aussie students in the US help please
 

Hi all, my 19 year old son and friend have scored a job at Orlando disneyworld Nov-Jan 2006 during the Aussie uni break. Following this he is planning to do a Contiki tour from LA-Orlando and then fly up to Washington DC and maybe train on to NYC. Can anyone offer advice on safe,budget accommodation in Washington and New York in particular. He has not travelled independently before and I would like to have him fairly organised before he goes! What is the hostel type accom like in these cities and are privately run hostels 'seedy' or not! Probably more queries to follow - any comments appreciated.

www.hiayh.org

The NYC hostel is good; have stayed at it.

Have looked at the DC hostel; looks ok.

Thanks, I had been looking at the DC site but couldn't seem to get it to show any availability for any of the dates I put in? Will have a look at the NYC.

You could also check out www.hihostels.com, which has good info on all member hostels, booking facilities etc. Might also be worthwhile for him to join YHA (Youth Hostels Association).

I'm confused by the itinerary. He's working in Orlando. Then does a tour from LA to Orlando? How does he get to LA and why go back to Orlando?

As to accomodation in NYC and Washington, I hear the HI hostel in NYC is very good but it's fairly far north on 103 st or so. There are 2 YMCAs that get pretty decent reviews that are a bit more central, the Vanderbilt YMCA and the Westside YMCA.

You might want to have a look at hostelz.com for listings and reviews. There are also some reviews on tripadvisor.com (mostly hotels but includes some hostels like the Y's)

For Washington DC try

http://www.hostels.com.dc

It gives you pictures and ratings on them. In my humble opinion I would recommend against any hostel with a NE or SW address on them - just precaution.

If your son is already on the east coast why would he want to go back to the west coast to take a tour? 3000 mile difference!!

Thanks for the tips guys, will look into all suggestions! Locations are a bit meaningless to me on this side of the world so local input is really useful. Yes, the itinerary does seem a bit transcontinental but is all to do with when the Contiki tours leave and when his commitment at Disneyworld ends,in fact things have already changed since my post! Will probably now do DC and NYC from Jan 28 - Feb 8 and then fly back to LA to meet an LA round trip Contiki tour.

For NYC, I would definitely check out the Vanderbilt YMCA. It's in midtown so is centrally located, very close to empire state, times square, etc. I've heard the one on 103 is good but it IS a haul to the touristy stuff (other than Central Park and Columbia University).

Just confirming, Feb in NYC and DC is not peak time for accommodation etc. is it? And it will be bloody cold...?

February is definitely not peak season in either NYC or DC. And yes, it could very well be bloody cold. Here are some average temps for February in both places:

NYC - Max of 40F (5c), Minimum of 27F (-3c)

DC - Max of 47F (8c), Minimum of 30F
(-1c) DC gets an average of 9 days of rain/snow in Feb and the coldest temperatures ever recorded in DC were in February, but that was a very long time ago (1899).

Do you know about Lonely Planet's website? They have a bulletin board similar to this one called The Thorn Tree. I mention it because there are mostly young, hostel-staying type posters on that board who will add to the info you get here.

This Wazshington International Student Center hostel has a better location than the one on 11th St., IMO. It is about the same distance to the subway (Metro) as the one on 11th but is in a better neighborhood with more to do (although both are in safe areas).

http://www.washingtondchostel.com/index.html

Since hostels charge per person, they might do almost as well in a budget hotel. Check out www.portlandsquarehotel.net

You say "back to LA." Back? Do you just mean from his original trip entry to the US? Just want to make sure that you are clear that DisneyWorld Orlando is on the east coast in Florida. (So it does make more sense to do DC and NY before leaving.)

Does it have to be Contiki? What/where will the tour include? After NYC he could just fly out west and do a tour of the American Southwest.

Best Wishes to your son! Sounds like a great adventure.

Thanks for the continuing great information!! Tracy, looking at some of the hostel sites I have been coming to the same conclusion as you - if they want just a double room and not dorm, it's not much cheaper than some hotels I 've seen.
Dreamer2, yes back to original entry point for us Aussies - LA. The Contiki tour covers LA-Phoenix-Grand canyon-Vegas-Yosemite-San Fransisco-LA. I did this trip back in 98 and it was fantastic (with my sister though not Contiki.)Are there other reputable tours for their age -Contiki certainly has the highest profile here in Australia. They are not all that keen to do it independently, although they will have to in DC and NYC cos there are no tours. At the moment his biggest concern is he won't be able to drink alcohol - legal age is 18 in Oz so he thinks he is being very hardly done by!!

They need to be aware that decent hotels in DC and NYC are expensive (even in Jan/Feb) - nothing like the supercheap prices in orlando. If they don;t do hostels that might consider Priceline to get a decent hotel at a not bad price.

They also need to be aware that in the US many hotels are not eager to take guests between 18 and 21 (they're afraid of damage due to rowdy parties). So they need to be sure the places they chose will let them stay at their age - and that they have significant excess funds on their CCs (since for kids this age - many hotels put a hold of $1000 or more over the room charges when they check in to cover possible damage).

Also - they need to be seriously aware of the wide variations in weather - DC and NYC can be very cold and it is possible to get a lot of snow (up to 2 feet) - although it's much more likely to be 3/4". they will need heavy coats, hats, scarves, gloves and some sort of water proof boots at least ankle high.

Thanks nytraveler - what is Priceline? I was hoping to book his accommodation over the net before he leaves so I guess I would have to enquire about any special considerations for his age group? He won't want to get caught with the credit card situation as you describe above, can't afford to!

Further to "does it have to be Contiki" does anyone have any recommendations about any other tours for young adults that would be operational in these areas at this time please?

Priceline - you can do a search above for a tone of info - is a service that allows you to buy flights, hoels etc at a discount. But you get to choose only area, # of * and price - they don;t tell you the hotel til after you pay and there is no refund. Hotwire is similar. You can somethimes get really good prices- but I don;t know their policiices for under 21s. You might check betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel,com.

They might be better off - and happier - at some of the better hostels though - and that unfortunately I don;t really know much about - except there are lots in NYC (a search above should show several websites).

I have another question here - maybe I'm jumping to conclusions.. But how is it that you're from OZ and he's going to be legal to work in the US? Was he born here or have another American parent that makes him a citizen?

Hi sneezy, I am sure ozgirl will answer your question but I know that at 6FlagsMarine World in Vallejo, CA they have students come from around the world to work for something like 3 months. Believe they get a visa for a 3 month job. Sort of like an exchange student. I remember the last couple of summers there was a problem for 6 Flags to get the students that they anticipated because the students had a harder time getting their visas (due to 911). So probably the same situtation.

Hey I don't mean to start an international incident here.... yes loveitaly, it is part of a cross cultural university exchange, apparently Disneyworld recruit from all over the world for these short term positions but this is the first time Australia has been approached the boys were told. Its only eight weeks and then they can remain in the US for a further 30 days.

Hello again, after long perusal of the Fodor's forum and the internet in general, the boys have decided budget hotel would be preferable to hostel accommodation in NYC and DC. They are also thinking that kitchen facilities may save them some money as well. I can get quite a good deal from here on Shelburne Murray Hill Suites in NYC and the Carlyle suite hotel in DC - both of which seem to get reasonable reviews here from what I've seen. Do those in the know agree that these would be OK choices for two lads who want to be fairly close to "touristy" spots? I'm also trying to be mindful of the weather they may experience which will be a new experience for both of them! Thank you.

ttt

Hello ozgirl, I cannot answer your question regarding rooms for your son and his friend ( I live in California) but I just wanted to say that I am glad to see that this adventure has worked out for them! I sure hope the two young fellows enjoy their time in the US. My father, born in NZ, was raised in Australia btw. Best wishes to you and your family.

The Carlyle Suites hotel in DC is an excellent in the heart of Dupont East. I would book it in a heartbeat.

I don't know much about the Shelburne Murray Hill Suites in NYC (I'm in DC), but am (somewhat) familiar with the neighborhood. Murray Hill is a good area and convenient for NYC sightseeing, eating, etc.

Thank you both for your comments! I stayed in the Murray Hill Suites myself last year so know what he's getting there but just needed some local confirmation that the Carlyle was OK! I have chosen that one largely due to research on this site and cannot say how valuable it has been to me. The boys are getting quite excited now, received their Disneyworld "pack" yesterday and realising it is not just a possibility! Thanks again.

I agree that the HI Hostel in New York is a great choice. I have generally been able to find really low prices on hotels during slow season in NY on Priceline.
My company sells inexpensive bus tickets and tours online. Your son should definitely look for transportation between NY and DC.

http://www.gotobus.com

good call on the Contiki tour , they do such a great job