Tips
If you're planning on going on a trip to New York, then this is everything you need to know in order to be fully prepared for your stay. Here you'll find the best and most useful tips you need to know :)
Budget
When planning a budget for your stay in the big City, it is ideal to budget your money per day. BCU advised Students to budget for $50 dollars per day for food and drink only ($250 for 5 days). Myself and Karlie would agree this is about right however, if you're willing to go for sit down meals, especially in Times Square, we would advise that you add an extra $10 to your daily limit for food and drink just to make sure you're covered. Also, you will need to budget for any trips you plan for yourself like The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Centre etc... We would advise you book sightseeing trips in advance as you will be guaranteed entry and won't have to queue for tickets once you arrive. Lets not forget a budget for SHOPPING! This is of course personal preference, depending on what you wish to buy when you are there. Overall, we took a total of $500 dollars and we both agree that this was a good amount to take which covered all costs.
Tax & Tips
So, this is a really useful tip to those of you who haven't travelled to The States before. When it comes to tax and services charges, it is very different to how we do it over here in The UK.
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Tax: You need to remember that when you purchase ANYTHING, the sales tax isn't included on the price that is displayed. A sales tax of roughly 9% will be added to your bill or purchase so bare that in mind.
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Tips: When you and your friends go out for a meal in the city, you are more than likely expected to tip for the service you have received. The average tip ranges from anything between 15% - 20%. Don't worry, you are not likely to have to work this out for yourself. The service charge will be printed on your receipt, and you will usually get to pick the amount you wish to tip. You can dispute the service charge if you believe you had a bad experience, however, in the US most staff work for tips.
Hostel
The Hostel organised for our stay was The Vanderbilt YMCA, located on E47th Street. This was a good location as we were only a 15 minute walk to Times Square. As we are not sure if BCU will use the exact same Hostel again for next years students, we would just like to give you a few tips when staying in a Hostel in general. First of all, FLIP-FLOPS are a life saver! Because it's shared showers and toilets, they are just so convenient to wear going to and from, PLUS you can wear them in the shower. Also, if the facilities are in use on your floor, don't be afraid to venture to other floors and use them. We went to the ground floor everyday to get ready and used the ladies locker rooms for the gym, therefore we didn't have the stress of waiting for a shower or space to get ready. Secondly, make sure you and the person or group you are sharing a room with keep your individual room keys safe, as you will be expected to show this each time you enter the Hostel. A final and crucial tip for your trip to New York, is to make sure you take American adapters in order to use the electric power points.