5 tips for a return trip to New York

After the success of our trip to New York earlier this year, I’ve found myself looking at  holidays in New York online again and, all being well, I think we are going to book for Gaz’s 40th for next year. We talked a lot about choosing a different destination and yet at the end of the day we had such an incredible time there that we almost feel any other city would pale in comparison, I know the day we left New York we knew it was a holiday we would struggle to top and yet I’m hopeful that by switching up our return trip we can try our very hardest to do just that! I thought I would share my top 5 tips on planning a return trip to New York.

1. Visit at a different time of year

For our first visit to New York we went in Winter, a time which coincided with my 40th birthday and was special for lots of different reasons. Although it was cold it was nowhere near the temperatures we had expected and yet as lovely as it was to visit in Winter, we did say that next time we would choose another season to see the city in a different light. I think Autumn would be beautiful in Central Park and Spring would be warm enough to enjoy the sunshine whilst not too hot to explore.

2. Switch things up

During our first trip I planned our days with military precision, I think you have to if you want to cram in as much as possible in a city like New York. We loved the Empire States and Top of the Rock and yet on a second visit I would reverse our plans so visit the same attractions at a different time of day. Seeing the view from the Empire States Building by night would give us a whole new perspective, the same as a harbour cruise would show us the city in a different light by day.

3. Learn your lessons

As with any big trip, you can plan and plan and plan, but when you get there you realise there are lessons to be learned and on a return trip you can do things very differently. Although I didn’t feel we made many mistakes, there were parts of the city and it’s attractions that, with hindsight, we wouldn’t return to. I think next time we would focus on the parts we really enjoyed and make better use of our time.

4. Don’t be afraid to re-enact your trip

At the same time, if there are parts of your original trip you absolutely loved and you want to do it exactly the same way again, don’t be afraid to do just that! The general advice is always to try new things and discover new places but I think a lot of people like what they like and, if you loved a certain attraction and want to revisit, then go for it! We loved The Ride, an interactive bus tour that had us howling with laughter, and I will absolutely be getting our tickets as a priority when we plan our trip.

5.  Explore the surrounding areas

One thing we really want to do more of on a return trip is venture outside of Manhattan, perhaps choosing a hotel a little off centre so that our starting base gives us new areas to explore. As much as we loved being in the thick of Manhattan staying on Times Square, we loved Brooklyn and DUMBO and would love to see more of the suburbs during our next visit.

So there you have it, our top five tips for a return visit to New York. Now just watch this space for putting it into action!

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