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July is typically a month for vacation. I didn't take one this year because my field manager took a vacation, two of my designers took vacations, an associate took a vacation and one of the installation managers was out having surgery.

All my staff having vacations put a overload on my workload that I cannot see light at the end of the tunnel.

I am slowly getting things in order for my trip to New York next year. I have gotten a confirmation where I am going to stay: At my friends place.

That means that I am going to have to cook some Danish style food for her and her baby, and I know just the thing to make! I hope she eats pork, since Danish food is very pork based. If she doesn't, I am gonna do some tweaks to the food I want to prepare for her.

I am gonna collect the rest of my money for the trip tomorrow. I plan to get at least $550, which means I will have $1003 in total. I have also decided to add a suitcase to my trip, which will cost me $60 each way, which is a price I am willing to pay.

I also had a look at what was included in my plane ticket, since I bought a "basic economy" fare. From what I have read, I am now allowed to bring one carry on bag with me on the plane, as well as a personal item of my choice. I am also getting a comfortable seat in the Main Cabin and enjoy free snacks, soft drinks and inflight entertainment. So it's not gonna be a complete spartan experience, which I was worried about.

So far it's looking good. I am well prepared, which is a first for me! I am usually very last minute, but because I bought my plane ticket almost 10 months in advance, I have time to really prepare.

Now we are just gonna plan what we are going to do for the entire week I am there. But it shouldn't be hard to do, since there are a lot to do, apparently.

Now I just need it to be May 1st, so I can leave!

I know that some of you might be tired of hearing about my travel-preparations, so I am starting to name my blogs "New York Trip Preparations - Part (blank)", starting with this blog. That way, you can just skip those blogs, and read something else.

With that out of the way, it's time to dive down into the blog!

I went to the exchange agency again for the second time this week, to get some more US dollars for my trip next year. I ended up with $353, and with my $50 from earlier, I am now at $403. 40% of the way to my goal, which seems like it's manageable to reach.

If i am careful with my spending here, and if I can put away DKK400 every month for 9 months, that means I will get $56 every month. $56 times 9 is $504, which puts me at $907. I do have some saving that I can use as well, so I am confident I will hit the magical $1000, which was my goal all along.

I am also slowly preparing my list for the week I am going there. My friend has volunteered to take me to New York City, which I will not turn down. She suggested that we found a hotel for a night, making it a 2-day trip. I am not going to complain at all. It's gonna be awesome! I really want to see the American Museum of Natural History. I want to get up close to a T Rex skeleton! That is one of my dreams! Luckily there is an exhibition of that, that runs throughout August 2020. There is a $23 entry fee, which I will gladly pay. I also want to visit Ground Zero. So many plans, and so little time, I feel. I will just have to come back at another time.

I have bought myself a travel bag. It's called the Haglöfs 40, and it's supposedly a very spacious bag. Hopefully I can fit a weeks worth of clothes into the bag. I might just bite the bullet and get myself a carry-on bag, and pay the fee to have it in the cargo hold. I am not allowed to store it in the overhead bins, which is total f*cking bull.. Anyway, where was I.. Oh yeah..

That bag I bought was on sale. 30% off, which was a welcome surprise. Particularly since I am travelling on a budget. Regarding the budget - I sent mine to my friend that I am visiting, and I asked her if I was totally wrong, or if I was on the right track. She said I should raise it by $100 at least, and have as close to $1000 with me, in order to get some more wiggle room for souvenirs and such.

Next thing for me to do is to get a job, so I have something to tell the CBP officer when I land in Newark next year!

I am beginning to lay a budget for my USA trip. These are based on my estimates, how much I usually spend here in Denmark, and how much I anticipate to spend each day.

My first draft came in at $196, which I thought was a bit.. Low.. I am going to be there for a week, after all, so $196 would seem a bit too low. I then did some tweaks, and added some things to it. This time, it came out to $536 for a week, which seems a bit more reasonable.

Food: $30 the first 6 days and $25 on the last day, for a total of $55.

Drinks: $62 for the week. I am not planning on going binge drinking. 3 crates of coca cola, a 40-pack of water and 4 drinks at $6 each seems reasonable. I might spend more or less on the drinks, but we'll see.

The biggest expenditure is entertainment. A massive $160 for the week, which gives me more than enough room to spend less, if needed. I don't think I will spend $20 a day on that, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

I will spend $76 on souvenirs for myself. I have found the perfect set for me to buy!

I am still going to bring close to $1000, which gives me a surplus of $464.

I will still tweak it a bit, but so far it looks alright. I am being picked up at the airport, and I am not going to stay in a hotel or do some sightseeing in NYC, since I am staying at her place in upstate New York, and I am pretty good with saving money anyway. This month, I have managed to live of $300. This is in a country that is 9.2% more expensive than the United States.

Given that there is a while until I travel, please bring your best money-saving tips, and let me know if my budget looks completely stupid.

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I went to the local money exchange agency, Forex, and I got $50. I am now home, and I decided to take a closer look at them.

They feel weird. The Danish currency feels smooth and paper-like, while the American one feels rough and coarse. Like sand.. I don't like the sand.. There was a reference there. If you know it, you have scored ten points.

Anyway.

On American dollars, there are Presidents on one side, and The White House on the other. On the Danish money, it's bridges on one side, and some artifacts on the other. The dollar also says "In God We Trust", which the Danish money doesn't, because Denmark isn't embracing God as much as the US does.

The notes I got was three times Hamilton and one Jackson. I would like Benjamins, but not now. Later, perhaps.

So far, in two days, I have planned a USA trip, gotten my ESTA and my first $50. I am $950 short of my target, which I have just over 9 months to get. Average: $100 per month. It's gonna be tough, but I have Christmas coming up. I can wish for some dollars there.

Anyway, that's all for me today. Toodles!

I know, I know.. I am still a LONG way away from actually going, but it's not too early to make a list of things I need to do and get!

So first up: Book the flight. That's the main thing. I did that. I found a good deal on Google. The trip is from Copenhagen to London with British Airways (rated 5.9/10 in 2018, making it the 17th best airline that year), and then American Airlines (Rated 6.4/10 in 2018 on making it the best US airline) from London to Newark.

A return ticket was $348,59, making it a FANTASTIC deal. I am in basic economy, which is the cheapest ticket, which is fine. I am not really picky when it comes to seating on a flight. As long as I get there, I am happy. I might even sleep for the majority of the flight. Read more about the basic economy here

Next up on my list: Get an ESTA. ESTA stands for "Electronic System for Travel Authorization", and it's an automated system, that checks to see if I have been a bad boy regarding law enforcement, terrorism and other nasty stuff. Since I am clean, I don't see why they wouldn't approve it.

Third entry on my list: Read up on the US. Specifically how to tip, since I know it's expected of me to do so, when I visit a restaurant. I think it's 10% you leave in tips, but if that's not true, please feel free to correct me on that.

Fourth entry, and this is important: Dollars. I need money to spend whilst I am in the US. I am thinking around $1000 would be sufficient, given I am there for a week only. It gives me roughly $142 per day to spend, which should be plenty.

So far, that is all on my list. Of course I need to pack as well, but I plan to pack a carry-on bag, that will fit underneath the seat, since my ticket doesn't include an overhead bin. If I have to check a bag, that will be extra at the airport. We'll see what I do, but if I have to pack for a week, I might just shove it all into a duffelbag and put that under my seat. I will pack the day before I leave, which is still months away.

I might come up with more items on my list, when we get closer to my departure.

I applied for the ESTA yesterday, and I paid $14 for it. I have just looked at the application, and, as I suspected, it was approved.

I can now sit back and relax, since I am allowed to enter the US. The ESTA is valid for two years, so I will need to renew it in 2021.

One of the questions they asked me, to determine if I was worthy of an ESTA was: "Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?"

In the drop-down menu, I put in "yes" by accident, to which the popup said "Are you sure? If yes, please contact DHS for help". I then quickly selected "no", and then all was fine.

I need to shop for a duffel bag, since I don't have one. I am not sure how expensive they are, but they shouldn't be that expensive.

By the way, I loved what it said on the ESTA site: "Welcome to the USA".

Thank you!

I have just booked the flight to Newark Liberty International Airport (3 stars out of 5 on Google) on may 1st, 2020. It's gonna be my first time ever in the US, so I am looking forward to it a lot!

The trip takes me to London, England, where I have a 2 hour layover in Heathrow, before the trip to the USA. MAN I am excited for this! My first ever time in the US, but it's so far away! Time wise, I mean. 10 months away!

Those 10 months have to fly by!

But the main thing is: I am coming to the USA!