shopping (and still do) and preferred to spend the money on my wardrobe. The senior trip was planned and paid for prior to the end of the school year. It turns out, one of my best friends dads lived in New York and she invited me to go with her that summer. As you know, New York is a fashion capital sooooo this all worked out in my favor.
This trip was fairly inexpensive because we were able to stay with her dad for free and he also drove us any and everywhere we needed to be but public transportation seemed to be the primary method of moving around the city.
I traveled to New Jersey and New York several years later with another best friend. This time we were grown with real life responsibilities and had to foot the bill ourselves. We planned our trip on a budget and were able to have a great time! We used Priceline to bid on a flight and were able to get a very good deal. When you bid on Priceline you put in a price that you prefer and the system will either accept it or decline it. If the system accepts it, your card is charged immediately and you don’t get to choose the exact day and time you leave, however the date is set within 24 hours of your desired time inputted. I do this with rental cars as well and it saves money. We made it a weekend trip decreasing the amount of money needed to spend.
I definitely wish I would have researched and planned more prior to visiting New York both times, however I still enjoyed visiting! This is definitely a place I plan on visiting again. If it is your first time traveling to the Big Apple here are planning tips I highly recommend:
Flight – Book during off season think winter months toward the end (February/March) time frame you can get good deals on flights
Sightseeing – Reserve a time to see the Statue of Liberty prior to arriving to ensure availability. Make sure to visit China Town and Little Italy
Broadway Shows – this is a must see, another ticket to snag before arriving to ensure you are able to see the show you would like to see most
Lodging – Stay in Manhattan, there are very good deals on AirBnB that will accommodate a stay and allow you to walk everywhere. Traffic is so bad that it took us two hours to find a parking place, it is definitely not worth driving around in a car
Transportation – There are different types of transportation that can be used. In New York they have taxi cabs, a ton of taxi cabs on every corner, the subway can be a quick mode of transportation if traveling to the suburbs such as Bronx or Brooklyn, Uber or Lyft is another option (cheaper than hailing a taxi) and of course the cheapest mode is ubering from airport to downtown and walking to desired places.
Shopping – New York has a ton and I can’t stress it enough a ton of boutiques that offer high discounts, this is a must!
Food – the food will be amazing, depending on what you like you can find it all from low cost to very expensive
Other – New York is very close to the capital, if there is enough time and in your budget book a day trip on the train to DC
As with all trips definitely research prior to visiting. Make sure to map out a plan so you are able to at least see all of your desired spots then you can casually work spontaneous activities in while there, but at least with a plan in place it ensures you see what’s most important.
It was such an amazing trip and the memories we made will surely last a lifetime!
