My annual tradition of long-haul solo travel has officially entered its fourth year. After journeys through Turkey, the American West, and Central Europe, I’ve finally landed in the city that had been at the top of my list: New York.
In this post, I’ve distilled everything I wish I’d known before stepping onto the plane. From booking flights efficiently and navigating airport transfers, to choosing the right neighbourhood for your stay and a comprehensive budget breakdown to help you map out your own New York adventure.
Before You Fly — Flights, ESTA and Insurance
How I booked the flights
I booked through trip.com, flying Delta Airlines outbound — Taipei to Seattle, then connecting to New York JFK. Total fare came to around NT$37,167.
One genuinely useful feature on trip.com is the ability to add airport transfer service at the time of booking, which tends to be cheaper than calling an Uber on arrival, especially when you’re arriving late at night with large luggage. That said, Uber Express shared rides with other passengers is also a good way to save money — I’ll get to that below.
A side note on Delta’s in-flight Wi-Fi: it wasn’t fully stable and struggled with large files, but it was good enough for replying to messages and handling light work. For anyone who can’t afford to leave loose ends before departure, that’s a small but welcome plus.
About the return flight: I had Alaska Airlines booked from New York back to Seattle, connecting to EVA Air for the leg home to Taiwan. There was a serious flight delay and then a baggage delay on top of that.
I’ll keep it brief: that Alaska Airlines experience has put me off booking with them again for now. If your return itinerary has a similar setup, I’d suggest researching their delay history and compensation policy before committing.
ESTA and travel insurance
ESTA is a mandatory step for Taiwanese passport holders travelling to the US visa-free — airlines will not let you board without it.
The ESTA fee has already gone up since my trip, but I managed to apply before the price increase and paid NT$647.
Travel insurance cost me NT$1,492. I’d strongly recommend not skipping this, particularly in the US where medical costs are notoriously high. The consequences of going uninsured and having something go wrong are difficult to recover from.
Luggage Delivery from Taiwan: Da Zui Niao Airport Service
I used the Da Zui Niao airport delivery service (see their website for full details), which cost NT$280.
This is a service I’ve used multiple times — it’s ideal for the J-type traveller: pack your bags in advance, have them delivered directly from home to the airport, and on the day of departure you just show up for check-in without hauling everything on the MRT or into a taxi.
Getting from JFK to the City
From JFK to Manhattan
JFK is not close to central Manhattan. I pre-booked airport pickup through trip.com for NT$1,692 — the driver met me at the exit, which made things considerably easier arriving late at night with heavy luggage.
If you’d rather not pre-book, Uber Express is another option. It works like a shared shuttle and costs roughly half of a regular Uber. I used it on the way back to the airport and paid NT$819 — perfectly fine when you’re not in a rush.
Getting around the city
New York’s subway is old but the route coverage is wide — most attractions are reachable by subway. Buses are also an option, and New York buses have pull-cord stop signals, which made quite an impression on me. Very old-school, in a good way.
Where I Stayed: Nap York Sleep Station
How it came about
I had assumed October would be off-season. It’s not — it’s high season, and hotel prices in central Manhattan are eye-watering.
If you’d rather not spend heavily on accommodation, looking for Taiwanese-run guesthouses is worth considering, or going with a hostel as I did.
I stayed at Nap York Sleep Station, Central Park branch — specifically the Business Pod 2 Bed Mixed Dorm. Two people booking together effectively turns it into a private double room in terms of sleep quality, and the value-for-money ratio is solid.
One important note: I originally booked the Nap York LIC branch through their website, then spotted it marked as permanently closed on Google Maps. I emailed to ask, and they transferred us to the Central Park branch. I’d strongly recommend emailing to reconfirm after booking — otherwise there’s no telling where you might end up.
Total accommodation cost: NT$25,159 for one week, which works out to roughly NT$3,594 per night — quite reasonable by New York standards.
Six Hostel Incidents — The Complete Heads-Up List
Despite the decent value overall, a week’s stay came with several situations that were equal parts frustrating and farcical. Logging them here for reference:
The air conditioning remote was locked inside a transparent acrylic box fixed to the wall — you could see it, but couldn’t use it.
We were in what was supposed to be a private two-person room, yet a stranger walked in to use the bathroom.
The hair dryer was only available between 9am and 9pm. Anyone planning to stay out late in New York, take note — it effectively means washing and drying your hair before 9pm every night.
At check-in the room was in a state somewhere between cleaned and not cleaned: a piece of clothing left on the floor, someone else’s bath towel hanging in the bathroom, but fresh towels and new bed sheets placed on the beds. This strange hybrid was genuinely hard to rate.
The room access code was changed without notice during our stay, leaving us locked out and needing to go to the front desk to retrieve the new code.
One day we returned to find the room door had been left open — likely by housekeeping — for an entire day. The laptop was locked in the storage locker, so there was no loss, but it wasn’t a comfortable feeling.
Full Trip Cost Breakdown
Here is a complete breakdown of fixed expenses for planning reference:
Item / Amount (NT$)
Flights / 37,167
Accommodation (approx. one week) / 25,159
ESTA / 647
Travel insurance / 1,492
SIM card / 456
Luggage delivery (Da Zui Niao) / 280
Uber, Taichung to HSR station (outbound) / 584
Uber, Seattle (outbound) / 1,706
Uber, Seattle (return) / 2,364
Boston day trip / 4,582
JFK airport pickup / 1,692
New York Uber Express / 819
Uber, Taichung to HSR station (return) / 340
Total / approx. 77,288
This figure does not include food or shopping — it covers fixed costs only. For a trip to the US East Coast, flights and accommodation are where there is the most room to save if you plan well in advance.
A Few Final Thoughts
New York is expensive and fast-paced, but there are a lot of ways to save money that Taiwanese travellers departing from home might not be aware of. From luggage delivery and airport transfers to Uber Express, there’s breathing room at each step if you know where to look.
If you’re planning a New York solo trip, I hope this cost breakdown and accommodation record helps you sidestep a few of the same pitfalls before you go.
Read more: More articles on travelling in the US
FAQ
Using this trip as a baseline, flights, accommodation, ESTA, insurance and transport came to around NT$77,000, before food and shopping.
New York prices are high — a reasonable daily food budget is NT$1,000 to NT$2,000; shopping varies hugely by person.
If you book accommodation early, that’s where you have the most room to compress costs.
Taiwanese passport holders enter the US visa-free but must apply for ESTA in advance — airlines will not let you board without it.
It can only be applied for through the official US government ESTA website. The fee has gone up recently, and it’s worth applying at least a week before departure — don’t leave it until the last day.
Third-party agents online will charge an extra handling fee; the official site isn’t complicated to navigate on your own.
Safety varies a lot between hostels — before booking, read recent reviews carefully, focusing on specific descriptions rather than just the overall score.
Nap York had decent value overall, but there were a few unsettling situations — a stranger entering the room, and the door being left unlocked all day — so regardless of whether it’s a private room, always lock valuables in the storage locker and don’t leave anything on the bed or desk.
Also email to reconfirm after booking — on this trip I almost ended up at a branch that had already closed.
It depends. For late-night arrivals, heavy luggage or first-time visitors, pre-booking an airport transfer is the least stressful option — around NT$1,700.
If you’re not in a rush and travelling light, Uber Express shared mode is roughly half the price of a regular Uber — I used it from the city to the airport and paid NT$819.
The subway is theoretically cheapest, but for a late-night arrival with luggage, it’s not the most practical option for first-timers.
October is peak season, not off-season — a lot of people get this wrong.Seasonal events drive high demand, and central Manhattan hotel rates can be shocking in peak periods.Book at least two to three months ahead, or consider alternatives like hostels or Taiwanese-run guesthouses — either will save considerably more than last-minute hotel rooms in the same location.
