Packing etc!

What to pack.

Here is a general traveling packing list:

1.) general clothing (be conscious of the weather conditions. Since I am going in the winter I need to pack warmer clothing EG. Jeans, long sleeve shirt etc).

2.) extra clothing (coats, jackets, gloves, cap. If going in the winter season)

3.) hygiene products (soaps, skin care items, make-up, sprays etc)

4.) phone, iPod, and do not forget your chargers for your devices

5.) camera and batteries

Now, when going to any travel destination, you want to pack as light as possible so that you can bring home souvenirs. With the airline tickets I purchased I get two free checked bags, and one carry on bag. What I also do, and would suggest is using a large suitcase to pack all of your clothes in. This will be the bag that you can check. Now, in a typical suitcase set the second biggest rolling suitcase is typically suitable for carry on service (check requirements online). This smaller bag can be used to carry your coats and jackets on the way there. When returning this bag will be used to hold purchased items. If you find it necessary you can check this bag as your second free bag and carry on a back pack instead.

General airline bag requirements:

Any liquid or aerosol bottle measuring more than 2 fl oz has to be checked and can not be carried on board the airplane. So what I suggest is putting these items in a plastic bag inside your checked suitcase.

*Keep on on current airline luggage policy when traveling for they change periodically.

How to get from the airport?

Now that you have purchased and reserved your hotel rooms, and your airline tickets, the next step is to plan and purchase necessary transit/transportation tickets  from, and back to the airport.

First things first, you have got to get from the airport to your Manhattan hotel. There are many different options. You can walk several blocks to a MTA (New York Public Transit) stop. Also you could do a cab, but that is very pricey. There are several different airport shuttle services to chose from. I have found that AirLink shuttle services is the best and most dependable. You can visit their website by clicking HERE! They are a neat service in the fact that they will take you directly to your Manhattan hotel, and drop you off. Average cost for round trip (to and from airport) is around $30 per person(from LGA). They include two bags in that price. If one was to take a taxi the same distance it would be at least a $50-$80 cab ride. The only down fall to this shuttle is it is a shared space. There are other people in the bus/van with you, but I do not see this as a problem because when in NYC that is something you must get used to because there are people everywhere.

PLEASE BE AWARE:

When being picked up, I have found that it is better to be picked up at your hotel. However there are some trips I have been using the last day to see an attraction. When this happened I selected to be picked up at Grand Central Terminal. When you chose this option, you will NOT be picked up at GCT. Out side the building on 5th ave there is a GoAirLink building and that is where you will be picked up at. So if you chose this option, do NOT wait around Grand Central Station because you WILL miss your shuttle.

Getting the best Air-Deal

After you select your hotel room for your January escape to the City that never sleeps the next step is to buy airline tickets to get there. I am going to mention the tickets I just recently bought for my January trip. I decided on visiting the city again around June and July. In late July is when tickets starting becoming available for the week I am going. I naturally looked at travel sites, but at this point in the game they are not cheaper, and do not provide the companies I prefer to use. 

What do I use? I check out each airline company individually to see which has the cheapest fare. I have noticed that the bigger airlines are far too expensive. Delta, American, Continental and United airlines all total over a thousand dollars round trip. That price does not include a bag check either. I am not sure as to why they charge so much more for their services, but they do. In the past I’ve used AirTran to fly to New York but in the recent past Southwest Airlines has purchased AirTran therefore their destinations are slowly intergrading. AirTran was my choice in the past because Southwest did not fly into LaGuardia, the nearest airport was Newark New Jersey. AirTran for my trip this year was running around $380 round trip. This seemed like a great deal, but after some research I discovered they no longer include a check-bag for free, and there is a $24-50 fee to check one. I browsed Southwest to see if going into Newark was cheaper, and that is when I discovered they flew into LaGuardia now. The price for the trip was the same as AirTran’s, but offers two free checked bags.  This is the one I purchased. 

A good tip for frequent travelers is to sign up for airline rewards programs. I have found that Sountwest is typically the best to use, because I do fly Southwest much more because of their low fares. Their rapid rewards program is very good and useful when trying to save money on travel. I have received enough points to total a decent savings on next year’s trip to the City.

Quick Tips: Make sure that you do not wait till the last minute to book your airline ticket. The earlier you book them the better.  Typically I have found that tickets are at their cheapest as soon as they become available. Though, I have been surprised before. The cut off for “cheap” tickets is always three weeks before desired departure. But as a whole buying months in advanced is always the safest and cheapest.

Picking the right room!

Before I get into finding a cheap and good hotel room, I would like to do a follow up to my first post. When you are choosing a week go visit NYC you should make the decision as early as 6 months in advanced.

I chose my dates in June, and to refresh I am visiting January 6-13. Now, most people would recommend buying airline tickets before purchasing a room, but I have found that to not be the best way to do it, when you are planning several months in advanced. I think it is better to research and buy a room because the room will be the most expensive part of your NYC trip. Also, hotel rooms will be available to purchase far more advance than airline tickets. I have found that you can purchase hotel rooms for your selected date several months before airline tickets will be available. Plus, when planning a trip so early, though good at getting good deals, but leaves more time for obstacles that could hinder alter or change your trip plans. Most hotel rooms have cancellation policies that will give you a full refund if canceled within 24 hours of your check in day.

Now, in today's world buying online is the way to go with a lot of things, an hotel room is something that seems to be best when bought and paid for online. Now, when buying online using third party websites, such as hotels.com or Expedia.com months early you need to watch out to make sure you actually are getting the best deal. When buying early, these sites are not always cheaper than buying them directly through the hotel website. These sites get cheaper the closer you get to your selected date. However, I have found that the savings of waiting are not worth the risk of not getting a room. For example the hotel I always stay at is called The Hotel Wellington. When I buy the room months early, I get them for roughly $110.00 a night (and since I buy early these are the same prices on either website). Now, one time I did wait tills about December to buy my rooms, and I got them for $103. Now personally for me the savings are not worth the risk of not getting a room. I say this because the Wellington is the cheapest rooms I have ever found, in a safe neighborhood. I typically do book them through hotels.com rather it's cheaper or the same as directly through the hotel because as a member of their website I get rewards for every night I book on the website.

As I mentioned above, a safe neighborhood and good location is the most important thing when visiting a city such as New York. Though on of the greatest cities ever, it does have its very rough and not safe areas that one should avoid. as a visitor staying in Manhattan is the best option for visitors. It is not always the cheapest, but that is where majority of the famous NYC attractions are located. Now, when staying in Manhattan I like, and advise people to stay in midtown west. The hotel I stay at is locate on west 55th and 7th ave. it is a few blocks from Times Square, and also blocks from the famous 5th ave shops. Great neighborhood and location for the price!

So the things to remember when booking rooms, book early, check prices on multiple sites, and research location.