Niagara Falls- A tick off the bucket list

Niagara Falls was one of the most BREATHTAKING and SPECTACULAR locations I've ever visited. Niagara Falls is located at the top of New York state-quite near Buffalo. I spent two days here going on the Maid of the Mist tour, walking around the Niagara Falls State Park and going around the local town.

How to get to Niagara Falls

Greyhound Coach

The best and nearest way to get to Niagara Falls is from New York City. I got here from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (located between 8th & 9th avenues) which you can access either by taxi/uber/bus or subway. When I arrived at Port Authority, I took the overnight Greyhound coach service which drops you off at different locations on the way up to Niagara Falls. I chose the overnight journey due to a shorter trip duration. The coach has facilities of; FREE wifi; power sockets for charging electronic devices and a toilet. The seats have extra leg room for the long journey. You can locker space above the seats to store small passenger carrier bags such as rucksacks and laptop bags etc. The prices range depending on the season and time of the week you decide to go. The prices range between $44-$52 sometimes dearer.

Car Hire Rental

If you want to hire a car for a short few days trip with your family this is ideal. A couple of good car companies to hire a car from are AVIS and HERTZ. They offer good deals-especially if there is a group of people which will be cheaper if you split the price up for the car hire and petrol/gas etc. A good website to compare car hire prices is www.expedia.co.uk or www.expedia.com if in the US.

Transport-Uber/Taxis

Uber launched at the end of October in the Niagara Falls area. I went to Niagara Falls middle of October and missed the opportunity using Uber as this wasn't available. The town is quite small so you don't need to rely on public transport as much. Taxis are available in the Niagara Falls area if you need their service. If you don't have Uber, you can download this app on your apple or android mobile device for FREE. When you sign up, you make an account and register with your bank card details. This means when you use Uber not having to worry about no money in your pocket. Therefore, the charge is withdrawn through your bank and you will receive an email confirmation about this.

Places of interest to visit in Niagara Falls, New York State

The top areas to visit are; Niagara Falls State Park; The Whirlpools National Park, Maid of the Mist tour and crossing over the Rainbow Bridge-connecting New York and Canadian border.

Niagara Falls State Park

The Niagara Falls State Park is quite big with beautiful wildlife to see while walking through the park. The parks has 400 acres of land. You can either walk or take the tram trolley for a few dollars. There are shops to pick up souvenirs for friends and family. There are snack vendors throughout the national park if you are peckish or thirsty. The park covers; The Three Sisters' Island; Goat Island; Terrapin Point and Luna Island etc. Also, there are some whirlpools to visit too.

Maid of the Mist boat tour

The maid of the mist tour was a FUN and EXCITING trip but be prepared to get DRENCHED. The tickets are; FREE for children aged 5 and under; $10.65 for children aged 6-12 years and $18.25 for children 13 years+ and adults. The maid of the mist tour costs $18.25. You get a FREE poncho to wear to help protect your clothes from getting soaked. However; due to the strong wind blowing the water you still get SOAKED. This includes going up the elevator to the observation tower which is a prime spot for those enthusiastic photographers to capture one in a lifetime photo opportunities. The tour operates seasonally from May-November. The duration of the boat trip was only about 10-15 minutes.

Niagara Gorge Discovery Center

This is a fun place for children, adults and families to learn and interact with the history elements of Niagara Falls. This is a good educational experience for young children and adults to learn about the formation of Niagara Falls.

Other exciting things to do and visit are; Cave of the winds; Niagara Adventure Theater; Niagara Falls State Park Visitor Center; Niagara Falls Scenic Trolley; Top of the Falls Restaurant etc.

American/Canadian Border

If you aren't an American/Canadian citizen like myself you have to make sure your visa covers travel insurance and permission to cross the border to Canada-same if you are wanting to visit Mexico. You can either drive or walk over the Rainbow Bridge over to the Canadian border. Please check with the homeland security home and office.

Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you find the information useful. Take care,

Laura A Masters

USA Travel Tips and Advice

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Going on an adventure can be EXCITING, AMAZING and of course maybe a bit SCARY!

Last year, I participated in a work and travel student exchange programme in the US. I worked 3.5 months in California, on an island called Santa Catalina Island-22 miles off Long Beach, Los Angeles. After my legal date of work was due, my visa granted me a grace period which means you stay up to another 4 weeks to travel. My 4 weeks sightseeing involved; Pacific Coast Highway- Long Beach to San Francisco; Malibu; Pismo Beach; Las Vegas; Grand Caynon-Arizona; Huntington Beach; Hollywood; Santa Monica; Washington D.C; New York City; Buffalo and Nigara Falls.

Pertaining to my travelling, I did encounter some problems along the way (nothing to serious). To help people prepare going away travelling, I have listed and discussed areas that are essential. Please note the order there in doesn't represent the best way to arrange travelling.

Accommodation

Looking at accommodation, you are probably thinking let's stay in a posh hotel at Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive. Well, think again! Unless, you have a lot of money to spend. If you have the cash to spend at a hotel, then please note whatever the total says for your duration of stay that is before taxes are added on. If you are looking for somewhere cheap to stay, then I recommend the hostels (again tax is added but not much). I quite enjoyed staying in the hostels and met people around the world who I keep in regular contact with. Depending on the location you are staying in America, the average a hostel charges is $30+. Sometimes you can get a hostel for $20. This depends on the time of the week and year. A great website to find great hostels to stay is www.hostelworld.com. The hostels organise activities for people staying in the accommodation. When I stayed in Hollywood for a few nights, the hostel organised the guided tour walk up the Hollywood sign, Beverly Hills, The Griffith Observatory and Venice Beach.

If you are thinking of crashing at a hosts' house, then I recommend www.couchsurfing.com. To be honest with you, I didn't try this. However, what I have heard from is you can have an enjoyable experience. I have friends who have used this website and stayed at a family's house. Most of the hosts don't charge you money to stay or some may-depends!

The third website for me to recommend to you is www.airbnb.com. This is quite similar in a way to couch surfing, but you have to pay for the amount of days you intend to stay at someone's house. Also, please note, most hosts may have you between 1-14 days. This depends on their schedule with other travellers who may want to stay at their house. Again, this was a website I didn't try.

Shuttle Buses to/from airports

For other transport when arriving in the airport after a long flight, I recommend the shuttle bus services. They are cheap and reasonable which take you to the door of your accommodation. Either pay $70+ in a taxi to your hostel/hotel/other or get a shuttle bus and pay $15-$20. I took the shuttle buses all the time. The drivers were hilarious-especially in LA.

Uber/Lyft

Two good car services to use around the US are Uber and Lyft. They are quite reasonable and the fares are cheaper than taxis. First of all, download the app on your apple or android mobile device, sign up and register with your bank card details. This is a good way to have your ride paid for if you don't have cash on you. Your first ride is FREE when you sign up. Make sure you take advantage of this-especially if you are travelling a distance. Look for out for special offers and promotional deals with both Uber and Lyft.

Cash Cards

For entering America on a work and travel visa, I had to have the minimum of $800. As I didn't have a US bank account, I got myself a cash card visa. A good place to go to is Thomas Cook. They gave me two cards in case I lost one. Also, got given a pin number to withdraw money from an atm. Please note some atms charge between $2-$4 as a service charge for withdrawing money.

Emergency money from your own bank account

When it comes to finance abroad, it is vital you bring your own bank card with you from the country you live in. This is incase your travel card runs out and you need to use other money you have. During my last few days in the US, my US bank account declined my card which I couldn't use at all-especially at atms as they thought someone had stolen my bank card. This was due to my travelling habits. Luckily, I was able to get access to funds in my bank account from my home country as I brought my card with me. Please make sure you do the same.

Power-bank charger for phone

If you have a Power-bank with you that's great. If you don't have one, please ensure you get one before you leave your country if you are travelling on your own. This saves time, anxiety and patience if you do. Nothing is worse than getting lost 3 hours in the dark. However, may be fun walking around with all the other tourists who have done the same. Make sure your phone has GPS and a good signal strength such as 3G or 4G. 

Day Trips

If you are looking for great day trips or a few days trip package holidays to different states, I suggest you visit www.taketours.com. I booked a day trip to the Grand Caynon and got a GREAT discount. The trip originally was $100, I got it for $60. The best time to get the deals is September and October as it's the end of the summer season. I stayed in Las Vegas and got on the coach bus I booked with this company to get to Arizona for the Grand Caynon. 

Copies of maps

Where ever you are staying, make you sure you get a copy of a local map or big map if it's a city. One time, my phone ran out of battery in New York City and I'm lucky I had a map. People are very friendly in the city to help you if you go to the nearest café, shopping mall or store-you get my drift. Also as well, the police are there to ask as well. When I asked a policewoman where to go pointing on my map, she screamed with excitement on my accent and that I was from Scotland-bless her. You can pick up FREE maps from hostels.

Keeping Safe

One of the most important (to me main) priority is keeping safe when abroad-especially travelling on your own-and if female. Stay away from remote areas and parks at night time if walking along. Also, stay in well lit areas and make sure you are surrounded by a lot of tourists or families. I got lost one night in Washington D.C when my battery died on my phone, I was alone but stayed close to big crowds so I didn't look vulnerable walking on my own. 

Dinning and eating out

Going out for dinner is very popular-especially if this is what you do a lot in your home country. If you go out for dinner with a group of 5 people or more, a 20% tip service charge is automatically added to your bill. There are plenty of apps to download on your phone to help you choose the best place to eat. I would like to recommend my favourite restaurant-The Cheesecake Factory. I went to The Cheesecake Factory for the first time in San Francisco with friends. The meals for lunch and dinner are delicious. If you are a BIG fan of cheesecake, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you very much for reading my blog and for your time. Please share this with friends and family. Take care, bye for now! :)