This summer I decided to spend my vacation in New York and visit a few other cities along the way. I usually organize my trips on my own, but since this was my first journey so far away, I decided to consider the options offered by travel agencies. A brief correspondence with them was enough for me to realize that I don’t want to deal with agencies in the future, just as I haven’t before.

Agencies Overcharge for Their Services

For months, I calculated and planned my trip to New York. Contrary to what many told me, I realized that the whole story about New York being an expensive city is, at the very least, exaggerated. I quickly found accommodation; admittedly, not in a hotel like the one the agency offered, but I ended up staying in a very nice hostel.

This was HIHostel on Amsterdam Avenue, just two blocks from the entrance to Central Park and about a thirty-minute walk to the heart of Manhattan. I found it on Booking.com. The location of this hostel is excellent, the neighborhood is good, but most important – rooms and bathrooms are very clean. I met wonderful people while spending my free time in the beautiful garden at the back of the hostel.

I reserved my accommodation two and a half months before the trip. I found my plane ticket through Skyscanner, and I flew with Lufthansa. The service was excellent, and it included two hot meals and unlimited drinks (which I’m not used to since I usually fly with low-cost airlines 🙂 ). Btw, the flight from Zagreb to Frankfurt took just over an hour. I had a four-hour layover at the airport there, and then flew seven hours from Frankfurt to NY. It was pretty much the same on the way back.

Price Comparison Between Agencies and Personal Organization

Below, I provide a comparison of the agency’s offer and the basic expenses I had when I embarked on my journey to the USA. I got the prices from the agency in March this year when I reached out to ask about the details of the trip to NY.

AGENCY – 7 Days

• Package – €1,690.00
• Flight Fees – €410.00
• Extra fee for a single room (must be paid by all who are traveling alone) – €590.00

→ Total Package Cost for One Person: €2,690.00

PERSONAL ORGANIZATION – 10 Days

• Flight Ticket – €800
• Accommodation – €630 (including fees)
• ESTA – €20

→ Total Package Cost for One Person: €1,450.00

Don’t Waste Your Money

As you can see from the above, for more days, I paid almost half as much, visited everything I wanted, and in addition to Washington, I also visited Philadelphia and Long Island (the plan was to go to Niagara Falls as well, but I canceled that because I wanted to stay a little longer in New York, so Niagara Falls will have to wait until my next trip to the USA, which I hope will be soon).

What bothered me the most was the huge extra paying to the agency for a single room of almost €600! It doesn’t make sense because anyone who travels alone knows they need to manage their money carefully, and to pay this much extra simply because they are traveling solo really doesn’t make sense. I paid 10 night in hostel in NY, including fees, only €30 more!

Agencies often try to excuse themselves by saying that their offers include excursions, but trust me, in New York you can find them on-site for much cheaper than what agencies or online sites charge.

For instance, you can purchase a ticket online in advance for a boat ride around Ellis Island and to see the Statue of Liberty for about €50, but you don’t need to buy the ticket in advance because there are enough daily tours for everyone, and tickets can be purchased an hour before departure for $20-$25. This applies to all other offers in the city as well.

An excursion that personally thrilled me was the 15-hour tour of Washington and Philadelphia, which cost only $120 and included an excellent tour guide.

So, don’t let yourself be fooled and don’t throw away your money! This price difference between the package organized by the agency and my personal expenses amounts to more than half of my spending money in New York!

If you have any questions about the details of my trip, feel free to contact me at mateacelebija@neomiressi.com or DM me on my Instagram profile –> Neomiressi.