New York is one of the most visited cities in the world. For example, according to the Office of the New York Comptroller, 66.6 million people visited New York City in 2019. People travel for business and pleasure, with most visitors coming for pleasure. If it’s your first visit, you may want to know how to book a trip to New York.
If you’re traveling for pleasure, you probably want to make the most of your trip to New York. See the sights, sample foods, ice skate, and watch a show. The best way is to book your trip early. If you’re traveling for business, your company will probably book your trip, but there’s no harm in having fun, exploring sights, and making memories.
Booking a trip might seem like too much work, but it isn’t. Research options, read reviews, and maybe make a few calls. However, you don’t have to visit every restaurant or theatre. You can have what you have in mind and choose between two to three options.
The alternative to planning your trip is being spontaneous, which could be fun till it’s dusk, and you have no safe place to sleep. Therefore, it’s imperative that you learn how to book a trip to New York City. Here are ten easy steps to book a trip to New York. You can apply them when visiting any other city.
1. Book Your Transport Early
Early planning is one of the best tips for booking a trip to New York or any other city. Transport is one of the key determinants of how your trip turns out. Regardless of your transport means, you must prepare and book early.
According to the State of New York Comptroller, 80% of visitors to New York are domestic. Therefore, you might use a personal vehicle to get to New York. Ensure your car gets a maintenance check to ensure every part works well. Plan for parking by booking parking spots early.
It’s also possible you might be using air transport. Book your flight early to get the best deals and seats. New York City is one of the few cities with airport options. Here are the three airports you could choose:
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- John F Kennedy International Airport
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- La Guardia International Airport
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- Newark Liberty International Airport
You can easily move around New York using public transport. This means you can leave your car at home and enjoy the city without worrying about parking and fuel.
2. Get Your Accommodations Early
Once you have booked your transport, it’s time to check the accommodation tab. New York has an endless supply of accommodation options. For example, the New York City Association of Hotel Concierges alone represents 24,000 hotel rooms ready for your occupation. You could choose:
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- Airbnb
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- Backpacking hostels
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- Family and relatives’ homes
A hotel option is superb if you’re traveling with family or on a short trip. Depending on your budget, you benefit from convenience, safety, and high-quality hospitality. On the other hand, an apartment rental is a superb option, since you have more control over your space and might be cheaper. Airbnbs are quite restricted in New York for stays less than 30 days.
If you’re looking to learn how to book a trip to New York City, accommodation should be at the top of your list. Your safety, comfort, and convenience could be in jeopardy if you leave the accommodation to chance.
3. Plan to Shop Locally
One of the most interesting things to do when on a trip is to shop locally. It could be spontaneous. You see a tattoo studio and decide to get a unique tattoo, or you see a jewelry shop and get a customized necklace. However, you could also plan to shop locally.
New York has many unique locally owned shops you can visit and go on a shopping spree. You can get a variety ranging from classic vintages, hand-picked treasures, antique light features, and books. The shops are owned by unique locals such as twins, LGBTQ proprietors, and environment enthusiasts. You can make your trip memorable by shopping in these unique shops.
Check out the top shopping districts you scheduled for shopping. New York is too large; you might not shop in every part of the city. However, you could pick one shopping area and check various items. Here are the top shopping spots you could consider:
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- Grand Central Market
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- Brookfield Place
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- Union Square
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- Saks Fifth Avenue
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- Columbus Circle
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- SoHo NYC
4. Know Where You’ll Eat
If you want to know how to book a trip to New York City, you should have plans for where you’ll eat. You’ll be too busy enjoying the great sites and tall skyscrapers to worry about where to eat. You could even incorporate eating as part of the trip. You could sample pizza places, New York’s legendary coffee houses, and bakeries.
You don’t have to call all the steakhouses in New York and make reservations. However, it’ll help if you know where you can eat if you get hungry. For example, maybe you prefer take-outs in the evenings. You can make a mental note of the best takeout restaurants in New York.
Planning for food doesn’t have to be too elaborate. You only need to consider the food you’re likely to eat at separate meal times. You could also surprise yourself by trying unique local food in New York, such as half-moon cookies and disco fries.
5. Know Where You Can Get Comfortable
Thanks to all the amazing things to do in New York, you’ll get exhausted. Your muscles will need a little pampering to reset. Therefore, it would help to know where you could go to relax and pamper your body. For example, do you have
a place you could go for saunas in mind?
If traveling with friends, you can look for spas offering group packages. While this could be spontaneous, you might get better offers if you book your trip early. Check online for places that meet your expectations. You could even ask for rates.
Sometimes, you only need a great barber shop to relax and unwind. If you’ve been to New York before, you may have someone in mind. Otherwise, be open to new experiences. Hit the local gym to keep your health routine. Early booking might get you the best spot and trainers if they have a program.
6. Book Broadway Shows and Entertainment Early
A New York trip is incomplete without a visit to the theatre. New York has a long and well-defined culture of Broadway shows and musicals. For example, according to Statista, in the 2018/1 season, 11.66 million people attended a show in New York. Therefore, if you’re looking to learn how to book a trip to New York, research Broadway shows early.
At a single time, they’re about 40 shows running in New York. You can never get too bored. While most theatres allow buying tickets at the last minute, you can reduce the hassle by booking early. If you’re traveling with others, for example, your children, you’ll have less anxiety when you know your spot is booked early.
Apart from shows, New York has multiple entertainment options. Check cinema openings for the latest movie releases. Your trip could be made memorable by a great movie. Book early, get a great seat and enjoy the magnificent displays.
7. Plan for City Tours
New York City is a labyrinth of twists, neighborhoods, and skyscrapers. The city itself is enough to keep you engaged for a few days. You could book a city tour with local tour companies and visit the different neighborhoods.
New York has five boroughs:
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- Manhattan
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- Queens
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- The Bronx
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- Staten Island
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- Brooklyn
You can opt to tour each borough each day. Each borough has its personality, culture, and foods, or you could visit them on a guided city tour. However, that’s not something you do in a snap of a finger, especially if you’re traveling with children. Early booking your city tour will save you the hassle and anxiety of last-minute booking.
New York is surrounded by water, and your tour could include a boat ride. A cruise dinner with chef-prepared food could make a memorable addition to your trip. You can also visit museums to learn about the history of New York and America.
8. Check Out Annual Events in New York
New York is a city of events. There’s always a significant event going on in New York. New York will fill your calendar with events if you’re visiting for pleasure or business. While you don’t have to fill all your time with events, an annual event could be an amazing time to meet new people, share ideas and learn new things.
A quick visit to the NYC Go website will show annual events you can anticipate, including the New York Jewish Festival, New York Broadway Show, New York Fashion Week, and the Tribeca Film Festival, among many others. There’s almost an event for every kind of cause, from clothes to dogs to cars.
Planning your trip will help you schedule your travel alongside a major annual event. For example, if you’re into fashion, you can organize your trip around Fashion Week and if films are your thing, plan your trip around film festivals. Therefore, a fantastic tip on how to book a trip to New York is to book events early
9. Check Out Free & Fun Things to Do in New York
Most of the things in our ten steps on how to book a trip to New York require paying. You need to purchase tickets and pay for tours and food. However, New York City is a city that gives freely. Sometimes the best memories are made from unpaid trips, free rides, or beautiful views. Here are some of the free things you can do in New York:
Free Boat Rides: You can get a free ride to Staten Island on a ferry. They have existed in New York since Dutch times. They’re operated by the New York Waterway and are completely free. You can visit Staten Island, Governor’s Island, Astoria, and Rockaway beach.
Museum Admissions: New York is home to many museums, including the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. Hop in and learn about the history of America.
Visit Parks: A park visit is another free activity you could do in New York. Most public parks have no entrance fee. You could do outdoor workouts. Join a cause. Plan a picnic. You’ll have an enjoyable day and not pay a dime.
10. Enjoy Your Trip!
Finally, enjoy your trip. You can be so engaged in learning how to book a trip to New York and the planning that you forget to soak in the moments. Everything might go differently than planned, but you can be flexible and open to learning. Here are the top five things to help you enjoy your trip:
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- Don’t over-stress things that don’t go as planned. Remain flexible
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- Don’t overuse your phone. You don’t have to take every photo
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- Research about a destination before traveling
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- Slow down
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- Don’t be mad if you get lost. It’s part of your trip
Final Thoughts
A trip to New York might be the most memorable city trip you might ever do. However, you could miss out on all the fun and end up stressed because of not planning early. It would help if you began to plan your trip early, depending on the means of transportation you intend to use. You’ll be more at ease if you have booked your accommodations and restaurants early.
That’s why this article on how to book a trip to New York City will be handy. You can book some things. You can leave room for spontaneity. However, it would help if you didn’t leave aspects such as your accommodation to chance. With the above ten steps, you’re set to have the best trip to New York City.
