USA Trip - Use of Travel Agents

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      Lurker on 14/10/2014 - 07:37

      These are people in private cars traveling between cities for work etc and looking for passengers to share expenses for gas (i.e. petrol) etc.

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        SaberX on 15/10/2014 - 02:26

        Sounds like a plan… they wouldn't have an issue on tourists hopping along?

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        Lurker on 15/10/2014 - 11:02

        @SaberX:

        As long as you pay and they have space for your luggage. You should be fine.

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  SaberX on 14/10/2014 - 02:36

  I'd be interested to know (to add more confusion to working out cities/attractions/flights haha) people's thoughts on accomodation - never used air bnb but in this case if i'm travelling alone, thinking of ways to stay safe yet get my own private sort of secure room to go back to, particularly for my belongings. Air bnb idea has some good storeis but wondering if you get some horror nasties e.g. things lurking under the bed sheets etc given it's shared by many users, cleaned by the host, who may at times get slack?

  Then again perhaps I'm being negative?

  Hostels i've never stayed in before, always hotels, so somehow I have this image issue in my head of bogans who I wouldn't trust locking up my bag with during the day and going out… if it was low cost but with reputable rooms, that were safe, secure and the people were decent, just looking for cheap accomodation too, that would be fine?

  Am i stereotyping too much given the image of hostels brings to mind shared rooms, unsafe to leave your belongings, dodgy bogans and other less savoury characters?

  I do hear they are alot cheaper though…. still wouldn't want to sacrifice a holiday quality just to be cheap though, otherwise why go on holiday. But if i can be cheap and still get good/decent enough quality I'm all up for it. Otherwise maybe air bnb would work - i dont know if its suited cost wise for a single person though? Assuming group air bnb rentals are alot more cost effective.

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  Lurker on 14/10/2014 - 07:48

  Some hostels have better security than others.

  May be not as good as the hotels Obama stay in.

  They are decent.

  They have dorm rooms and private rooms also.

  True, you could come across bogans in hostels.

  But they are usually not welcome by the hostels.

  I think the pros outweigh the cons of staying in a hostel.

  Particularly if you are getting out of your comfort zone and trying to find yourself.

  Wish I had done that in my early twenties.

  You can find the rating of hostels on some hostels booking websites.

  AirBnB is a good alternative. Quality also depends on the hosts.

  I have never tried group Airbnb but I have heard they do cost less than hotel rooms in many cases.

  By the way, you can get bed bugs in 5 star hotels .

  So don't let the stars dazzle you with their cleanliness.

  PJ in SF has 2 hostels and 1 small hotel . I can ask him to take care of you.

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  windale on 14/10/2014 - 08:09

  A trip to Niagara Falls from NYC is a worthwhile overnighter. It's pretty impressive.

  I think qantas also fly direct into Dallas which may be better for getting to NYC.

  I usually fly virgin Australia there and back. Virgin America or delta for internals as I get my FF miles.

  Most airlines use hubs so you often can't fly direct between cities , you need to go via the hub city. Not always the case but adds time.

  Airport security varies but be prepared for long queues at some airports. All belts and shoes off and liquids in plastic bags. Some are not so strict so not sure why they are not consistent.

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    SaberX on 16/10/2014 - 02:29

    How long is it by pub transport from NYC to Niagara falls? It cant be done in a day trip?

    Delta airlines gives you FF miles for your virgin velocity card back in aus?

    What did you find in terms of booking flights, where return tickets are cheaper, but I am not intending to return to the same hub? Can you not book return but using a diff return city, but with the same airlines - surely they'd still promote a cheaper flight cost if you do that?

    Best I bring my non metal setting off belt then, haha currently works liek a charm on FIFO. So is pre-flight time check in 2-3 hours in america given the security protocols?

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      windale on 16/10/2014 - 21:16

      There was a discussion on theses forums about a trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, have a search.

      Yes delta and virgin America give you points to your virgin ff account.

      You can book multi city so might do what you want. I usually end up back tracking a bit when down south as most delta flights go via Atlanta. It's no major hassle but does add time to travel.

      I don't remove my belt here but over there you will have to. You will be body scanned as well as some airports, all belts and shoes off for everyone.

      I turned up at Denver airport and all liquids had to be in plastics bags. Did they have any, no. So I had to throw out lots of toiletry items. Even though no other airport in Australia or the USA was requesting this at the time. Also very long security lines. All toiletries go on my checked luggage now and I just use the freebies from hotels and the airlines in my carry on.

      All Americans take l loads of carry on luggage so be warned the lockers will be full.

      Don't be surprised to sit next to people with KFC or pizzas brought onto the plane.

      If you have lounge status with virgin you can use delta lounges if you fly with them.

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        SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 00:49

        Ok, will have a search on the forums later on. Besides delta and virgin america do any other US domestic airlines partner with virgin's FF account/points?

        You're right, appears others here mentioned it's multi-city that I want to book a return flight but using a different return city.. makes sense though given you should be rewarded the return flight discounted costs if you're going the same airlines.

        Ouch, will make a note to pack easy slip on shoes then haha. So clear plastic bags/ or the normal shopping bags? I would always put toiletries/liquids in checked in bags tbh. Was this only for liquids above the usual 100 ml limit though? I usually take the smaller liquids below 100 ml in carry on bag if it needs to be protected.. won't if it applies to any liquids though.

        Great - guess check in it is.. and keep it to a minimal, one check on bag? Surely they have a limit of one check on bag as per anywhere internationally? Can you BYO pizza and kfc onto flights there? Wow … haha guess whichever way you look at it this could be a great thing :D

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  nikcrazyivan on 14/10/2014 - 09:09

  As discussed elsewhere you can save $$$ by avoiding a travel agent and going direct.

  Traveling from NYC to dc via train will cost around $120 for business class seat. Nice relaxing trip without all of the stress of airlines and when you factor in cab times, security and having to be at the airport1 to 2 hours before departure it works out about even in terms of time.

  We caught the Amtrak from penn station - a short walk from Times Square and would do it again.

  As for discount sites I've had luck with Priceline.com. Car hire through here worked out to be 1/2 price as opposed to going to Alamo direct. Do sign up for any rewards / membership schemes though - mate saved $700 through hertz when we did a New Orleans to Vegas road trip a couple of years back…

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    SaberX on 16/10/2014 - 02:31

    That sounds decent. How much for economy? < $50 do you reckon? or is that a terrible option in terms of relaxation and rocking up refreshed?

    Sounds like a train trip is 3 hours from NYC to washington dc.

    Times square is manhattan area? thinking if i air bnb around there or lower manhattan, itis meant to be safer at night and also transport central (and alot of the attractions are around there too).

    Ok will remember to keep signing up for those FF /membership rewards haha, if im lucky I can get a virgin flight in america given thats the only corporate membership I keep in terms of airlines….

    There are 3 airports in NYC though - what would you recommend is logistically and price wise the smartest on to fly into? Particularly if you air bnb or look for central accomodation as mentioned above (which seems to be manhattan area, as i've been told to avoid brooklyn, and the bronx lol)

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  kobrien456 on 14/10/2014 - 09:48

  +1

  I think I read somewhere you can get train to Washington from JFK airport NY.

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  kobrien456 on 14/10/2014 - 09:59

  ^ cancel this, because you do need to get to Manhattan. I hr. Plus 4 on train. Book flight to Washington Reagan airport closest. Book it for 3 hours after you arrive in JFK. 55 min flight time.

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    SaberX on 16/10/2014 - 02:33

    Umm I would be going into NYC and staying there a few days, so I don't have to train it straight to washington via NYC when i arrive.

    I'm abit confused by what you meant. So you're saying (see post a few up as this seems to also mention the train to washington is from near times square) that you need to get from JFK airport to manhattan anyway , in order to catch the train that then goes to washington dc?

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  Brendoo on 14/10/2014 - 13:50

  +3

  One very important thing to do if you organise your travel yourself is to submit your application to the US Govt for an ESTA before you travel. Without this you will not be permitted entry into the United States.

  An ESTA is the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. It's specific to the USA. Basically they use it to check you out before you go there.

  It can be done on-line and takes about 10 mins.

  I'm presuming you are on an Aussie passport and would be traveling under the Visa Waiver program purely as a non-working tourist. If so, the ESTA is mandatory.

  The travel agent would normally assist with this so it's easily forgotten when booking on your own.

  The ESTA stays valid for 2 years.

  Make sure you use the US Govt Customs and Border Protection web site when booking. There are tons of scammers on the internet trying to trick you into paying more. Only use this link (.gov web sites are US Govt).

  https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

  Last time I got mine it was something around the $20 mark.

  Another tip, you must at least have your first night's (or more) accomodation booked before leaving Australia. You will be asked for this info at the airport before leaving. Without it you wont be allowed on the plane. This is another US Govt security restriction. They check your name and US address while you are in the air - any issues and they are waiting for you when the plane lands. I've seen a number of people in tears at Sydney Airport being denied their flight because they are staying with friends or family and didnt know the exact address and desparately trying to ring them to find out (sounds like this wouldnt be your case, but worth mentioning)

  I travel to the USA a lot so am quite familiar with the drill.

  Also, if taking connecting flights around a busy period in the US, make sure you leave plenty of time between flights. LAX is a total nightmare as a foreigner to clear immigration. It can take a long time if busy and your bags are not allowed to be automatically checked through to connecting flights when entering the USA. They must come off when you enter for security checks, then you have to recheck them. All takes time.

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    SBOB on 14/10/2014 - 14:19

    +1

    Last time I got mine it was something around the $20 mark.

    $14US each (just did 3 last night for our trip).. approved after 5 minutes..hooray for not ticking the box saying you were a terrorist…

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    SaberX on 21/10/2014 - 15:58

    Thanks for your responses. The ETSA i will make a note to go back and do this, although flight centre mentioned it too on saturday.

    I am an aussie passport, so as you said it seems the only two things one needs to get in to america and around are:

    1) The ETSA
    2) Your accomodation booked on the first day in
    3) I assume from flight centre - a return flight ticket, or you'll be stopped

    Other than that ther eappears to be no other visa, documentation, or other onerous requirements?

    By connecting flights, do you mean if I fly from NYC to west coast, say via salt lakecity to san fran or sacramento, one must unboard his and their bags at the stop over, re-security screen with your bags, then recheck in your bags etc for the connecting flight?

    Or is this only a LAX requirement?

    Aus is about 2 hours arrival at airport prior to departure time, 1 hour for domestic travel. Would the US therefore be about 3 hours pre-depature for international flights, 2 hours domestic, as a rough guide?

    Got told the ETSA has alot of scamming websites charging you more to submit it, so to get the correct link rather than googling. THanks.

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  Realtightarse on 14/10/2014 - 14:21

  Do yourself a favour and get the KAYAK app for your smart phone. I was finding cheaper and faster airfares than flight centre (While i was asking them questions). I did a look up for flights from New York to florida and about 150 flights popped up in about 10 seconds. Great for getting ball park figures quickly when thinking about flying somewhere. Good luck.

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    SaberX on 14/10/2014 - 15:51

    I've got the kayak app :) Using it to checkout places now… i assume it's like any other search engine accumulator - expedia, agoda etc, so I haven't looked too much into alternatives….

    Have you found the kayak quoted prices pretty much the best prices you've gotten over directly going to the airlines or even through say a travel agent?

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  afoveht on 14/10/2014 - 14:32

  I've been 5 times in the last 4 years, three times with family (2+3), once with a mate and once on my own. I've never used a travel agent and don't want to.

  For accommodation I use VRBO or AirBnB. Apart from the fact that a house can be as cheap as (or cheaper than) a hotel room the thrill of discovering new places and their owner's personal touches adds to the excitement, and there are some fantastic places to stay at. It allows you to stock up on groceries and make meals at home, therefore limiting eating out and saving considerable money. It allows you to put all the junk in one room, be comfy in another watching late-night TV while the rest of the clan is sleeping in their own rooms, etc. It's like living at home! It can take considerable time to look at many options and screen them but if you take the time and effort the results are generally winners - and the process can be fun and exciting too. In over 50 stays (in the US and other countries) I only remember one as being less than I expected; hotels are all essentially humdrum IMO.

  Car hire is cheap compared to here. And their cars are BIG if you need to lug around lots of luggage or companions. I've used Alamo every time (based mostly but not fully on price) and been nothing but super impressed. If you've lots of luggage but want a small car go straight to Walmart and buy a set of roofracks for < $100 and strap it on the long drives. We also bought baby/child seats while we were there rather than renting, and the large US luggage allowances allow you to take them home and return with them if you need. (Else just gift them to someone on your way out).

  Internal flights abound and cost similar to the discounted fares here.

  I have no idea why anyone would let another person (ie: the travel agent) show more determinism in planning a holiday than yourself and then charge you for it when it can be done yourself. Unless I was extremely time poor, no thanks!

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    SaberX on 14/10/2014 - 15:56

    Sounds like a great plan (air bnb). BUt in this case if I'm travelling solo for the first week or so are there small apartments or unit Air bnb's in central tourist accessible areas? Otherwise is air bnb more group suited?

    I would probably not eat at home too much as the whole fun of holidays for me is usually breakfast, lunch, dinner, and trying the odd cafes, bars etc out. Maybe the odd dinner if it suits, or breakfast, before heading to the plane, otherwise I assume i'd be trying to get out there to enjoy and experience.

    Haha i THINK i will need alot of capacity to lug luggage around, I hear in the US they give you 2 x checked in suitcases as opposed to our 1 x check in and 1 x hand luggage standard in aus and around the world when we travel?

    I assume again though, per some of my other responses above, that hiring a car isn't feasible cost wise when solo as opposed to if you're in a group?

    You've got a good point about the travel agent…I think it is a time constraint thing, and also something like the US puts alot of us off as there are so many cities and options that you feel like it is easier to just delegate it to someone who can immediately plot it all out for you… that said once you've done it once or twice it seems alot easier (as the gf and friend seem to be blazing through planning as they know what you have to do etc. at a minimum).

    Are there any requirements or things to make sure I do prior to going to US? Above, someones stated a "ESTA"…otherwise I'm an aussie nationality passport holder. Any vaccines, or other requirements for recent travellers to US? Anything to remember to bring or not to do e.g. I know they're enforcing the 'charged electronics that will turn on or they'll confiscate it' rules now… thanks terrorism…

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      afoveht on 14/10/2014 - 16:11

      +1

      I've done VRBO on my own many times. (Not a massive fan of AirBnB except areas where VRBO lets me down)

      Whenever I have an O/S trip for work I get a 1 bedroom apartment rather than a hotel room. I can setup the laptop and work on the dining table, leave the luggage in a corner I don't see, have people come over at night for a drink, etc. You can find places close to anything - tourist spots, work areas, wherever. And very often the owner will provide great insight into local attractions.

      I like eating out too but often I prefer a sleep-in and a quick bowl of cereal or toast in the morning - very easy in your own kitchen. (I eat vegan so it makes a lot of sense for me since I can stock up on what I want - like vegan ice-cream, etc. - and keep it in the fridge till required.)

      You generally also have access to clothes washing facilities, rudimentary tools if you need to fix something, etc. IMO way better than what's effectively an expensive cell in fancy building.

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        SaberX on 16/10/2014 - 02:36

        I haven't actually heard of VRBO actually. Might have to google that…

        I see, I do liek the idea of free wifi and a more 'lively' room, so I am also leaning towards a partments and rooms via air bnb.

        Haha I have less of an issue with food so I'll probably do well heading out for breakfast. Im also one of those that can eat straight away after waking, so this probably suits getting up and go go go in exploring.

        Washing facilities, never thought of that, intend to bring minimal shirt and pants, and buy the rest, is what I"ve been advised. BUt i guess ill still need to wash underwear and socks somewhere along the way… i assume air bnb's if you hunt for it should generally come with a washing facilities anyway…

        have you felt your VRBO and hosted accomodation stays safe e.g. you felt safe leaving your laptop or belongings, passport etc in your locked luggage and room whiel you went out exploring or for work?

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    SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 00:56

    rereading this I must say it's great that you've been 5 times in the last 4 years,apart from work reasons how on earth did you justify going there so far/often?

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  B_S_D on 14/10/2014 - 16:23

  I normally book everything myself but a friend went through Flight Centre as they were having a promotion at the time for some hotel credit if you booked USA flights through them. The flight prices were competitive and altogether they got around $1,000 in hotel credit. So I guess it's worth taking a look but of course do your research beforehand.

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    SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 00:57

    Decent - 1,000 in hotel credit. Unless you were stuck with high end hotels?

    No promotion offered to me when I went into flight centre on the weekend… hoping to try another agent this weekend hopefully.

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  mboks on 14/10/2014 - 16:51

  Had a bad recent flight centre experience.Got my e tickets a few days after payment as went in when shop was about to close and didn't confirm everything on the spot.Did not find booking through them a particularly pleasant experience, forgot to check with agent to shift my dates when one of the legs on the trip was cancelled and she did not notice the time gap either.called on a Sunday to inquire about this and when the agent finally called me back just before they closed she told me that they do not take calls on Sunday and repeatedly cut me off during the conversation.This was the flight centre in Chatswood shopping centre.Flights I thought was quite expensive- about $3200 SYD-DC-NY-Miami.A US friend suggested to pick up cheap flights once in the country next time..I wanted to move the DC-NY trip and they wanted to charge me $450 for the change.Might as well have got the train from Central Union to Penn station - just about 2 hrs longer and costing less than $200.Cars are cheap.. Treat yourself to the newest cars in Miami, got a rental 2014 BMW 5 series for under $150 a day.Great trip nasty travel agent experience

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    SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:01

    Bad lucky with your experience… although if you forgot to check with your agent to have a leg of your trip that had been cancelled changed, then isn't there a somewhat personal responsibility in this? But yeah, agreed i it was great customer service they should pay attention to obvious holes in the itinerary, not to mention if you're in some strife you woudl think they'd quickly sort it out for 5 mins past close of business, than not. Well at least that's good service.

    $3,200 jeez, so i assume your flight landed in washington DC, then another one to NY, miami, before back to syd? For $3,200 i assume you went during peak time?

    I heard the flights are non-refundable, can be changed but there are costs… I assume flight centre charge you a fee or not for changing? I was told cathay for example had $100-200 fee plus any difference between the two flights to change…

    Unfortunately I don't think I can make east coast's miami.. probably nyc, washington dc, then back over to the west coast (sacramento, san fran, las vegas, la)…. although do they perhaps do the new, sports car rentals over west coast? Would love to experience that drive haha.

    $150 is a steal for a BMW 5 series. Did your travel insurance etc cover those sort of activities over in the US?

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  maximum on 14/10/2014 - 18:09

  When my niece travelled to New York by herself - as part of a big family holiday- we were worried about her being alone. She booked a room through airbnb much cheaper than a hotel and she had people to talk to, show the cheap restaurants bars etc.

  we had cyber stalked the host to make sure she was safe and she found it nice to go back to a place where there was someone to talk to.

  We did our own online flight searches but found flight centre had access to flights that were a little ($70 each) cheaper. Doesn't hurt to get a quote.

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    SaberX on 16/10/2014 - 02:37

    How old was your neice who travelled?

    That's good to hear, especially since i'd be solo travelling and air bnb'ing both for the first time.

    Did she and the family who eventualyl joined her in NYC have any tips on where to avoid, and on how the night life was e.g. can you public transport after dinner time and still get home before a reaosnably 10, 11pm, and feel safe carrying around a proper dslr bag etc, without feeling like a target is on your forehead for trouble/mugging?

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      maximum on 16/10/2014 - 21:39

      New York really is the city that never sleeps we were in the Disney shop and forever 21 at 2am. I didn't go out clubbing as such but went to restaurants and bars till the early morning- they are on every corner.
      My niece went out clubbing with 3 people from reddit one night - I was a bit worried but she sent me their numbers - under the title in case people steal me. She came home about 4 am - scammer told some police she was lost so she didn't have to pay for a cab. Don't know if it would work if you are not a beautiful young girl.
      Things don't really open till 10 am though. First morning we went to Central Park and had it practically to ourselves at 8 am.

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        SaberX on 21/10/2014 - 16:01

        That's promising. So youd' describe walking around (not blind drunk of course) in the main manhattan or jersey area after or around midnight safe in the sense that bars and restaurants are teeming with people?

        That's a very cheeky way to get a free ride home - unfortunately unless I meet a lovely lady cop I don't think the guys would be very accomodating to me, hah. Ballsy that she went with 3 reddit guys out one night - how old was she anyway out of context for all this?

        Sounds like no early morning breakfasts and coffees there then (although I hear aus coffee is surprisingly ALOT better than what they consider "coffee" there).

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    maximum on 16/10/2014 - 21:26

    She was 24, she went to the governors ball music festival as a side trip to our USA trip. She is pretty good at meeting new people she just goes on reddit says what she wants to do and meets other solo people.
    We were in New York in June and stayed in Hamilton heights up past harlem. It's a mainly black neighbourhood and everybody thought we were lost but we loved it , it was cheap and right on an express line 12 minutes to Times Square.
    We felt safe even at night - I caught the train with my son who is 10 from the Bronx (Yankees game) to home at midnight and myself from Madison square garden to home.
    My niece and I went back 3 weeks ago (I won a competition) and caught the subway at 2 am from down near alphabet city - we went to a freaky haunted house - and felt safer than I do on a Sydney train in the middle of the day.

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      SaberX on 21/10/2014 - 16:03

      Ignore my response above asking about your neice's age in context - didn't see this. Just a yr or two below me then. So guess the situation would fit nicely.

      Have to search up Harlem, I've only been told to stay out of the BRonx (obvious reasons) and Brooklyn (given its a black neighbourhood, said to be more dangerous). So surprising your Harlem stay you did not feel out of place? not that I"m trying to be racist and generalise by neighbourhood colour…

      Saw a weekend magazine post on NYC solo travel recommending Nolita and Soho for accomodation and heading from as a base - I don't know where these are but any thoughts on these locations?

      Seems like you went from the Bronx anyway. YOur experiences seem generally positive…. which I hope will be my case too! Cheers!

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  windale on 14/10/2014 - 19:31

  +2

  I use tripit.com when I travel. You email it all your booking confirmation and it prepares an itinerary for you with maps and directions etc. you can access your trips on the web or use a smartphone app. It's free too but has a paid version that has a few more features. It's great to have everything in one place and for checking the flow of things. Saves digging around for emails or bits of paper.
  I use it every year when I travel for work in the USA. Lots and lots of flights, hotels etc. turns me into an organized person.

  Highly recommended

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    rokoz on 15/10/2014 - 14:43

    Great advice, downloaded the app - it's fantastic.

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    SaberX on 16/10/2014 - 02:38

    That sounds quite handy, Ill look into the android app and see how it is. So you give it booking confirms for flights, does it do accomodation etc as well so it makes one big flowchart of itineraries and directions?

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      windale on 16/10/2014 - 08:49

      Yes, flights, car hire, accommodation etc. you can enter the details yourself or just email the booking confirmations to them and it automatically inserts them.

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        hayne on 17/10/2014 - 00:08

        Yeah, TripIt is awesome. You can save it to an Outlook calendar as well if that's your thing =). it has weather, contact details, etc.

        Triplist has some sort of affiliation with them. I've not used it before but it looks like a pretty useful packing checklist app (especially if you travel often).

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        SaberX on 21/10/2014 - 16:05

        @hayne:

        I have the hotmail based outlook (if it's called that) - does it load to that?

        Because I have the Business Calendar app which feeds off my hotmail and gmail calendars, so if tripit loads to that then that would be ideal.

        The weather, contact details I assume show up on the calendar and update in real time? E.g. when weather changes?

        Triplist sounds nifty. Would be great if it provides a checklist of common things to have prior to rocking up to a country e.g. necessary documentation, visas, common things people need etc…

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  johnno07 on 15/10/2014 - 14:08

  +2

  To give you an idea of what you can do in a given time-span: My significant other and I did a three week trip to the USA a couple of years ago in February (so winter, and the off-season). We stayed in NYC for a week at a hotel that was 600m from Central Park and 300m from Times Square for about $150USD/night. We spent 10-12 hours each day exploring, seeing and doing and could have stayed longer. This is honestly the most amazing city I've ever been to and CANNOT recommend it enough.

  We flew to Buffalo and caught a cab (about $100 from memory) to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls where we stayed for three nights. Not a lot to do there during the winter (as The Maid of the Mist is closed) but was tremendously relaxing after a week of go-go-going in NYC and as a bonus - it's jaw-droppingly beautiful.

  Cabbed back down to Buffalo (used the same cabbie - who'd given us his mobile number on the way up - so he gave us a good deal on the way back) and flew to Washington DC. I went to full-on geek mode in DC. For anyone who has a passing interest in the history of America, space, pop-culture, literature etc etc - you just simply must go here. There is no other place on earth like it. In a day you can walk past the president's house, look up at Lincoln, stand under the Washington Monument, read a Gutenberg Bible, see the Hope Diamond, gaze in awe at at the Appollo 11 command module that Neil and his boys returned from the moon in, and strut past the J Edgar Hoover building like Fox Mulder. Honestly, just go there. We spent about 5 days and loved it.

  Then we caught a train back up to NYC and flew to San Francisco to spend a few nights. What a beautiful city. Book an Alcatraz tour well in advance! Then flew back down to LA and rented a car to drive up to Big Bear for a few days of skiing. On the way back down we decided to do a day at Disneyland and California Adventure. Great value for $99USD (at the time) - especially as it was during the week, not during holidays, and during winter.

  We came back utterly spent and had the trip of a lifetime. Buy good walking shoes/boots - you'll be on your feet A LOT.

  TL;DR: In three weeks you can see NYC, Niagara Falls, Washington DC, San Francisco and do some skiing in Southern California and go to Disneyland.

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    SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:11

    I was aiming to do an air bnb if it was cheaper than hotels, around the central park/times square area, i assume this is "Manhattan" from what I can see. Supposedly the trains straight from this Manhattan area (times square/central park) go straight to washington DC. JFK airport supposedly is the closest to this area too? Would you agree with all of that?

    Could you explain or PM me more about your NYC sight seeing, particularly as you appear to have stayed in the same area I'm planning to. Curious what you could've done for 10-12 hours a day, how long did you go for? 3 days? Was wall street worth seeing? heard its smaller and alot more packed/line just to take pics with the bull etc. Not like you can see the exchange in action either?

    Buffalo sounds great. GIven I'm in NYC already, is there no way to visit the city on the US side of NIagara falls? If it's too far away for a day trip or something from NYC then I might haveto skip it this time.

    I don't have any American history, pop culture interest etc, haha so that would be interesting (Washington DC). But then again I hear it is a great city, per lonely planet today it appears to have gotten the #1 city gong in the world haha. I've never heard of any of those monuments you mentioned, but sounds exciting - I assume these are all central? once i train it into washington DC (if that's preferable from NYC versus a flight), can I just stay somewhere central to visit all these places?

    Can you remember how much your train ride back to NYC was? I'm assuming these are all amtrak, as pplz have mentioned throughout this thread. Keep hearing great things about San Fran. Seems like I need to do the golden gate bridge and the alcatraz tour. How long did that take you?

    How long was your whole trip? I have my mizuno running shoes - i assume same as walking shoes haha. So this should be good to walk around with? Not very fashionable unfortunately…

    I think in 3/4 weeks I coudl see all of that, if not for the canadian side of my trip causing me to lose 6-7 days in vancouver and whistler… which would have been good to divert to niagara falls etc.

    If i do 4 days in NYC, perhaps one overnight stay in washington dc, and a niagara falls for a day, I could be done within 6 days, yeah? Or would you recommend 5 days in NYC minimum? Be interesting to do those "man vs food" like challenges haha, the size would be incredible for a picture. A massive pizza :D

    • 

      SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:22

      Edit: My bad, just consulted google maps. Buffalo is the US city side of the border, to get through to Niagara falls do you have to go via canada? or is there an US side to niagara falls? Or is it better to see it from the Canadian side?

      I saw Philadelphia inbetween NYC and Washington DC, does the train line run between all 3? If so surely I could stop by Philadelphia either to/from Washington DC? ALthough I heard it's not something you need to spend much time at? Just a day trip?

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  maximum on 15/10/2014 - 16:05

  We did a Chinese bus tour from nyc to Washington, D.C. , Philadelphia , Niagara Falls and Watkins glen . It was 3 full days- the commentary was in mandarin and English . It was so cheap i thought it was a scam but we stayed in good hotels and saw so much. The group- take tours -also do Boston and Canada trips. This was a great way to squash in heaps of places in a very short time. It would be better to do it yourself and take weeks rather than 3 days but we didn't have the time.
  Somethings to book in advance - climbing to the top of the Statue of Liberty and the Alcatraz night tour- both are restricted and book out early. I would have also liked to have seen the vault at the reserve bank in nyc - where all the gold bars are kept in die hard (3?) but didn't know you could . It's free but you have to book well in advance.

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    meowmeowmeow on 15/10/2014 - 16:15

    I had no idea about the federal reserve tour…i'm gonna try and get tickets for next April! Thanks!!

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    kobrien456 on 21/10/2014 - 08:40

    Do you have a link to this Chinese tour?

    • 

      maximum on 21/10/2014 - 16:18

      http://m.taketours.com/new-york-ny/3-day-niagara-falls-washi… . This is the tour we did it's a long drive and rush rush rush but we saw so much in 3 days. When I first said I was doing it I read some bad reviews- so I was expecting to just see things from the window of the bus but we got to see everything in the itinerary and plenty of small town USA on the way.

      I think if you do something like this you need to have a bit of a relaxed attitude (long hours on the bus with people whose habits might annoy you) but also make sure the tour guide sticks to their word - ours warned us first day if you are late we will leave you but then we waited for 20 minutes for someone who was buying souvenirs.
      We then had a word with him and next day we left the same people behind when they didn't get back to the bus on time- if we had to wait at every stop we would have missed things.

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        SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:25

        Sorry but the tour link doesn't work. Is there another? How much for your tour btw? Is that really the best way to tour? Isn't philadelphia on the way down to washington DC? then you swing back up north past niagara falls? Maybe I"m missing something, just physically going off google maps.

        Were the other bus members typical asian - not that I am racist or anything but I know how they are and might make the long bus rides better or worse depending on the crowd type.

        Sounds like it's all tourists though mainly? It's good that your tour guide sticks to his word, i think first time is a reasonable leeway. That would most likely be me (being late) though… haha so I somewhat sympathise with both parties.

        Besides the vault, having not remembered die hard, is there anything else worth noting in the federal reserve tour? I'm a keen investor so anything financial based (wall street) or even investment would be nice. ALthough this sounds more like a physical tour.

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  Pootie Tang on 15/10/2014 - 16:06

  America is going to eat you alive

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    johnno07 on 16/10/2014 - 03:22

    What does that even mean?

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  parismeow on 15/10/2014 - 16:38

  +2

  I have been to the US a few times now and as for using a travel agent, find a cheap flight and then go to flight centre and they will beat the price. that is their motto and has worked for me in the past.

  Don't book accommodation with them though, as you can always get cheaper options!!!!!!!! use trip advisor to help with finding accommodation.

  just so you know flying from city to city in USA is not as cheap as it is in Australia. check out the flight prices before you go, and then decide how many places you want to go to.

  food is much cheaper in the US so enjoy that!!

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    johnno07 on 16/10/2014 - 03:32

    food is much cheaper in the US so enjoy that!!

    Kinda… sorta. Here in Aus, if you see an item listed on the menu at $20, that's exactly what it's going to cost you when you go to pay for your meal. In the States, on the other hand, if you see an item listed for $20 that's not what you're going to be paying in the end. You have to add on sales tax (7.5% in California), a local tax (1.5% in LA) and a tip (at least 15%). This means that a "$10" meal in Los Angeles will actually cost you $24.80 after you add on the whopping 24%. Still - the meal you had is going to be twice as large as anything you'd get here for the same money.

    • 

      SBOB on 16/10/2014 - 06:36

      +2

      You might want to check your math

      • 

        johnno07 on 16/10/2014 - 10:20

        Woops, I meant a $20 meal will cost $24.80. Late night typo!

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      SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:27

      Wow, I'm not a big fan of those hidden taxes. Malaysia does that to you too, you go upw ith your correct change or note then go running for a 5 cent or 10 cent coin thanks to tax.

      Is there a list somewhere that would summarise the relevant taxes in each state, local taxes etc? just for the unassuming tourists?

      haha I'd like to do a few foodie sightseeing things, e.g. a man vs wild sized meal, but the rest of the time I'll try not to overdo it. We always tour all the good eats when we head to Melb, is the US similar in terms of foodie heaven? or is it more of a simple, supersize me type environment, than quality?

      Do you have to tip in fast food places though? Maccas etc?? Or just normal restaurants?

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  Jekyll on 16/10/2014 - 10:25

  +1

  I just came back from a solo trip around the US for just over 5 months.

  Regarding the use of a travel agent, I found that a lot of the "airfare deal searching" websites were cheaper than the actual travel agents. A few of them (in the US) were able to price match, which was nice.

  As other people said, it is a huge place. Make sure you get some rest every now and then, you don't want to be going haywire 24/7. Rest and relaxation is essential!

  I lugged around a Canon 5D Mk2 with a few lenses, never had a single problem. Just use your common sense is the best advice I can give.

  US drivers are crazy. The amount of times I nearly got mowed down in NYC by people running red lights/not paying attention while driving is insane. If you've never driven on that side of the road before, I'd advise you to stick with public transport.

  I used Uber for a majority of my travels, it's a great way to see things up close, if you want to pay the price. Overall it's not expensive, but you really don't want to get caught in peak-hour traffic.

  As for booking hotels, I used a combination of Hotwire and Hotels.com, hotwire is awesome because you never know where you'll end up staying. I never got a bad hotel with them.

  Download something like TripAdvisor, you never know what's around.

  For every single tour I went on, I booked through Viator. They have tours absolutely everywhere, and if you call the tour organisers you will always get a better deal.

  Sorry the information is in a bit of a jumble!

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    SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:37

    5 months - awesome! Wish I had the time off and luxury to do that… so much harder now once you've started your career.

    I'll check kayak and stuff for sure to see if I can get anything cheaper. haha i'd only be there for 4 weeks including to and from travel time, so I don't think I'll get much time to relax. Still seems like I should invest in actual walking/running shoes (well I do have my normal running shoes) - given my prior short term holidays I found walking in my usual sneakers more for show than more than a day in as hopping mall before the heels of my feet started to hurt.

    Good to hear you got around with your dslr fine. Did you have it disguised? Or in a clear DSLR bag though (my worry, my bag is clearly DSLR built e.g. camera hangs in a hammock like system so it is quite tall in a camera sense).

    I've never driven on the right…will keep an eye out on their driving when crossing haha. Guess travel insurance is a must. Uber - noted. Was it safe? I've never used it since launch in Aus, assuming US it is more established, but not sure how the experience is i.e. if it feels safe or not. Sounds like one is better off on the subway or walking to avoid the jam.

    Hotwire - is it some russian roulette booking? Ballsy if you book without selecting/screening yourself. Did you find it more beneficial to book in advance e.g. like me now, if I book for next march/april 15? Or did you find disocunts get better closer to time? I'm expecting being an US trip I'd be safer prebooking than rocking up and landing in accomodation strife.

    I've got trip advisor on my browser and phone. Why, does it work like urbanspoon to show 'whats around'? I always thought it was more a research tool where you had to browse and find? Rather than see on a map/GPS nearby what's going on ?

    Viator - sounds great, haven't got time to check it out now. But like many posts here in this thread I will definitely revisit. Are they singles friendly (got a gf, but in the senese of travelling and wanting to meet people). Short day tours would be great, than being stuck from mornign to night with the tour group, gives you more freedom between days I guess. Particularly in an English speaking country where a tour group is less essential than landing in say China or Russia.

    Jumbled info is great - any links, tips, hints are all appreciated. All these little things to see are particularly helpful. Where did you go during your 5 months if you don't mind me asking? Would be good to ask more specific q's about cities you've been..

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  hahaboy on 16/10/2014 - 18:16

  +4

  this whole thread has been a td;dr for me.

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    SaberX on 21/10/2014 - 02:03

    My apologies, obviously I'd like to be as concise as possible but it's been hard getting my head around america, and with so much to see and do there's been many questions. As the balls rolling now I'm hoping all the info here to date will mean more targeted responses, and more concise going forward…

    Hopefully someone will find some treature trove of ideas in here when they historically search next time!?

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  f4tty on 17/10/2014 - 13:11

  +1

  I've done USA twice and going again early next year. My travel buddy is my BFF which makes it easier since we like pretty much all of the same things (except we follow different NBA teams haha!).

  We always plan, research and book things ourselves - one time we talked to flight centre and they were pretty useless. Offered flights $1 cheaper, but charged more for CC processing so was redundant. The only travel agent we deal with is to book our cruises (we do 1 each trip) since we get an onboard cruise credit which you don't get if you book direct even though cost is the same.

  Recommend:
  NY - amazing, we do it every time because you just can't spend enough time exploring, eating & drinking. Accommodation is always a lot more here, but we like small hotel rooms in or near times square due to 2 females travelling we like that people are always around and travelling is easy.

  New Orleans - so much fun, Bourbon St is a hot mess but all the locals recommended Frenchman St where there are much better bars & music without as much craziness. Oh, and stay as far south from North Rampart as possible - we initially booked an airbnb just up from it and we were not comfortable in the area at all despite the reviews. Ended up packing up staying in the business district (Poydras St) which wasn't far from the french quarter and everything else we wanted to get to.

  San Antonio - awesome, historical, beautiful area. As opposed to Houston which we drove to (big, boring-ish city, wouldn't go again).

  Boston - we found the people here are just so friendly, so many different areas to check out, very cool and authentic vibe.

  Vegas - always great especially since my friend has family living there, so we get a good balance of strip and home life. Hotels are so much cheaper here, so we spoil ourselves and try to stay at the best places.

  San Francisco - probably wouldn't need to revisit, but was a great experience to spend a few days there. Stayed right on Fishermans Wharf, did alcatraz at night, drove out to silicon valley & across the golden gate bridge.

  Washington DC - good to spend a day or 2 (max) checking out the monuments and touristy things, but we didn't find it particularly exciting other than that. A must see for those things though.

  LA - we always get a car, it's worth it just travelling to / from the airport, then it makes getting to different areas easy since it's so spread out. Malibu, Long Beach, San Diego, Venice… a lot of areas you can visit other than just your typical Hollywood walk of fame (which runs forever and gets a bit boring after a couple of blocks).

  Skip:
  Houston - as above, pretty boring

  Miami - interesting, fun to see once, but it just wasn't our vibe.

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    SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 01:58

    Lucky you, unfortunately besides the gf I dont' have a BFF for travel when she's not available haha.

    You were right - after checking kayak's multi city options (didn't know you could book open jaw return flights from two diff cities this way) it's only $1619, versus $1667 from flight centre. The only good thing about agents is you feel more secure that you haven't stuffed up the dates, times etc. But I guess it can't be that rocket science if you read carefully. The thing that confuses me is you start off in aus time, then flight times etc change into local from the looks of it as you cross timezones, so to follow the quoted search engine flight times/departures you need to ensure you adjust your watch each time you head into a new time zone.

    NY recommendation - did you never try air bnb? Was thinking of an air bnb in the areas you recommend (Manhattan - which is times square area ?) Like others I assume staying in this area you felt safe at all times of night walking around? And had no real issues or confrontations riding the subway and exploring the rest of NYC? Given you've been several times, would love to hear further details of where and what you recommend (sightseeing, followed by food, drinks and other 'nifty' things).

    New Orleans - sounds great, probably not do'able from NYC as a base within that week or so timeframe? So might stick to NYC, washington, and philadelphia if I can fit it in.

    San Antonio - same as New orleans, definitely an east coast one to lock in when I have more time. Same for Boston. THink it's harder to /longer to travel to Boston etc versus just covering washington and/or philadelphia from NYC as a base.

    Would have thought Vegas hotels woudl be more expensive? Besides the grand canyon, cirque de solei and other bars and night life, what specific entertainment or things to see would you recommend from Las Vegas? My main memories from 12 years old was gambling, pokies…. haha. Not sure what else there is to do there except the stereotypical party and get drunk (not really my thing 24/7).

    San Francisco - Recommended to drive over golden gate bridge? Or will a tour do it? Can you walk it? A few people have mentioned the Alcatraz tour at night, is it not done during the day? Or is it scarier/better at night?

    LA - so most things arent centralised where you may stay in the city? Hence a cars needed? The issue is if you rent a car and stay at a hotel where on earth do you park the car? Assuming you can book hotels with complimentary parking?

    Houston & Miami - noted…. won't have time to check them out this trip anyway. Would love to come back for east coast for this, texas, salt lake city, chicago etc ……. maybe even Niagara falls.

    How has your air bnb vs typical hotel rooms experiences as far as accomodation goes?

    Do you have a specific website or car hire company to recommend i.e. for LA? Or america in general.

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  SaberX on 21/10/2014 - 02:01

  Hi all,

  Apologies haven't had a chance to reply in recent few days due to some drama that's come up.

  Good news is back from my work I managed to head into flight centre on the weekend. Interestingly the agent can hook me up with an "open jaw" return trip, which I read as being a return flight but with two different cities… which makes perfect sense to me, I don't know why, BUt I can't find this option on the airlines direct site or search engines like kayak.

  But basically they can get me to new york, then back from say vancouver using cathay pacific both ways.. .for just close to might $1660's… this is alot mighty cheaper than the $1083 or so one way is coming up on cathay for Perth to NYC around that march period.

  So I was wondering, given the advice i got from a friend and the gf that travel agents got cheaper deal, yet my knowledge/beliefs as well as many here that travel agents work off commissions and a cut, so obviously they will never be as cheaper as DIY - what would you make of this situation? Becuase this is an open jaw trip , I assume personal travellers can't have access to booking these return flight deals/savings themself using different departure/arrival cities?

  Am I therefore better off going with flight centre's quoted flight, will them booking it cuase me any issues/inflexibility with anything else?

  And secondly how do most travel insurances with credit card purchases work? I know i've been offered travel insurance by buying the to/from my australia base out of the country. What I don't understand is do you think it matters if you book these flights directly on your card, or indirectly through paying flight centre?

  Given their state of the medicare system the last thing I want is touchwood any problems and needing to claim on travel insurance that isn't there.

  Otherwise, I haven't had a chance to discuss domestic flight prices, hopefully cheaper through flight centr etoo. They offered that discount for booking domestics too might include getting free baggage, if you do the whole trip through them (flights).

  Is it worth going to harvey world or any other places? Can different flight centres also offer me a better return quote? Or are they all standardised across flight centre franchises?

  VEry interesting that i can get $1660's return, yet one way would be close to $1100 one way, and another $1100 or so back the other.

  • 

    SBOB on 21/10/2014 - 08:18

    to do open jaw on search flights you need to do a multi stop/multi city search
    e.g. SYD->SFO and LAX->SYD
    it will then do the rest for you

    no idea on your dates, but $1415 comes up for a random week in march when i search on Kayak
    http://www.kayak.com/flights/PER-NYC/2015-03-16/YVR-PER/2015…

    For CC travel insurance to be valid you need to read the T's&C's.. usually just purchasing your flights using the CC is enough to make the travel insurance 'valid'

    As for internal/domestic flights within the US, I doubt that flight centre would be cheaper than what you could find directly via southwest or others directly

    • 

      SaberX on 22/10/2014 - 02:00

      Great! Tried it and surprisingly the cathay pacific flight comes out cheaper at 1619 versus the 1667 flight centre quoted. not much but better than nothing. I asssume flight centre wouldn't offer any favourable flexibility to change flights or deal with cathay over doing my own booking myself?

      I searched from march 19th, returning around the 17 april (fri). Your dates seem alot nicer price wise :)

      Will find my PDS for the Credit card… pain, but I guess booking my own flights is safest than testing my luck and booking via a third party, which may make CC insurance invalid…

      So besides directly on airlines websites, or search engines liek Kayak, is there no purpose built discount sites for air travel? Or generally direct is as cheap as you can get?

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  2ndeffort on 24/10/2014 - 16:09

  WOW, I think I would need a holiday after reading through this thread. I go skiing OS with 2 mates every Feb, mostly to the US (but sometimes Canada or Japan). We always book tickets ourselves and search for everything else on the net. Southwest is our favoured airline, their seat allocation takes some getting used to! If you are flying into LA, make sure you leave plenty of time for getting through immigration!

  Obviously we mostly stay at Ski resorts (and vegas) but we book our accommodation through VRBO. I think there are VRBO rentals in most places, VRBO stands for Vacation Rental By Owner. There are gazillions of places for rent on the webpage direct from the owner (so save on the middle man). In Canada we use a similar site called Allura direct, it might work for the US as well, never tried it.

  • 

    SaberX on 04/11/2014 - 00:49

    2ndeffort apologies for the length - unintended of being misinformed earlier and canvassing all options.

    If i could, and maybe I will, I may just start to phase out this thread, plan my trip, and create a new one with a more concise plan laid out for input.

    I was thinking of doing Canada with the missus around mid april, would Whistler have snow still to snowboard? I've gone once to Mt buller, picked it up pretty well i woudl think, mrs may be new to it, so we're not pros, but be good to hear from a regular if we would be wasting our time booking 3 days for whistler around the 10th-15th april. seems abit far from winter? But supposedly it's still do'able then - or wrong?

    Ah, finally know what VRBO stands for. Good point, might check it out then as more people might list a VRBO for a short term thing than air bnb which is usually regular hosts and may be limited.

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  kobrien456 on 24/10/2014 - 22:15

  All Booked 1007 Bne to Lax return late April to Late May deal ends tonight. Question: arr LAX 1.30 on 24th. Do we allow 3 hours to clear customs? If so,Looking for 4.30pm flight to Washington. (NY seen previously). All seem to Stopover somewhere, and have 8 hour connections at stopover airport. Haven't checked out all options but I've seen Boston and Dallas stopovers. Would you a.) stay night in LA or b.) stay in another city and which one? I'd say we'd be looking at an airport hotel somewhere. Any ideas?

  • 

    kobrien456 on 24/10/2014 - 22:22

    There is a 4.30pm flight lax to NY JFK that arr at 1am. Budget/reasonable Ny airport hotels? Can any one recommend?

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  SaberX on 04/11/2014 - 02:25

  Hi guys, so I'm looking/tossing up currently my multi city entry between perth-new york, then leaving vancouver back to perth.

  But given it might be good to check out toronto i'm tossing up perth-toronto, then vancouver-perth, or otherwise perth-new york with toronto-perth return.

  Just wondering if anyone has any opinion on these? Is there any issue moving to/from canada to US? Say if i arrive in toronto first as opposed to NYC, is there any border crossing issues when flying from toronto to new york that I should be aware of ? or no issues?

• 

  tadere on 05/11/2014 - 11:45

  +1

  Toronto is well worth it. It's a great place to visit. There is a border crossing from Canada to USA etc but you should be fine. Get on a bus from Toronto to Niagara Falls and you are there in a few hours. I think it cost us $18 and then I think $12 to Buffalo. It cost us another $16 to bus it from Buffalo to NYC with the Chinese Grayhound. Our bus was clean and safe and it was fairly new.

  My trip was Perth - Melb - Syd - LA - Anaheim - Phoenix - Vegas - Toronto - Niagara Falls - Buffalo - NYC - Phili - DC - Miami - Orlando - Cancun - LA - and them back to AUS.

  The flights to the USA and back we found online and then booked via Flight Centre, just in case. About $1400 all up from Perth. All internal flights we booked ourselves online. All flights were well under $100 (each) with some about $20 or so.

  We stayed in a mixture of hotels, motels and backpackers. I looooove staying in a backpackers. You get to meet people from all over the world. Heaps of backpackers are well organised and will take the group out pub/club hopping etc.

  We did parts of the trip by plane and bus, both legit and Chinese Grayhound :) We also hired a car, really cheap and you can generally leave the car at your destination city.

  In the USA in general, I did find that you need patience with anyone with any sort of authority. They simply like to show it any time. Having said that, some people we met were/are awesome.

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