Travelling to New York on Business: How to Organize Your Trip Properly and Decide Whether to Ship Your Car
Why New York Is a Major Business Travel Destination
New York City, affectionately known by many names, is the financial hub for the U.S. There are a lot of opportunities for businesses that deal with export and import due to access to major international ports, including car shipping abroad. A lot of businesses are looking to move to New York because of its multicultural landscape, the access to qualified and unqualified workers, as well as the access to well-established energy infrastructures.
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Planning Your Business Trip to New York
Define Your Business Travel Goals and Schedule
New York is a very big city, and your business travels and goals might take you along many different paths. That's why it's important to set a schedule that is organized around the goals you want to achieve while in New York. Due to the sheer size of the city, it's easy to lose track of the exact location of each meeting, especially if they are on opposite sides of the 5 boroughs. That leads to time wasted, especially spent in traffic, if you are planning on driving during your trip.
Choose the Best Time to Visit New York for Business
New York is notoriously busy during most of the year, so picking a time to visit for business might require some flexibility on your part. One period of the year during which it's less busy is during the winter, when most people prefer to stay inside, there's less recreational traffic, and there's mostly transiting travel through the city.
Book Flights to New York with Flexible Change Options
If you are concerned about optimizing your schedule, then when booking your flights to New York, we recommend picking flexible change options that allow you to take early flights or to reschedule your flights with little to no extra charge. Some airlines allow travelers to change the schedule of their flight with at least a 24-hour notice, which is great if your plans change and you need to adapt.
Select a Business-Friendly Hotel in New York City
If you are not staging for that long, it's a smart decision to select a business-friendly hotel for the duration of your stay. That means finding a hotel that has flexible scheduling, has availability due to quick customer turnover, and is located relatively centrally along your scheduled route for meetings. There are fantastic Midtown options, as well as Downtown and Harlem locations.
Build a Daily Itinerary Around Meetings, Commutes, and Downtime
Building an itinerary plays into planning your meetings, the routes you need to take, the time to commute, and what to do during your downtime. By building a daily itinerary, you can make sure you are making the most of your time while in New York and taking full advantage of the downtime, either sightseeing or preparing for other meetings. It's important to take into account the overall commute time, whether you are going by public transportation or driving a rented or personal vehicle.
Prepare Documents, Identification, and Travel Insurance
It's always wise to have your Identification, travel insurance, and documentation organized well before the trip. Use transparent documentation pouches to organize relevant documentation for upcoming travel and meetings you need to attend. A travel backpack with a dedicated documents pocket is a must as it keeps your inventory tidy and organized, not to mention wrinkle-free.
Getting Around New York
Compare Taxis, Ride-Sharing, Subway, and Rental Cars
There are several good ways of getting around in New York - take classic yellow-cab taxis, use Uber or ride share services, use public transport, or rent a car. New York is known for its lack of personal transportation simply because locals don't really need it, and finding parking or renting a parking spot simply is not worth it. That's why most people prefer to commute with public transport, such as by subway or above-ground means. Pick what you feel most comfortable with and what you think will make the most sense for your needs.
When a Personal Car Can Be Useful for Business Travel
Personal cars in New York make sense if your commute is long and you simply can't really afford the time to spend changing stations. It also makes sense in terms of business travel when you have a lot of places to be that don't really have a good public transportation connection. If your business trip will take you outside of New York, it makes sense to have your personal vehicle with you or to rent, but renting can become quite expensive.
Parking, Tolls, and Traffic Challenges in Manhattan
New York can't really be qualified as having abundant parking, which is why a lot of locals prefer not to deal with it altogether. If you are traveling to New York and Manhattan for work, it does make sense to have your car with you because it's far more convenient. However, there are a lot of congestion charges, tolls, and traffic challenges along the way to and outside of Manhattan, including rush hour traffic, which can lock you in a grid-like pattern, meaning you simply have to deal with it. Plan, take alternative routes that might make it easier for you, and be mindful of scooters, bikes, and bus lanes.
Should You Ship Your Car?
Is Shipping a Car to New York Worth It for Business Travel?
Some would argue that it makes sense to ship your personal car to New York for a business trip, but that really depends on your plans and your needs. If you are spending months in New York, maybe it would make more sense to have your car with you, but if you are traveling only for a week or two, it might be more useful to rent or use public transport. The associated extra expense of auto transport to New York might not be worth it unless your business can expense this at the end of the fiscal year as a necessary expense.
Situations Where Car Shipping Makes Sense
The situations where car shipping makes a lot of sense if when you are spending more than 2-3 weeks in the city and need reliable transportation. Uber and Taxis in New York can be somewhat reliable, but there are congestion surcharges that you need to pay for as the customer. If your business trip is taking you away from the City, you need to have a reliable source of transportation, and for many people that's their personal vehicle.
Situations Where It Is Better to Skip Car Shipping
If you are not spending that much time traveling around the city or if you are only there for a couple of days, it makes the most sense to skip car shipping, as it's an added expense that only makes sense if you really need your vehicle. If you are traveling with a lot of luggage for business purposes, with samples or a physical medium to represent your business, it makes sense to use a personal car to travel.
Compare Car Shipping vs Renting a Car in New York
New York has abundant car rental options for all sizes of vehicles, but prices can vary depending on the type of car, the time of year when you rent, and the overall surcharges associated with this service in New York. Shipping your car is similarly related to seasonal demand, and the prices can vary depending on the total distance, but there are circumstances under which prices are extremely low.
Compare Car Shipping vs Using Local Transportation
Shipping a car makes sense in a lot of cases, but it can be overshadowed in locations where public transportation is very well developed and is a reliable source of transportation. This is the case in New York. More than 80% of residents do not own a personal vehicle, simply because it makes more sense to walk, bike, or use public transportation. The grid-like pattern of the city makes it easy to navigate, but it also makes it more likely to experience heavy traffic, which causes delays.
Hidden Costs of Bringing a Car to New York
No one would be surprised to know that New York is expensive in almost every way. This applies to owning or even driving a car in New York. The taxes in the city are very high, the cost of parking is extensive, and the rules of what sort of cars can enter certain parts of the city can also be quite restrictive.
How to Ship a Car the Right Way
Choose Between Open and Enclosed Auto Transport
Open car shipping makes a lot of sense as a choice if you are focused on getting the best deal. It is the most abundant type of car transportation available on the market, and this can be seen in the prices. Enclosed auto transport makes sense as a choice when it comes to shipping an expensive vehicle, a brand new car you want to protect from the elements and road debris, or when the transit time and distance are greater than 1000 miles.
How to Find a Reliable Auto Transport Company
One of the best ways to find a reliable auto transport company for car shipping in New York is to look at online reviews. Look at the 3-4 star reviews, see the low end of reviews as well. Check the license of the company, see if they are registered and if they are insured - all of that information is in the public domain and is available to anyone to see. It takes only 5 minutes to check if a car shipping company is reliable.
What to Check in a Car Shipping Quote
When getting your car shipping quote, make sure that the insurance for the service is included in the cost. Also, make sure that every service you've requested has been quoted in the price, and also make sure that any discounts that you have been promised are applied properly and that the numbers make sense at the end. Check if the price is before or after taxes - sometimes companies show the tax-free price to make the quote look more appealing.
Insurance, Coverage, and Liability for Vehicle Transport
Most reliable car transport companies will include the insurance of your vehicle with the price of the service automatically. Of course, you can check what sort of coverage the insurance provides. But by law, all cars must be insured at least up to $250,000, with some instances requiring extra coverage for more expensive vehicles, which can be insured up to $7 million dollars. The carrier is fully liable for the vehicle's safety and condition during the shipment, which is why they have very sturdy and robust insurance policies that cover them in cases of damage or an accident.
Business Travel Cost Management
Ways to Reduce Travel and Transportation Expenses
Business travel has to be concise, and it should make economic sense for the purposes of the business's longevity. That being said, it makes a lot of sense to look for ways to reduce travel expenses. One way we recommend you achieve better travel costs is to book any sort of tickets early and in advance. If possible, use air miles to get better seating or to get a ticket altogether. In terms of transportation expenses, make sure that your travel choices make scheduling sense. If possible, travel during the winter; shipping prices then are a lot lower than during the summer or late spring.
Cost Factors That Affect Car Shipping Prices
Speaking of winters, the cost factors that influence car shipping prices are seasonal demand and weather conditions. A lot of people prefer to travel during fair weather because there is less chance of delays, it's more pleasant, and there's a big psychological factor to fair-weather traveling as well. Take advantage of that and book any sort of shipping or travel needs during bad weather periods, like the winter on the East Coast, which is known to be wet, frigid, and quite icy at times. Car shipping is also affected by the demand for the service, and that can fluctuate on a daily basis. The general consensus amongst car transport companies is that March to September is the busiest period, especially because of snowbirds, which are quite common in New York.
Snowbirds are individuals who prefer to spend their winters down South, starting from March and extending all the way to the end of September. This means that snowbirds will affect the cost of car transportation. If you want to reduce the overall cost of car transportation, then avoid the March to September period. Book outside of major events, like concerts or festivals - book during the week, and most importantly, be flexible with your scheduling.
