Tips for NYC Tourists No. 3: Preparing and Packing for Your Trip to NYC

Image courtesy of Style Hive.

Let's talk about preparing and packing for your trip to NYC.

A few things to keep in mind:
The weather here is unpredictable. Some days, it'll be cold in the morning, and within an hour of being out, the temperature could rise 15 degrees. It happens. It also could be rainy and disgusting out and in the matter of a half hour turn out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. That being said, first thing to do when packing is to pack layers. This is very important.

Layers are the best choice for clothing here. Obviously if you're here in the winter, you will want to bring a heavy winter jacket because it can be VERY cold, but under that - LAYER LAYER LAYER!

In the spring, it can be chilly, so again, LAYER LAYER LAYER.

In the summer, it's hot. So just wear as little clothing as possible. I'm not kidding. So un-layer. Haha.

You see where I'm going here.

The layers are important just for staying comfortable since you'll be out and about for 12+ hours a day and won't necessarily be able to change without altering your plans (ie If you're staying uptown at a hotel but are at the Statue of Liberty and decide you need to change clothes, you will most likely lose at least an hour and a half from your day). Museums and shops get hot. Walking around can be chilly. If you have layers, you can adjust accordingly.

Wear comfortable shoes. I can't say this enough. If you don't live in a city, chances are you don't walk as much on a daily basis as you will when you're up here. You will walk here. A lot. Therefore, this is NOT the trip to break in a new pair of shoes. This is probably NOT the trip to only bring that one gorgeous and stylish pair of boots or heels to show off on the streets of New York while you're visiting Museum Mile or shopping in Soho.

Be realistic. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Bring stylish shoes for a fun dinner or something like that where you'll take a cab to get there or just be walking a short distance (Ladies, I'm mostly talking to you here! If you're going to do this though, why not buy and throw a pair of these in your bag). Your feet will thank you.

Another packing tip - don't stress if you forget something. There is pretty much a Walgreens, Duane Reade or CVS on every corner here. Heck, if you want to save some space in your bag, don't even bring shampoo and whatnot - pick it up when you get here. Just an idea to save you some space to bring back all of the awesome stuff you'll buy while you're visiting here.

Also very important - bring sunglasses. If you forget them, there will be a thousand places you can pick up a cheap pair from a street vendor or the many many stores, but just make sure you have some sunglasses.

A few good articles on packing for NYC travel:

Mighty Girl's Packing Light NYC Edition

New York City Packing Lists from Virtual Tourist