So you want to go to
New York City and are hoping to come back with money still left to
your name? This is how a young, broke, married couple budgeted with
money leftover in one of the world's most expensive cities.
AIRFARE
So unless you are
within driving distance, can take the train, or are lucky enough to
work for an airline, you're only feasible option is to fly. This for
us, and most likely for you, will be your biggest expense. If you are
lucky, an amazing deal will just spring forth out of the pile of
overpriced flights. For us though, it took hours if not a few days to
find the best deal with the dates of travel we had available. There
are a few specific sites we look at when finding cheap prices for
flights.
1.Kayak-Kayak has an
option called Price Alerts that allows you to set your own search
parameters for when you want your flight to be and the max price you
are willing to pay for that flight whether it be round trip of one
way. This option is great for people who are able to travel with a
flexible schedule.
2.Matrix-ITASoftware-This gem is one of my favorites. It is made by google and it
allows you to search with a lowest fare calendar as well as more
advanced filters such as which class you prefer and how many stops you
prefer or not prefer to make. I love the low fare calendar as it
shows me what the prices will be for the months before and after my
trip if I haven't set a specific date yet. ***Tip: Google Flights
seems to be more of a user friendly version of the ITA software.
3.JetRadar-Jet Radar
is also another one of my favorite sites to check out for flights. It
is a website that complies all the your lowest fare options from each
carrier.
4.Travelzoo-We don't
use this website much, but sometimes you can find good seasonal deals
on airfare so it's definitley worth taking a peek at.
ACCOMODATION
New York is not
cheap....nowhere near it. Especially for places to stay. Hotels in
Manhattan will range anywhere from $150-$500 a night. These prices
are not cheap and if you don't want to end up paying more on
accommodation's than airfare, check out the websites before.
1.Airbnb-We love
Airbnb! We had a great experience with it in NYC and we paid half as
much as we would have if we had chosen a hotel. Plus if you choose to
get an entire apartment through Airbnb, you will have a kitchen to
cook in, which will SAVE you money in New York. Food is NOT cheap
there.***Note to fellow travelers though. If you see a good deal on
accommodations in one of the other boroughs such as Queens or
Brooklyn just remember to think about where you will be spending most
of your time visiting. If you are planning on staying in Manhattan
most of your visit then it would most likely be cheaper to spend that
little bit of extra money to stay in Manhattan versus taking a $60
taxi back to the hotel or apartment you are staying at.
2.Hostels-I have
never personally stayed at a hostel, but am definitley open to the
idea of them. They are affordable, especially for the solo and budget
travelers. Just make sure that if you do get a hostel though that you
find out if they have free amenities such as free wifi and breakfast
because hostels can be notorious for charging for ridiculous things,
such as sheets :/.
TRANSPORTATION
I cannot stress how
ridiculous I believe driving in New York is unless you are a taxi
driver or work for Uber. NYC has a very established subway/bus system
called the MTA. You can basically get anywhere you want to from any
of the boroughs and around by train or bus, it is very convenient and
much more affordable than the famous yellow taxi.
1.Subway/Bus-When
Ryan and I first got to New york one of the very first things that we
did was purchase a Metrocard for $30 which was a 7 day unlimited as
we were expecting to be using the train the majority of the time to
get around. Plus the subway is a great way to experience the real NYC
and hopefully you'll get to meet a few memorable characters along the
way.
2.Taxi-Taxi's are
expensive and are not our preferred method of transportation. When
you are stuck in an area of the city that you are not familiar or
comfortable with though, you should have no problem coming across a
Taxi if you feel that you would be more comfortable with that option.
**Word to the wise though, taxi's are not created equal!!! Avoid the
taxi's that are not the typical “yellow cab”, these are what some
people would refer to as “gypsy” cabs. Per the TLC commission
these cabs are for-hire cabs and should not be hailed from the
street. If you do happen to get into one though make sure you ask
them for the price to reach your destination BEFORE closing
the door.
ENTERTAINMENT
Our entertainment
and sightseeing budget was the easiest to figure out because whenever
we go to a new destination we always like to check to see if they
have a city pass. Then from there we calculate the costs of the
sights we want to see vs the price and sights that the city pass
offers. I'm gonna go ahead and save you from all those calculations and tell you to purchase the NEW YORK PASS. It
offers 80+ attractions including all the popular ones such as The
Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building for a very affordable
price considering what you would be paying for each landmark or sight
you go to separately. We paid $150 for a 3 day pass and we're able to
get in every landmark/sight we wanted to see WITHOUT paying anything
extra. For all that we saw, this was honestly a great value and I
would recommend it for people who are going to New York for the first
time.
So, now that I have
given you all an overview of how we budgeted for New York you are
probably curious as to how much we actually spent huh? Well..you're
lucky I'm generous enough to give you all that information :P.
Airfare: 600.00
(Roundtrip for 2)
Accomodation and
Food:310.00
Transporation: 60.00
(30 per person for 7 day unlimited pass)
Entertainment:
300.00 (150 per person)
TOTAL: $1270.00
for two people visiting
for 6 days in New York City
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