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A Singaporean guide to living/visiting the US of A (Part two!)
Next up: Finding the perfect accommodation in the USA.But before I go into that, I'd like to share how you can get a prepaid plan for your iPhone when visiting the USA. Singtel offers data bridging for $20/day or $60/5days, which is not a very bad deal, but considering that Singtel has atrocious customer service, and will, I assure you, make no attempt whatsoever to help you in times of need (they have absolutely no sympathy and show little mercy, often caring more about their profit than the satisfaction and plight of their consumers,) I would highly recommend you to take up the next option:
Getting an AT&T Pay As You Go plan
Getting an AT&T plan is easy peasy. Just go into any AT&T store and tell the person at the counter that you need a new $50 monthly unlimited prepaid plan.
Now, if you're using anything but the iPhone, your task ends at paying. The service/sales personnel will complete all the registration procedures and slot the sim card into the phone for you, and there, you're ready to go.
But if you're an iPhone user, you'll need to follow these steps to unlock the data for your phone.
(1)Connect your iPhone 4 to a WiFi network so that you can access the web
(2)From the iPhone 4, open Safari and visit http://unlockit.co.nz and tap “Continue”
(3)Choose “Custom APN” and select AT&T as your carrier
(4)Tap on “Create Profile” to download and install the new custom APN
(credits to this website)
Easy as that. (just remember to delete/change your APN when you return to Singapore. I forgot, and couldn't go online until I figured that out.
Those were the exact steps I followed to unlock the data for my iPhone. I enjoyed good signal, reliable service, and unnnnlimited data for that one month with AT&T. No need to stop at Starbucks to tap on the free wifi, no losing satellite reception on maps, unlimited texts to all my American friends...It was pure bliss.
Now that we've established how to get a signal without bankrupting yourself (because you can rest assured that Singtel will try...) let's move on to
finding suitable accommodation in USA!
You have 4 options: #1 Hotel #2 Hostel #3 Short term rentals #4 Couch surf!
Option #1: Staying at a hotel
Best for -- groups of 3 or 4, people who'd rather pay a little bit more to have a clean bathroom and good service.
Cons -- hotel rooms do not typically come equipped with microwaves, meaning you can't go to the supermarket to buy a frozen pizza for supper :(
Making a hotel reservation is, undoubtedly, the most convenient, and least time consuming way to ensure that you have a place to stay. Of course it's likely that your bank balance will take a huge dip after you click on "confirm", but hey why turn down soft sheets, clean bathrooms and unlimited supply of toilet paper if you have the money?!
Here's a list of the best (in my humble opinion) sites to make hotel reservations:
latestays.com -- prices do not reflect the additional taxes (which is something that usually really annoys me), but they have some really good deals, and that makes up for it.
orbitz.com -- i've made some good reservations here. the process is fast, and they periodically send you updates and reminders about your booking. There are promotion codes from time to time, so make sure you google "orbitz promotion code" before you check out. I wound up saving 15% (and paid a good $100 less than if I had booked with agoda.com) the last time I made a hotel reservation. imaginary thumbs up*
lastminutetravel.com -- good for hotels that are "top secret". Last Minute Travel is special because they have these "undercover deals", where they provide photos, specifics, general locations (in short, everything but the name) of certain hotels, and price the rooms at unbelievably low rates.
To get the best deal, always make sure that you comparing multiple sites. But if you don't want to stay in a hotel during your trip, you could always go for...
Option #2: A hostel
Best for -- People travelling in big groups (i.e 8) or people travelling alone, and for people whose priority is to cut cost. And for people who enjoy going to the supermarket to get frozen pizza, because hostels are usually equipped with at least one working microwave in/for the entire building.
Cons -- No privacy, dirty (shared) bathrooms, chances of being kept up all night because the walls are so thin, little way to keep personal items safe, and in my experience, no way at all to open your luggage (you're lucky to have space to walk around the room.)
I used to believe that to be a true backpacker, you have to stay in hostels over hotels, and carry backpacks over suitcases. People also told me of the adventures! surprises! friendships! international love! in hostels...........but it's all a lie.
I'm not saying that people don't have midnight tryst in 12 bed hostel rooms, or that people don't befriend each other at hostels, because they do.
I'm just saying that exciting things like that don't happen to the typical Singaporean.
(Are you a typical Singaporean? Questionnaire:
#1 When you need to hold on to the pole on the mrt, but see someone leaning against it, do you (a)tell them, kindly, to not lean because you need to hold on to it, or (b)stomp/tweet/facebook/instagram?
#2 When someone's bag is repeatedly hitting you in the back, do you (a)tell them, kindly, that their bag is hitting you, or (b)complain on stomp/twitter/facebook/instagram?
#3 You are in a foreign country, and confused about which direction to go, do you (a)go up to someone to ask, or (b)nudge your friend and say "you go, you go..."?
If your answer is (b) to 1 or more of the questions above, then I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're a bloody typical Singaporean.)
Aside from the disappointment that you will, without doubt, experience, hostels are also not the most friendly to your wallet. With that said, hostels are your only guaranteed option if you're expecting to pay less than $20/night for accommodation.
What to expect:
less than $20 -- a bed, in a room with 11 other strangers. Forget about keeping your luggage safe, it's going to be under your bed the whole time, or in the locker downstairs (in other words, inaccessible.)
less than $50 -- possibly a twin bedroom with no private bathroom. it's not bad, but considering that you can pay $70 - $80 for a good hotel room....I'd say forget about it.
If, after reading this, you're no longer keen on reserving A BED (I'm trying to make it sound as pathetic as possible,) GOOD FOR YOU! because there are other money saving options, like...
Option #3: ROOMORAMA
You can rent someone's apartment for a short period (even a couple of days,) and seriously, what better way to experience a city than to be living in a real apartment in tha 'hood, right?!
Prices range from very expensive to relatively cheap depending on the type of apartment you're looking at. Pray do choose someone who's certified and has a good track record. Wouldn't want you to be sold to a drug mill because you took my advice.
But for the ultimate true experience, go for
Option #4: Couchsurfing!
Create a profile, put up at someone's house!
Best for -- people who are more interested in getting a real feel of the city and it's people, than they are to visit all the touristy places; people who are open minded and ready to experience the new, and possibly the dangerous. PEOPLE WHO WANT TO STAY FOR FREEEEEE!
Cons -- you might have to sleep on the couch, which can lead to severe back problems.
I would think that this is by far the best option. I love putting up at people's places because I will be forced to come out of my shell and let my colors shine (dramatic.)
There are so many benefits to staying at another young adult's house--you get to see what people do on a daily basis, you get a local's perspective of what to see and do in the city, you make a new friend (hopefully...) the possibilities are endless.
In conclusion, I recommend couchsurfing over anything else. Of course I'd choose to stay at a hotel every single time if I could, if only for the squeaky clean bathrooms, but money is not something I have in excess, therefore.
Alright hope you found/will find this information useful!
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