Coming to the USA from Australia
 

I am coming to the USA and Canada in mid Oct for 4 weeks, I am traveling to NYC, Vancouver and Honolulu. As im from Australia, I have no winter clothes and would like to know if I need to buy some, if so what do I need and should I wait until I am over there and buy it.

Yes, I would wait. NYC has great shopping....you can always layer with cotton.....I would not buy wool...not for October. Judy

October in NYC is not very cold nor is it very cold in early November. I would wait and buy what is needed as the need arises.

Hi Ryan

The only location I think you might need warmer clothing for would be Vancouver and I think I'd play it by ear and see if they have some delightful weather while you're there.

Enjoy your trip here!!

Hi ryan, I agree with the previous posts, but Vancouver in October can be quite chilly. You should not necessarily need winter clothing but I would recommend a sweater and warm socks at the very least. It can also be quite damp in Vancouver around that time, making it feel colder than it is. A rain coat may be adviseable.

Also, something else to consider is the fact that the Australian dollar is not as strong as the American dollar nor the Canadian dollar. Anything that can bring rather that purchasing here will save you $$$!
Have a great trip!

Ryan, I'd wait and buy stuff over here. I recently lived in Australia (Adelaide) for a year and found everything much more expensive than in the U.S.

New York and Honolulu are both wonderful places to visit (don't know anything about Vancouver) and you'll have a great time.

Veronica

October in New York can be quite warm (Indian summer days in the 80's) or can be seasonably cool (days in the 50's). The chances of it being really cold are slim. I would bring with you whatever jacket you have (windbreaker? leather?) and a couple of sweaters. That will probably be plenty.

Sorry Veronica, I have to respectfully disagree. For every $1000 Australian, you will only get $700 American. I found shopping in NYC to be very expensive, even in the discount outlets. Items in Australia would have to cost substantially more than in NYC to balance this out.

Shopping in Vancouver is cheaper than in NYC, but again the exchange rate will be working against you.

Even though the exchange rate may be in the USD favor the actual cost may not be. If a country is highly taxed commodities such as clothing can be very expensive regardless of exchange. That being said if you can bring layers of clothing such as shirts, sweaters, jerseys and a light jacket you should be fine. Have a good day mate! And bring the VB because you won't get it here. Cheers, Larry

I don't know which part of Australia you're from...but I grew up in Melbourne and it can get quite cold..so you could bring your winter jacket. If NYC could get to 50s (to me, that's cold). HNL would be very warm/hot (and a bit humid, no where near as bad as Thailand though).

I say, bring a jacket or two, two jumpers (for layers), shorts and t-shirts...

About shopping...it is true that you can get cheap clothes in bargain shops/sales in the US, but it might just work out about the same price if you shop at bargain places/factory outlets in Australia..etc). So perhaps, you should buy your winter clothes in Australia instead. However, US brand-name clothes may some times go on sale for cheaper than what you'd pay for in Australia. It really depends on your taste and where you shop.

I want to add two examples...my brother came here and found the clothes too expensive because he's not into US brand-name clothes. But my sister love shopping here because she loves US brand-names!

Sorry - for NYC 50's isn;t cold - it gets down to 0 in the winter. And I never drag out a winter coat until it goes below 40 - a leather jacket is fine until then - unless you plan on spending the entire day outdoors - or doing a night harbor cruise (not sure they do them in late Oct anyway)