How I Secretly Travelled to NYC & Boston for Almost No Cost
Revealing the top secret behind my travel experiences that came at the price of almost nothing. But how?
New York City
The start of my years and years long-awaited New York City adventure began in the streets of Manhattan with a walk through a raging thunderstorm. Regardless, l was elated because I was finally in New York. I was absolutely over the moon to be in New York nonetheless. If it was possible to peek inside my body during that moment and look at the exterior of my heart, I’m so sure you’d see it glowing like a Himalayan salt lamp or as if a million fluorescent fireflies were beaming inside.
Raindrops violently beat down on the sidewalk like instruments slapped hard during a heavy metal song. The rain was heavy and the sky was blanketed in quilts of darkness, sharp cords of lightning scratching through and flickering rapidly like a dormant TV screen in the depths of a dark room. I could smell a mix of the damp atmosphere and a faint lingering smell of cinnamon. Or maybe that was a figment of my imagination because this is what I’d been longing to experience for a while, I repeatedly imagined the sugar rush from American delicacies electrocuting my tastebuds.
I gripped my umbrella tightly as the storm roared and I competed against the force of the wind, crossing the road and passing a Starbucks store on my right, bathed in bleeding red ambient light inside. Multi-coloured signs of stores glinted through the darkness. It was dark but the city was very much still alive. I prevailed further up the high street feeling drawn to a colourful array of lights in the distance. Tall skyscrapers surrounded me and their eyes watched me as I walked. Before I knew it, I was approaching a billboard that read “The City That Never Sleeps”. At that point, I was sure that I was drawing closer to Times Square. I was surrounded by the excited chatter of voices in various languages which I guessed to be other tourists just like me.
New York was an overload of stimuli everywhere, lights, sounds and smells. I love the city. I became very hyperaware of how big the city was and how minuscule I was in its presence. But I think that’s what I love about it, the smaller I feel in a city, the bigger the adventure feels with endless opportunities, things to discover and an infinite number of lives to be lived. I will always remember that day as the start of my exploration journey. The rest of my NYC trip consisted of exploring different restaurants, visiting all the famous picturesque places and landmarks and much needed laughter. I love the predictability yet randomness of the city.
Priceless.
Boston
The next leg of my travels began in Boston. I finally got to stroll around the infamous Beacon Hill. I was surprised to also begin my trip here on a rainy day but there was something so homely and cosy about Boston. I was familiar with rainy weather, especially being from London. Boston felt like an intersection where London meets America, but maybe that’s exactly what it was. It felt familiar yet foreign to me at the same time. Boston felt like a hybrid small-town vibe intertwining with the city. A contemporary touch could be observed with the modern cars parked on the streets like Jeeps, Mini Coopers, Toyotas, and cute zebra crossings. But it still held a classic character with houses decorated with ornamental gates, sash windows and Juliet balconies.
I observed aspects of London mirrored in the architecture. The walls of houses were lined with a warm rusty reddish colour, lantern-style street lights beautifully lined the area, the lights appearing to levitate like glowing orbs through the misty glass and a carpet of cobblestone lined the surface of the streets. I observed baskets of pretty plants hanging elegantly in front of people’s sash windows with vintage blinds. Bicycles were tied to lamp posts. Boston had a dark academia touch and a Mystic Falls-esque aura.
Was this really happening?
Wet leaves kissed the ground. A mix of green, golden yellows and fiery auburn foliage was present as you could visually see that it was transitioning into my favourite season autumn or ‘fall’ as they would call it. Massive trees towered over me on the sidewalks and deep forest green signs read the name of the street in a chalky white font.
There was something so romantic about Boston and I felt a calmness. I could hear the faint beeping and movement of cars scraping the wet ground in the background, a reminder that I was still downtown in a city. One of the things I deeply wanted to do was to find a coffee shop to sit and write, so I made that my mission to find while I was there. I passed many narrow alleyways with residential homes and it felt as though Boston had many secrets tucked away waiting for me to unveil.
There was something so nostalgic about being here even though I’d never been. It felt like a home that I’d been searching my whole life to get back to. It felt like the city you’d run away to live an alternative life.
A beautiful escape for my mental health and imagination.
& Imagination is simply all it was…
My free travels were facilitated virtually via the magnificent transport of YouTube through some of my favourite creators. My travels were essentially only the price of an Internet connection.
Believe it or not, that was all a bit (or a lot) of fiction. I have not (yet) stepped foot in any of these places ever in my life.
My fictional New York and Boston travel experiences were made possible by one of my absolute favourite creators ‘Nomadic Ambience’ on YouTube. Some of the many immersive walk-through and travel videos that digital creators have allowed me to experience. I stumbled upon this type of content during lockdown and it helped my mental health during that time of extreme restriction. It was also a challenging time in my life in other ways and these videos gave me that sense of escapism, a free place for my mind to roam with excellent visuals. It provided me with comfort, entertainment, excitement and a sense of hope.
I would love to visit these places and many others when the time is right and certain factors in my life are aligned. It would be amazing. I know my current view of these places is from a romanticised lens which is all just a bit of fun, realistically I know everywhere has its flaws. But I’m still very curious to see what these places are like and experience them in actuality. I like to use these videos as a way to look forward to my travels and adventures in life. When I watch them I feel like I have the ultimate freedom to imagine that I’m the main character in the movie. But I can also be whatever character I want to be, even a silent extra observing other characters or passers-by in a scene. It’s also such a stunning visual and mental playground, even a source of creative inspiration as they feel so realistic and immersive. I have to commend the dedication and commitment of such creators with such amazing content. Whether you’re taking me on a walk or train journey, you make my day.
Check out some of my favourite, fantastic creators who make these immersive travel experiences possible through their online content:
I’m so grateful to live vicariously through them:
Thank you for allowing me to see the world peacefully from the comfort of my home.
What are you looking forward to? Where do you want to travel?
