Travel Tips to Explore the US

When coming to the US, many au pairs plan to travel extensively to explore as much of the country as they can.

When starting to plan trips, au pair’s may come across a few challenges, such as:

Finances- traveling can get expensive very quickly and you will find that you have to budget well to explore as much as possible
Company- you may not feel comfortable traveling alone and might want to find others to travel with
Destination- there is so much to see, where do you even start?

Let us share a few tips and ideas with you which hopefully help you to plan your first or your next trip!

Transportation

Depending on where you live, where you want to go or on the number of people you travel with will play a factor into how you get there. While it is the quickest way to get to a specific destination, there are also some other alternatives you can explore.

Flying

Flying is often times be the quickest way to get from A to B. However, prices can quickly add up, especially when you add bags or seats or fly on popular days or times of the week. What are some ways to save when looking to travel by plane?

Use websites to compare flight prices such as Skyscanner, Orbitz, Kayak or similar
- Consider comparing prices on such websites but to book via the airline’s website directly since, if there are issues (flight cancellation, rebooking, delays etc.), it can be easier to deal with the airline directly vs. having to go through a 3^rd party
Use low cost airlines vs. big carriers (e.g. Southwest, Jet Blue, Avelo, Frontier, Spirit etc.).
- Check for extra cost- many low cost airlines have cheap ticket prices but charge extra for everything else, including bags, seats, food etc.
Check different airports- sometimes there are smaller close by airports to a main hub that are serviced by low cost airlines specifically
- Many flight booking sites let you include ‘closeby airports’- check if those are cheaper but do your research: public transport might be more limited so you may end up paying extra for an Uber or taxi to get to your final destination
Pack light! Depending on the length of your trip, consider only traveling with a backpack and/or carry on
- Adding baggage can bring the ticket price up considerably- the less baggage you bring, the cheaper the ticket price will be
  - Do not over pack and consider only bringing essential- pack so you can dress in layers, bring comfortable shoes, consider travel sized shampoo or buy those items at your destination (or use the ones the hotel provides)
- If you do have to add bags, check with the airline if there are discounts for adding them online vs. at the airport
Do not add seats to save some more
- You don’t have to pre-book seats and pay for them- have the airline assign seats to you at the gate- you may not get to sit at the window or next to your travel buddy, but you will be saving some money
Compare cost on different days of the weeks or at different times
- Weekend travel is typically much more expensive- if your schedule allows it, try to not leave Friday afternoon and return on a Sunday as those are popular travel days
- Flights overnight tend to be cheaper than flights leaving in the morning or early afternoon

Train or Bus

While maybe not the fastest way of traveling, using the train or the bus can be cheaper and might allow you to also travel with a bit more baggage. Especially when just planning to travel a shorter distance (e.g. another state close to you), using the train or bus can be a great alternative to flying! Amtrak (train) routing map: https://www.amtrak.com/plan-your-trip.html Article on travel by train: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/train-travel-usa FlixBus routing map: https://www.flixbus.com/bus-routes Greyhound (bus) routing map: https://www.greyhound.com/bus-routes

Renting a Car – road trip!

If you plan to travel with several people, renting a car and sharing the cost might be another way to go! This enables you to customize your trip a bit more and can give you more flexibility. You can compare different car rental prices on websites such as Expedia or Kayak to find the best deal. Compare different rental locations- sometimes renting from a station by the airport can be cheaper. Just as with flights, booking with the rental company directly might be a good idea, as it might be easier to deal with any issues that may come up.

Check the conditions of renting a car- some may have a higher fee for young/new drivers. Having your US license will likely make it easier and cheaper for you to rent a car. Also, some rental companies might require for you to have a credit card in order to book. Additional, if you are traveling with multiple people who also plan to drive, there will likely be a charge to add additional drivers to the reservation. If multiple people are planning to drive, it is safest to officially add them as drivers, in case you get pulled over or have an accident. Also, check what type of insurance is already included and consider adding additional insurance, if needed. Depending on where you plan to go, check if there is any mileage limit and, if so, what additional miles will cost. Factor in what you will need for gas when you compare cost to e.g. traveling by train or plane.

If you do decide to rent a car, consider getting a bigger sized one than you technically need and pack some essentials such as a cooler, paper or plastic plates and cutlery, blankets etc. to make the trip more comfortable. Also, by bringing a cooler, snacks, plates etc. you might be able to save some money as you can buy cheaper food at a supermarket and keep leftovers vs. having to eat out all the time.

Accommodations

Hotel

Hotels will be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of accommodations during travel. There is a wide range of hotels available when it comes to price, comfort, services and location. Choosing a hotel can be the easiest way and you will likely have many options to choose from. Some things to keep in mind and to consider:

Hotels typically are more expensive on weekends, if your schedule allows it, try to travel during the week or have the majority of your overnight stays during the week to get better deals
Choose the location wisely- cheap might not always be the best
- Cheap hotels can be in not so safe areas of a city or town- do your research where the hotel is located to make sure you will be safe!
- Booking very cheap hotels increases the risk of reservations being cancelled or modified or the accommodation not being safe or hygienic which can result in extra stress and/or cost
- Consider booking a mid-priced hotel in a safe area as a compromise between saving cost but also being safe!
- Check what is included in the reservation when you compare prices- some hotels might include breakfast at a cheap price- you can grab food at the hotel and then start your day without having to spend extra time to find a local breakfast stop; you can maybe also grab an apple or protein bar to pack as a snack for later in the day.
- Location- besides being in a safe location, check where the hotel is located in terms of where you want to go
  - Cheap hotels might be further away from attractions or the city center- factor in additional time and/or money to get from the hotel’s location to where you want to go- this may offset the cheaper price so plan and compare carefully
  - If public transportation is good, a location a bit outside of a major tourist city might be cheaper- e.g. when wanting to visit New York City, check for hotels in New Jersey that are connected to the subway system- hotels might be cheaper than staying directly in NYC but with the subway you still have an easy and quick way to get from the hotel into the city

Hostel

Hostels can be an alternative to staying at a hotel. Hostels are often times cheaper and also a great way to make friends. Check the areas where hostels are located in (safety, distance to what you plan to see/visit, availability of transportation etc.) and read reviews to make sure they are safe and hygienic. Many hostels also have fridges or even small cooking areas available which can save money when you eat and cook your own food vs. eating out or eating ‘on the go’.

Campground

If you are traveling by car, considering staying at a campground can also be a great way to save cost. This is depending on where you plan to go and the time of the year, of course. You can sleep in the car, bring a small tent or rent a small cabin which can safe cost. You can of course also rent a RV (check prices, rental policies when it comes to age, driver license etc.) and travel and sleep in that as well.

Travel Buddies

Traveling together is not just fun but can also save you money! When traveling with friends, you can share the cost of transportation (rental car, Uber, taxi etc.) or the cost of your accommodation (hotel, hostel and so on).

When planning to go together though, make sure to coordinate schedules and make sure you can rely on the other person. Consider making a joint travel budget and collecting some of the money you need to make e.g. hotel reservations ahead of time so you do not pay up front yourself and people then may cancel on you at the last minute and leaving you with all the cost. Also, when joining others on their trip, make sure you are joining because you really want to visit the destination yourself and not just because others are going there. Save your money for destinations you really want to see, even if this might mean traveling alone or not joining a trip your friends are doing. For example, if you are not into big cities and would rather like to visit a national park, but your friends are wanting to visit New York City, think about if you really want to spend your money on this trip or rather save it to make another trip to a destination you really are excited about.

Especially when you have just arrived, you may not know many people yet and you may not be comfortable traveling alone. Or you may have a lot of friends but it may be difficult to coordinate your schedules to find a time to travel together. So what to do? Join social media groups for au pairs and post that you are looking for ‘travel buddies’. There will be other au pairs in the same situation so try and find them and plan a trip together! Post about your planned travel dates and/or about a destination you would like to go to. You will likely get replies from others who would like to tag along. However, remember that members in such group are likely not verified so make sure you are staying safe- do not share too much personal information about you or exact details on where you will go and where you will stay until you really know the other person is who they say they are. If the person lives closeby, meet in a public place during the day before committing to travel plans- this does not just give you to option to verify who the person is, but also gives you a fist impression as to whether you connect on a personal level and could have a good time traveling together. If the person does not live closeby, have video calls or similar to get to know each other better first.

When traveling together make sure you always stay together as well. Make sure you look out for each other and that everyone is staying safe. When you go somewhere together, also leave together.

Destinations & Activities

It can be hard to decide where to go because there are so many places to explore! Think about what you are really interested in and what you like to do and google for destinations (or ask your host family!) that offer this. Remember that besides the ‘touristy’ destinations there might also be other, less know destinations which can be fun to visit and might offer the activities or experiences you are looking for- maybe even at a cheaper price!

If you do not know where to start, check out popular destinations and sights to see what might be interesting to you:

When planning a trip, it can be easy to get overwhelmed or to overschedule. Even if attractions or destinations seem close to each other, make sure you allow yourself enough time to really see and enjoy them and also factor in some additional time for any delays (e.g. long lines and wait times, traffic, missing the bus etc.). Especially when planning road trips it is easy to forget that traffic can add another hour or two to your travel time. It is also easy to ‘just add a quick stop’ or ‘a quick 30min detour’ to see something closely when you are planning your trip. However, when the time comes you will see that these ‘quick stops’ or ‘short detours’ may become longer and delay your trip and quickly put you behind in your schedule or leave you stressed and with too little time to really see and enjoy the places you want to visit. So when planning your trip, allow yourself enough time so you are not feeling rushed or so you do not have to stress if things take a little longer than expected. Consider writing down a few ‘bonus’ attractions or destinations that you can add in if you end up being ahead of your schedule and finding that you have a little extra time to fit something else in.

To save cost when looking for things to do, check online on websites like Groupon.com for special deals on activities and attractions. You can also use such website to get a general idea on what there is to do at the destination you plan to visit.

When visiting certain attractions, reservations or tickets might be needed, so check on this before you travel. This does not just include attractions like going up on the Empire State Building in New York but could also include certain hikes in national parks. Also, consider booking tickets ahead of time to not just save money but also save time- if you buy them at the destination you might be in line buy the ticket and then again to enter which will cost you a lot of time. Also, especially for short trips, consider investing some extra money into express passes to enter an attraction- this might cost you a bit more money but you will save time by skipping the line so you can explore more things in the limited time you may hve.

When planning on visiting a major city it can be a good idea to look into hop on hop off busses. Those busses are available in most big cities and they often times have different routes which take you to the main attractions. They can be a great way to get an overview of your destination and to easily get from one sight to the other. They often times are valid for a day or two days so you can also use them as an easy way to just get from one point of the city to another so you do not have to spend extra money on public transport or Ubers.

https://www.bigbustours.com/
https://city-sightseeing.com/en-us/destinations

When trying to save money, it can also be good to consider to travel to certain destinations when they are not as popular. For example, Florida will be more expensive during spring break but might be cheaper to travel to in August or September. Northern cities like Chicago or New York may be cheaper in the winter but you of course have to consider the colder weather.

Lastly and most importantly though- no matter where you go, have fun and make the most of your trips but also make sure you are staying safe! Also, we always love to see your adventures so please share your travel with Agent Au Pair by tagging us or by sharing your pictures and stories (plus travel tips!) with us.