The NYC Traveler: Tips for Your Trips
- Nov 12, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 15, 2025
Welcome to MC Photo & Travel and the NYC Traveler
It seems interesting that someone that lives in New York, where many people come to visit, would visit elsewhere, but many of us do appreciate our city and travel to other locales. Of course, you will find those who live in New York who do not want to be there and are always talking about leaving. But that is not us. We love our city and we love to travel to others. When we return, it makes us appreciate not only where we have visited, but to where we have returned.
Why Travel? That is a loaded question. People travel for as many reasons are there are people traveling. People vary, so reasons vary. Hotel surveys like to divide it into two extremely broad categories: business or leisure. I guess that's a good place to start, although the two categories overlap.
Although the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic broadened the use of video conferencing (your typical "Zoom" calls), business travel did resume. And some business have to be done in person: sports teams, performers, technical people who broadcast those sports to you live from those locations, some professional developers who give workshops, medical specialists and educators who may teach abroad in special situations.
As for leisure travel, which is what most people are referring to: how much time do you have for that question? Why travel for leisure is a question people try to ask and answer all of the time. And why translates to where and how.
When someone tells me that they want to travel or they want to travel more, I ask them: what do you like to do?
People travel based on location, interest, hobbies, attractions, and much more.
Do you like different cultures? Do you want to learn different languages? Are you up for different types of food? Or do you want to know your own city, state, region, province, or country better?
People want to see every stadium in a certain sport: follow your favorite team and see not only those stadiums but the cities they are in. Or, follow a sport, visit the city and its local team. It doesn't have to be professional or even minor league. There are enough colleges, universities and public school leagues to fill up your schedule. Visit halls of fame, sporting equipment factories, horse racing venues.
Follow a music group or genre: websites will list either what is coming to a particular venue or which cities performing artists are traveling to. You can combine this travel niche: cruise with your favorite jazz artist, play your own instrument in a workshop side by side with professionals, see the world's greatest theaters while enjoying the world's most famous artists on stage. You can go local: summer stock playhouses, local coffee shops with live music by underground artists who are famous on social media.
Explore theme parks and ride the tallest rollercoasters. Companies have sibling parks in America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and more. Or explore the small town festivals and fairs and after your ride, learn about local culture through food while chatting with the vendors. TV shows about carnivals and fairs make these events popular.
See all covered bridges in one state, or maybe waterfalls or both. Some US states have brochures that will take you for a scenic drive chasing them through picturesque counties.
Dining and being a foodie is huge for some travelers. Experience the finest Michelin restaurants, every donut shop, chocolate factories, wineries, beer gardens. There are dozens of travel shows dedicated to food travel alone, traversing across regions, chatting with chefs, getting cooking secret recipes.
Follow film locations. Spy thriller films are filmed all over the world, big cities are the setting for many police and detective shows. Did you see your neighborhood on TV once? It's possible. Exterior shots of famous landmarks set the scene for many productions, even if the interiors are filmed on a sound stage in a studio. And that's a trip, too. So much so that some studios have branched out to include theme parks based on films as part of their company portfolio.
There are themed excursions: the Game of Thrones tour based on the TV series, for example, in Croatia; Bridgerton experiences in different cities, fan conventions all over the world for television shows and movies, such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Superhero conventions, sometimes known as Comic Cons, are major events, inspiring cosplay (costume play) and an entire industry of wardrobe.
People visit historical locations, like every battlefield in a war. The American Civil War trail is extremely popular as is significant locations of World War II in Europe. Houses and birthplace of political leaders often inspire interest, inserting the life of the person into the historical timeline of the world and their influence.
Art? There are enough museums and galleries in the world to visit one every day of the year for at least 10 years, for many themes, art movements and styles. Look for museums of modern art, the Renaissance, crafts, folk art, automobiles, inventions. Some cater to children, for a day for the entire family.
Do you shop? We mean, really shop, not just magnets for your refrigerator? Some people furnish their house with objects from around the world. Others have an eclectic table with each place setting different from thrift shops and antique stores. Other people travel with empty suitcases and fill their closets with clothes from different cities, states, countries, time zones and climates.
Are you a nature person? There are forests, waterfalls, rain forests, botanical gardens, farms and public parks to explore. There are national preserves, savannas, zoos and aquariums just waiting for you to learn about every species on the planet. Visit every national park in a particular country or pick national parks in different countries that have the same feature in common: canyons, waterfalls, rain forests, deserts, mountains.
Do you want to combine your interests, passions and hobbies with traveling? Do you hike, swim, snorkel, deep sea dive, mountain climb, ride a motorcycle or a bicycle? Do you like to learn? Cooking classes, art workshops and photography treks will only increase your thirst for more knowledge.
In the United States, a popular question is, how many of the 50 states have you been to? Given the size of our country, it's not an easy task, although I'm sure that Russia, China and India are chuckling. Now, there's a challenge.
How do you travel? Do you want elaborate plans or something simple as just a hotel and a beach or lake? Do you want to plan every minute or leave room for flexibility? Do you want to do the planning or have someone do the legwork for you?
Travel shows about people who live in recreational vehicles (RVs) are popular: what type of RV do they have, where do they go, who do they meet, what activities do they do.
Or maybe a simple car will do for your road trips. Subscribe to satellite radio, make sure your GPS app works, take a cooler with you that can hold things cold for 3-5 days and off you go.
Do you like to cruise? From where? Where to? When? Is it the journey (meaning the ship itself and its amenities) or the destination, meaning the ports you will visit?
Are you OK to fly, legally, physically and psychologically? Do you want a direct flight to travel halfway around the world or do you want to layover for 10 hours and see an extra city and have another adventure?
Are you a luxury person or do you sleep in the most primitive of camps? Does it have to be an all inclusive resort, a five star hotel or are your requirements to simply be clean and safe?
Finally, how much money can you or do you want to spend. Traveling consistently is a lifestyle. What changes in your life are you willing to make to support your endeavors? If you are not a wealthy person, are some sacrifices OK?
Do you have to answer all of these questions to start traveling regularly? No. How you travel will develop as you go more and more and as you travel often. For most people, travel will never fall into one category. It will continue to evolve, develop and grow. Just like people. Scroll down and start with the series of articles we have listed below and our social media links of our adventures and our Travel Tips For Your Trips.
Marcia Crayton Enterprises LLC has three divisions: MC Travel & Tours, Marcia Crayton Photography and the MC Photo and Travel Blog, including our Youtube Channel. This blog grew out of a passion for travel, to share information about those adventures and to share tips for your trips.
Tips for Your Trips from the NYC Traveler are for all travelers: families, adults, couples, groups, new travelers and seasoned travelers.
Thank you for your support!
Marcia Crayton
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