What to Carry as You Tour New York City

Whether you are going to New York City for a day or for a week, it is important that you bring along the things that you will need to have a fun and comfortable trip. Here are a few things you might want to consider carrying with you for your day trip or for your time away from the hotel.

Small Bag: The most important thing you carry with you is a small bag to hold everything. If you are going to be walking around the city all day, even the lightest bag can begin to feel like a ton of bricks. Make sure to select a bag that you are comfortable carrying. Select a backpack with ample shoulder padding, or a bag that can go over you head and rest on either shoulder. Comfort is important when it comes to the bag you will carry.

Umbrellas: Rain is sometimes unpredictable and can quickly ruin a trip. If you do not bring one with you, expect to pay a high price for one in the tourist areas. They now make small travel umbrellas that fold up and easily fit into a bag. Keep in mind that these umbrellas only provide enough shelter for one person in most cases. Each person in your group will need one.

Extra batteries: Just as umbrellas are expensive in tourist areas of New York, so are batteries. You can end up paying double the price that you would pay in your own home town. Make sure you bring extra batteries. If you have a digital camera, bring enough to last you through the trip. Leave all of them in your hotel, except what you will need for the day. For digital cameras the best thing to do is purchase rechargeable batteries. You will end up carrying less on your trip and save even more money.

Hand sanitizer: New York City is a crowded place. Where there are crowds, there are germs. There are not a lot of public restrooms or places to wash your hands in the city. Keeping a small bottle of hand sanitizer is an easy option that will make you feel better before eating that hotdog from the street vendor. Take a look in the travel section of your local retail store. They usually sell very small bottles that are perfect to slip into a bag. Avoid the bottles with a pump top as the pump can easily be pressed down while you are walking. Finding your things covered in hand sanitizer will cause a mess and slow you down.

Sun block: No matter what time of year you are visiting; don't forget to pack the sun block. While this is hard to find in small bottles, you can purchase an empty, plastic bottle in the travel section and only bring a small amount with you. Most likely you are going to spend most of your trip outdoors. Nothing can ruin fun as quick as a bad sun burn. Don't take your chances.

Small Bills: Having small bills is important when you are visiting New York City. I hate to say this, but there are some vendors who will try and cheat you out of money. If you give them a twenty dollar bill, they now have a chance to count your change back incorrectly. Make sure to carry ones and fives with you. Hotdogs, pretzels, and sodas are usually $1 to $3.

Bottled Water: If you are only in New York City for the day, bring a bottle of water from your own kitchen. Depending on where you are, you may have to pay $3 for one bottle. This is especially true in the tourist areas and the vendors parked outside of bus and train stations. Water can quickly weigh down your bag so be careful about packing too many bottles.

If you are staying overnight, only carry what you need. You want to get the best experience possible from New York City. There is no need to carry extra items that will weigh you down and use energy you could spend site seeing.