How much spending money for.high school trip to NYC?

[hereyago]

Dd14 will be going to NYC in a couple weeks with drama.class. We don't have packing list yet, but i did see a partial list on we bsite where it says 50. 00 for spending money. I am thinking.that is a days worth. Their meals and activities.are.included. They are there for 4 days.

We have those travel bottles to put body wash and shampoo ,so no buying any of that for trip. Also plan on getting snacks to pack. Any other ideas? Tia

 

[FLLDYTRKR]

I think alot will depend on how many and what kind of items they want to bring home.
T shirts can cost well over 20.00 in some places.. Why a cup of coffee can be 5.00... I know you said meals were included by what about soda and snacks during the day..An ice cream break ect...

Does your daughter have any kind of ID?? I would consider one of the pre paid debt cards so she does not have to carry a lot of cash...plus if in a pinch you could add more to the card--or you can limit her spending. She can access an ATM most any place to get cash or pay for items along the way.

 

[wiigirl]

NYC is expensive, so more than you think.

I second a pre-paid card you can refill.

 

[KMarston]

My son travels quite a bit with the band. Usually they cover some of their own meals and spending money. You won't have that problem. I give him cash in his wallet, I hide cash in his attaché case incase he loses his wallet, AND I put his ATM card (not debit) inside the lining of his suitcase provided they are not flying. I can move more money to his ATM account in a matter of minutes on my phone.

He has always brought home what he didn't need, but when he called home from a recent trip and his phone charger was blown he had plenty of money to get what he needed.

I have this fear of him losing his wallet and not having what he needs. He travels out of the country for a week next year, I'm not sure how I'll handle back up cash then. I'm hoping some responsible adult will collect passports!

 

[mjkacmom]

I don't think they'll need that much - when dd16 goes with her friends, she doesn't spend a lot (but she is cheap). Street vendors and street food isn't very expensive. Remember that NYC is a cash town - some places don't take credit/debit cards.

 

[Sagginit]

it completely depends on what she wants to buy and how much free/down time she will have. if shuttled around from activity to activity and all meals covered i would say a few snacks and souvenirs. but a snack can cost more $$$ than you may think depending on where she goes. i say give her more just in case, $50 seems low for 4 days. in times square ATMS are abundant but so she doesn't get hit with heavy fees look into where she can access cash from a card before you get one.

 

[C-CMom]

Agree - NYC is more of a cash town than some others. Multiple spots didn't take plastic when we were there.

 

[shoney]

Unless they are doing a lot of shopping, I think $50 per day is too much.

Street vendors are pretty cheap, especially if you get away from Times Square.
You can even shop fairly inexpensively on the street...cheap t-shirts, pics of the skyline, etc... You get what you pay for, but if the kids just want a "I heart NY" shirt, than the $5 one on the street will probably do.

If they are going to a few Broadway shows and want snacks in the theatre, than the $$$ is high....over $10 for a candy and a drink.
If they will be buying souvenirs in the theatre, they will also be expensive.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Agree - NYC is more of a cash town than some others. Multiple spots didn't take plastic when we were there.

Almost every retail establishment in NYC accepts credit or debit cards. Sure, some places take cash only, but no more than in any other large city.

 

[Sagginit]

Almost every retail establishment in NYC accepts credit or debit cards. Sure, some places take cash only, but no more than in any other large city.

i think it depends on where you are going. on a daily basis i rarely need cash in the city. i can use my card at all the places i go to lunch/snacks, all stores, and most restaurants. on occasion when downtown at a small place i have had to use cash b/c they have a small card system and it goes down.

i think you need cash to buy tshirts, souvenirs, and pretzels on the street which is what they may be referring to.

how about this. if you are really unsure find out what she plans on spending $$$ on and report back. we can give you a better idea of what she needs if you tell us what she will be buying. its like us trying to give you a grocery budget without knowing how many people are in the family.

 

[Sydnoahmom]

My daughter went 2 years ago with her choir/band from school and were gone from Sunday to Friday, including travel time. They had to buy their lunches and any souveniers/snacks on their own. We sent $300 and she brought back some money. They had subway on the bus when they pulled out of town and we baked cookies for a snack for everyone. She shared a soft sided cooler on the bus with her friends where they kept water, soda, juice, string cheese, yogurt for snacks and breakfast in case they were sleeping when the bus stopped for breakfast.

Personally, I would rather she have too much money along in case of emergency rather than not enough. We were advised by the tour company to use cash, not ATM or debit cards. She split her money in all of her bags and had the locations saved in her phone so she didn't forget where it all was.

A few other tips we learned along the way: if traveling by bus, take a small pillow and blanket. They will also need a power strip for the hotel room-lots of charging going on with phones, cameras, ipods and then flat irons, blow dryers.

Hope its a great trip!