Planning a vacation in New York City can be quite a pain. But before you can even think about what to do in the Big Apple, you\’ll have to figure out how to get to the city. This usually means booking a flight and hotel stay. It\’s difficult to do so at an affordable price. In this short guide, I\’ll share a few tips and tricks on how to fly and stay in Manhattan, the most popular of the five boroughs of New York City.

Booking a comfortable and cheap flight

You\’ll want to look for the spots of each day that a lot of people don\’t like to fly, such as the middle of the week, mornings, or evenings. Wednesdays work best. Since most people travel on weekends, the prices for flights are inflated on weekends. Less people travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays which means prices tend to be lower during those days of the week. You can find better deals this way.

Stick to flight aggregate search engines. These search for flight tickets on multiple airlines, saving you time. They also sometimes get deals which aren\’t available on the main airline\’s website. If you have some more time to spare for research, you may want to search on each individual airline also. Sometimes you can avoid an extra fee if you purchase your ticket directly from the travel airline.

Getting a plane ticket at the last moment is a risky choice Airlines like to book all seats on an airplane. An unbooked seat is loss of income for them. As departure time nears, the prices for seats tend to drop significantly. If your schedule is flexible, you may want to take this route. Of course, it\’s risky because if airlines believe the demand for these last minute seats are high, they\’ll raise the prices significantly. Personally, I prefer booking in advance for peace of mind.

Booking and comfortable and cheap hotel stay

Once again, to save time you\’ll want to search using hotel aggregate search engines. These will provide you with deals that aren\’t normally available if you book by calling hotels.

Consider staying at hostels. Hostels are cheaper versions of hotels. The trade-off being that your room may be a bit smaller. Most hostels have private room options, just like hotels. Some hostels have public rooms, which they\’re famous for. In this case, you\’re just booking a bed and you\’ll be sharing the room with other tourists. This is a popular route for youth travelers and it\’s not for everyone.

Booking a hotel at the last minute isn\’t recommended. It\’s much more rare for a hotel to lower their night rates like airlines do. If you\’re comfortable with it, consider talking to a travel agent. A travel agent may be able to get you deals which aren\’t available online.

More tips on getting deals for your trip

At the end of the day, everything is based on supply and demand. Demand is extremely high during some seasons for New York City. Everyone wants to visit during the summer time and holiday season. If you can avoid it, do not visit around New Year\’s Eve during which millions come from all over the world. This is when flight tickets and hotel stays are at their peak.

Also, while you\’re in the city, be sure to check out vacation packages. These packages usually bundle up flights and hotels and will save you hundreds of dollars. There are also attraction bundles, which bundle together multiple landmarks into one price. By doing so, you\’ll save more money.

Learn More About New York City Check out the New York Chop, a blog on how to plan your vacation in New York City. For more travel news, see New York Travel Now.

Learn More About New York City Check out the http://nychop.wordpress.com – a blog on how to plan your vacation in New York City. For more travel news, see http://newyorktravelnow.tumblr.com – New York Travel Now.

Author Bio: Learn More About New York City Check out the New York Chop, a blog on how to plan your vacation in New York City. For more travel news, see New York Travel Now.

Category: Travel
Keywords: new york, new york city, manhattan