How to Plan Family Vacations in New York, US
When it comes to the most sought-after countries for vacations, the U.S. is one of the countries that come to mind. The U.S. has many places to visit and explore, like the beaches in Florida or the world-famous New Vegas Strip. The U.S. also boasts a rich musical culture, with world-class musicians visiting the country to attend the many music fests hosted within the U.S.
However, among these amazing places to explore in the U.S., the city of New York is one of the faces of U.S. tourism. New York City in the U.S. is its largest city in terms of population with several iconic places for tourists to explore and enjoy. New York is also the best location in the U.S. for spending your vacations with your family. So, let's look at how to plan family vacations in New York, U.S.
Visa Waiver Program
Before you can travel to New York City, you need to gain entry inside the U.S. The best and quickest anyone can get access to traveling the U.S. is by applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation or ESTA. The application process takes about 10 minutes to complete, and you can get quick access to your New York visit.
What is the ESTA or Online US Visa?
Electronic System for Travel Authorisation is an automatic system that is designed to help foreign visitors to travel legally within the U.S. as long as they meet all the requirements to be eligible for the Visa Waiver Program.
Under the visa waiver program, there are 40 countries whose citizens are allowed to obtain an ESTA to enter the U.S. as long as they are visiting for tourism, business, or medical reasons. An ESTA will allow tourists to stay in the U.S. for a maximum period of 90 days after they arrive in the U.S.
Who is Eligible to Apply for a New York ESTA?
To be eligible to apply for the New York ESTA application, you need to fulfill the following criteria:
- The country you reside in is on the list of countries eligible under the Visa Waiver Program.
- You wish to visit the U.S. either for medical, tourist, or business reasons.
- Your planned stay in the U.S. does not exceed 90 days.
As long as you fulfill these criteria, you are eligible for an ESTA. If you already possess a visitor's visa, then you don't require an ESTA to visit the U.S. For those who wish to enter the U.S. to seek employment or wish to study in the US, a different type of visa has to be applied for according to your purpose. The same applies to those who plan to stay in the US for longer than 90 days.
How to Apply for a New York ESTA?
Applying for a New York ESTA is not a very difficult process, the entire process can be done within a couple of hours if you are well prepared to provide all the necessary documents that need to be submitted with the application. The process of applying for ESTA involves:
- Fill out the ESTA form. This includes your personal and travel information and can be obtained online from the U.S. government's portal.
- Confirming every detail you filled in the form.
- Pay the required fee.
After this, a U.S. government body will review your application and grant you your ESTA. Keep in mind that your ESTA needs to be approved before 72 hours of your planned visit to the U.S. However, we recommend that you apply for an ESTA as soon as possible to avoid delays and other issues in case your ESTA application is rejected.
You are also required to apply for ESTA separately for each member of your family and if any of your ESTA gets rejected, you will have to apply for a non-immigrant visa, which will require more time to authorize. Keep in mind that delays are also not very uncommon in the ESTA method itself and sometimes it can take several days before you are granted your ESTA.
Top Tourist Attractions in New Your City
Once you have obtained your ESTA for each member of the family, it is time to explore the great New York City. There are several places you can visit in New York City, however, below you will find the best places to explore when vacationing with your family:
Central Park
Taking a stroll through a park may not seem like the most interesting thing to do on a vacation, however, the Central Park of New York City is no ordinary park. This place contains a lot of activities for you to do including horse riding, boating, cycling, picnic, etc. Central Park also contains a zoo for you to enjoy.
Central Park is around 843 acres large and is full of green trees and grass. This park is located in the center of Manhattan and is open to the public between 9 am in the morning to 1 am in the Night. So, remember to enjoy the many activities of one of New York's best tourist attractions.
Statue of Liberty
It is hard to not think of the Statue of Liberty when hearing someone mention New York City. This large statue is the face of New York City which is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the U.S. which is meant to represent freedom and democracy.
The large statue is made from copper and is in the shape of a woman wearing classical drapes holding a torch over her head with one hand and holding a tablet in the other with the date July 4 1776 in Roman numerals. This date is significant to the history of the U.S. as this is the day on which the U.S. The Declaration of Independence was adopted all over the U.S.
Keep an eye out for all these minor details as you explore this statue during your visit here with your family.
American Museum of Natural History
Another one of the biggest tourist attractions in New York City is the American Museum of Natural History, located in Theodore Roosevelt Park on the upper western side of Manhattan. This museum is an extremely large complex with 21 buildings and contains over 32 million specimens from all types of flora and fauna.
Those who like nature and want to learn all the secrets that have been discovered so far will find this place to be a haven for exploration. Due to its large size, a tour of this museum can take around 3 hours to complete.
Whether you wish to see new wildlife that you have never seen before or learn more about your favorite plant or animal, the American Museum of Natural History is one of the best places to explore with your family.
New York is one of the most popular and successful cities of the entire world. It is one of the many locations to visit in the U.S. for both locals and foreign tourists. From Central Park to town square, New York is one of the best places to spend your vacations with your family.
So, if you wish to explore New York City, start applying for your ESTA for each family member as early as possible, while also booking all your hotels and travel tickets. New York is a very popular place which can lead to difficulty in finding reservations late into your planning.
Ensure you have checked your eligibility for Online US Visa. Portuguese citizens, Greek citizens, New Zealand citizens and Israeli citizens and many others are eligible for Online US Visa.