Five Things To Pay For Before A Trip To New York
Holidays are exciting, but there’s something about a trip to New York which for me is even more exciting. I still remember my first trip which only saw me spend a few days in the city, but I fell in love. I’ve been lucky enough to visit the city 5 times and I’m not fed up of it yet. America, in general, is full of so many untapped destinations and while my wish list is very long, I’m still keen for another trip back to New York. Although I’ll definitely need to apply for a new ESTA as I’m sure mine has run out by now.
If you’re heading to New York for the first time here are a few of the things you should pay out for before flying. They’ll not only save you spending out when you get there, but they’ll also save you time.
Pay for your ESTA
An ESTA is a mandatory travel document you need every single time you visit the states. Once you’ve submitted your ESTA application and have your document it lasts for 2 years. So you will need to re-apply over time to ensure that you’re authorised entry into the country. Over the years I’ve had about 5 ESTA’s and I’ve found after my first trip into the country it gets quicker and quicker to go through security. The actual application is very easy to do and takes just a few minutes to do online. And at just under £30 it’s pretty affordable to do.
This is something which you need to do before your trip so remember to apply on time for your ESTA!
Book transport from the airport to your hotel
New York airports are always busy, and almost everyone who leaves will be heading to get a taxi. This means queues can be pretty long, I remember waiting almost 45 minutes one time I went. So when I headed to New York last time I pre-booked transport to pick us up from the hotel and it made everything go so much smoother.
It was a cost I had already paid for so I didn’t need to shell out $50-60 before I’d even hit the city. And it meant I got to our hotel as quickly as possible. This is especially useful if you’re travelling in a larger group to try and keep you together.
Buy a Citypass
Tourist attractions are a must whether it’s your first or fifth time in New York and a CityPass is the cheapest way to do it. With the pass, you get entrance to 6 of the top attractions in the city including Empire State Building, Natural History Museum and the Ferry across to the statue of liberty.
We got passes when me and Luke went to New York last year and as we had pre-paid for tickets we didn’t need to queue either and we sailed straight through. So not only did I save money on the attraction prices, but I saved queuing which is a win-win really.
Pre-book a ground zero walking tour
I’ve done two different ground zero walking tours now and they are one of the best things I’ve done in the city. The area is harrowing to visit anyway but a guide allows you to find out more about the brave men and women on the day and get a bit more context around what actually happened on the tragic day.
It’s definitely an emotional tour, but it’s well worth it and you can book and pay for this before you land in the city. I’d highly suggest doing this as some of the tours around peak time fill up very quickly.
Book any theatre tickets you may need
I know a lot of people say to queue up at the stands in New York but I disagree with this. Not only will you end up wasting some of your precious time in the city queuing, but you’re not guaranteed tickets to the show you may really want to see. And there are still plenty of cheap ways to get tickets online before you go.
I’ve used TodayTix a lot in the UK but they also cover Broadway shows. All it takes is a quick Google and you can head on your trip safe in the knowledge you’re booked up for what you want. If Mean Girls hasn’t launched in London before I next go that’s one I’m going to be booking up.
Have you ever been to New York? What other things would you pre-pay for?
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17 responses to “Five Things To Pay For Before A Trip To New York”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
Nothing currently planned
These tips are so helpful. Whenever I’ve visted anywhere that I’ve needed an ESTA, I’ve nearly always forgotten until the very last minute. Booking theatre tickets in advance is a good idea too. I don’t tend to plan ahead too much and have always hoped I’d be able to bag cheap on the day tickets when visiting places like this but have never had such luck x
I learnt that the hard way with theatre tickets my first time, I queued for about an hour to not be able to get cheap tickets for the show I wanted to see x
I went to New York many yeas ago. We made sure we got the ESTA sorted asap so there wouldn’t be any issues last minute.
I so agree with all of these, especially the theatre. It can be tempting to wait and choose whilst there but you might miss out on the show you most want to see!
A Ground Zero tour is definitely something I’d want to do in New York so would definitely prebook. This is a really handy guide.
Lots of good tips there. We were almost caught out with our recent US trip as we left our ESTA’s right until the last minute and the rules have changed so I did wonder whether we would be going! 😀
Yeah I had that when I didn’t realise mine had run out, so I always have a look as soon as I book when mine runs out x
Some fantastic and useful tips here as it is so informative for anyone heading to the Big Apple. I am keeping this to mind when I head there
Brilliant tips. Never realised you needed a ETSA to travel to the states, great that it lasts two years though. The city pass sounds great. New York is top of my bucket list, hope to visit one day soon.
I think ESTA’s are something that aren’t promoted as much to customers, if you’ve never been before and don’t know anyone who has it can be hard to know you need one x
We loved our trip to New York but I didn’t realise you could do a ground zero walking tour – we found this whole area to be so emotional and I would really like to go back and do a tour now.
Yeah it is really emotional, but it was so lovely to hear more about the brave people who were part of it, and know what the plans are for the rest of the skyline, where buildings were etc x
These are great tips to keep in mind when preparing for your visit to New York City. I can’t wait to visit the City again.
Some really good advice, especially on the ESTA, it is just a shame it only lasts for 2 years x
It is a shame that you have to renew it because you have to remember to do it x
I definitey want to go to New York and sadly havn’t made it yet. The ground zero walking tour would be so interesting and of course I’d love to see a show on Braodway. Mich x
It’s such an amazing place and it’s so exciting that you’ll get to experience all that for the first time when you go x