J1 to Boston possible alone?

wexhurdler

Hi,

Just have one quick question, looking for your opinions.. I'm planning a J1 to boston for June but any of the lads who expressed interest in travelling have backed out so it looks like I'm heading alone..
Is a J1 possible to do on your own, like would you realistically need a big group heading over with you? Has anybody perhaps gone out on their own in previous years??

Thanks in advance,

Gavin

Valmont

wexhurdler wrote: »

Is a J1 possible to do on your own

Sorry to be curt but what do you think? Why would you need a big group to go over? Were they going to carry your bags?

Just go for it and have a blast. I've done two by myself and I don't see why people make such a big deal of going over without a "gang", it's sad really!

meeayz

wexhurdler wrote: »

Hi,

Just have one quick question, looking for your opinions.. I'm planning a J1 to boston for June but any of the lads who expressed interest in travelling have backed out so it looks like I'm heading alone..
Is a J1 possible to do on your own, like would you realistically need a big group heading over with you? Has anybody perhaps gone out on their own in previous years??

Thanks in advance,

Gavin

Hi , Im going on a J1 next summer as well , and will also be going solo ! It is possible to go alone , but accomadtion wise will be more costly , unless you share with some people you meet along the way. I cant decide where I want to go yet :rolleyes: , maybe new york , or florida , maybe both ? but cant wait Ive never travelled alone before so should be really interesting !

ToniTuddle

Valmont wrote: »

Sorry to be curt but what do you think? Why would you need a big group to go over? Were they going to carry your bags?

Just go for it and have a blast. I've done two by myself and I don't see why people make such a big deal of going over without a "gang", it's sad really!

No it's not sad.
I'm thinking about my wallet!:eek:

I'm going to either Boston or New York and yes I can stay with a friend in either city for the first while but I want my own place.
Options are less expensive if you have a few moving into one place.

I've looked into renting a room out for the summer in some Americans home, there are plenty.
But I'd much rather share with some Irish person or other J1-er so we can go out and experience all the mightyness of the city

ToniTuddle

wexhurdler wrote: »

Hi,

Just have one quick question, looking for your opinions.. I'm planning a J1 to boston for June but any of the lads who expressed interest in travelling have backed out so it looks like I'm heading alone..
Is a J1 possible to do on your own, like would you realistically need a big group heading over with you? Has anybody perhaps gone out on their own in previous years??

Thanks in advance,

Gavin

Move in with me for the summer! ha!

It's a balls when people back out on you :mad::mad:
Still trying to convince some of the college classmates to go but it's looking very unlikely.

Skyuser

You can tag along with me n me m8 if ya want

ToniTuddle

*cough* Or we can all go to New York instead of Boston *cough*

PeakOutput

iv gone on my own the last two years flew into boston but living in maine

i had a guaranteed job before going though and therefore a guaranteed circle of people to meet

abelard

Of course it's possible on your own, but the reality of the situation is it depends on your circumstances as to whether it's a good idea for you to go on your own.

Regarding accommodation, if you don't know anyone, your best bet is subletting. A lot of students will sublet their rooms for the summer and there's a good chance you can ge something decent for a reasonable price. Depending on the market, and given that you're dealing with other students, it also leaves soom room for haggling on the price. The best aspect of this approach is that you'll often have housemates who are also young/students. Obviously you;re never guaranteed to get on with someone you share an apartment/house with, but it's a good first step to meeting other Americans and locals. I lived in Boston last year (admittedly I was with one other Irish person) and we lived with an Alaskan who was sound and great craic. If you happen to be living with a local, then even better as they'll have friends in the area, will know the good spots, and might even have helpful contacts.

The other good aspect of subletting is that your place will be fully equipped so you won't need to buy anything. My place this year even had a flatscreen tv and PS3 that belonged to one of our lessors which was pretty sweet, and the kitchen and bedrooms were fully equipped.

It might sound obvious, but if you were to opt to sublet, look in the areas surrounding the colleges. In Boston, look in Brighton (around BC), Allston (around BU) or Cambridge (around Harvard and MIT). Not as familiar with NYC, but there may be some suitable and affordable (by NYC standards) stuff around NYU (which is in Greenwich Village I think?), or otherwise head over to Queens (Sunnyside, Woodside or Astoria are good bets) or Brooklyn, parts of which both have strong Irish contingents (again handy for work contacts).


Apart from the practicalities of finding accommodation, consider your own personality. If you're fairly outgoing and sociable you're not likely to have any problems integrating but if you're more of an introvert you might prefer to have some familiar faces. I've found Americans to be a generally very friendly bunch though, especially if you're Irish, so don't worry too much. The other thing to consider is if you've been away from home much before, and on your own. There's a (remote and unlikely!) chance you might feel homesick after 7-8 weeks or so, so again you might like to have some company from home. I have to admit though I had such a blast I didn't miss this place once, so again it's nothing much to worry about.


In terms of work, I can't imagine it would make much of a difference whether you go alone or with a group. If anything, being alone will mean you won't have to think about others as much when job hunting. Like if you're with a group, sometimes there's pressure to go job hunting with your frineds and try find jobs in the same places, or to only take jobs in which you work certain hours so you all have similar schedules and can better socialise together, or whatever. On your own, you can do your own thing and look for work you yourself may particularly enjoy, or work that pays better but has odd hours, or whatever.


In summary, for the question you've asked, you have to take anyone's advice (mine included) with a pinch of salt as we don't know you. I would say go for it, even if you are on your own, as in my experience, making friends in America isn't much of a problem and the practicalities of it are very doable. But you have to just make a judgement call, depending on how independent a traveller you are and how comfortable you'd be in spending a summer without your friends (which can be a nice break!). On your own, Boston may be a better option than NYC if you're on your own. It's less expensive in general, more of a college town, and is a little less of a daunting prospect. WHerever you go though, you're likely to have an amazing summer.

wexhurdler

Skyuser wrote: »

You can tag along with me n me m8 if ya want

Haha thanks lol sound for the offer:P when ye heading out??:D

wexhurdler

ToniTuddle wrote: »

No it's not sad.
I'm thinking about my wallet!:eek:

I'm going to either Boston or New York and yes I can stay with a friend in either city for the first while but I want my own place.
Options are less expensive if you have a few moving into one place.

I've looked into renting a room out for the summer in some Americans home, there are plenty.
But I'd much rather share with some Irish person or other J1-er so we can go out and experience all the mightyness of the city

Boston then yeah?:D:p

ToniTuddle

wexhurdler wrote: »

Boston then yeah?:D:p

Was just mailing my mate in Boston and looking up her recent photos and I just wanted to be there in a heartbeat!

But at the same time. She is living there full time and has made her own circle of friends. Yes, I've met some of them, they are grand.
And of course I want to see her and hang out.
But kinda want to make my own way, do things the way I want to or visit the places I want!
With her being illegal I wouldn't want to end up causing her bother! I think New York would be pretty damn amazing. At least it would have more things to do in it.

Either way whichever city I pick I will visit the other one on my days off work! As think it's only a 2 or 3 hour bus journey? Even if it's 4 or 5 hours I wouldn't mind. Same as going down to Galway/Dublin ha!

I get 2 free stopovers so I'm going to spend 2 weeks in Boston on the way to NY and then on way back I can spend two weeks there again!

Everybody is happy!
If you pick Boston I suggest living around Dorchester or else Quincy.
Never seen any hassle around those areas.

DoctorStrange

Went on J1 3 years ago with gf. Best 4 months of my life. Try to find another couple of people that are already going (using forums, collage notice boards, pubs etc.) But if the choice finishes up between going on your own or staying in Ireland

---

GO!!!!!

ToniTuddle

View of Boston:
This was taken while I was on the Banshee Booze Cruise which occurs every summer.

Skyuser

wexhurdler wrote: »

Haha thanks lol sound for the offer:P when ye heading out??:D

Early June, where you flying from?

ciand480

Hey, 3 of us headin over 2 boston 2 ...looking 4 ppl 2 possibly share with and good suggestions of where to live

wexhurdler

Skyuser wrote: »

Early June, where you flying from?

Dublin, in early June as well! more than likely the 2nd.. Got my J1 from Go4less, they seemed to work out cheapest still have to wait to book flights though:( Where you in college?

Skyuser

Galway. Using USIT.

ToniTuddle

Are your passports...in "perfect" condition like they keep banging on about in the fine print? Yous wouldn't want to get stopped at the airport/customs and told feic off.
My isn't exactly perfect but it's near enough.... (can't actually find it at the moment though so I may have to get a flippin new one either way)

Kanney

I'm heading over with one mate from college.
From Galway, going to Boston.

Got plenty of cousins over there, hoping to start a job search soon.

DeadMoney

ToniTuddle wrote: »

Are your passports...in "perfect" condition like they keep banging on about in the fine print? Yous wouldn't want to get stopped at the airport/customs and told feic off.
My isn't exactly perfect but it's near enough.... (can't actually find it at the moment though so I may have to get a flippin new one either way)

If your passport does not meet the required condition they will tell you at the embassy interview and you will have to get a new one. Mine is in bits at the mo so I have just ordered my new one. Pain in the ass having to fork out €80 for a new one but i'd rather pay it and have the piece of mind knowing that some arrogant US customs officer isn't going to send me home because of it.
To be honest I really can't imagine being turned away at customs for passport condition and like a lot of things on the J1, this is most likely blown way out of proportion.
You hear so many daft stories about people getting "sent home" and the only way I can possibly imagine being turned away at customs is if you (A) State you are a terrorist or (B) Tell them you are planning to work illegally. Most people entering for longer periods than 1 or 2 weeks can expect to get grilled with questions but from my own experience it is just standard stuff like 'where are you living?' 'where are you working?' and 'when are you leaving?'. However as for the passport thing, mine is so bad that none of the pages are clean enough to stamp the visa on to. The terms are that they need two passport pages in perfect condition so that they can affix your visa in there. My advice would be call in to USIT/SAYIT/GO4LESS which ever one you booked with and ask an agent in person. They should be able to tell you there by looking at the passport whether it needs replacing or not.

FouxDaFaFa

DeadMoney wrote: »

To be honest I really can't imagine being turned away at customs for passport condition and like a lot of things on the J1, this is most likely blown way out of proportion.
You hear so many daft stories about people getting "sent home" and the only way I can possibly imagine being turned away at customs is if you (A) State you are a terrorist or (B) Tell them you are planning to work illegally.

I'd say that's pretty spot on. When usit came to talk at our college they said the only case they'd heard of of someone being turned away was when a guy went to the embassy interview and told them he was going to overstay his visa and work illegally. What the hell was he thinking?

Obviously though if your passport is falling to pieces a lot of airports wouldn't chance letting you fly.

ToniTuddle

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

I'd say that's pretty spot on. When usit came to talk at our college they said the only case they'd heard of of someone being turned away was when a guy went to the embassy interview and told them he was going to overstay his visa and work illegally. What the hell was he thinking?

Obviously though if your passport is falling to pieces a lot of airports wouldn't chance letting you fly.

The two blonde girls?
They told us that story too.
I bet he is kicking himself repeatedly!

There isn't anything terrible wrong with mine.

The gold print on the front of the passport has all faded away over the years I've had it. But the pages inside are perfectly fine. So I should be ok. As the other poster said at the Embassy interview they will be able to tell...or I might just take a trip down to Galway and catch up with some old mates and then pop into USIT there..

Think they have an office there must check again though.
I've decided on where I am going and my two stopovers, for definite this time!:D
Just need to pinpoint the dates exactly and then book.
Have exams in May but no idea when they finish up....course I could always book it and if I find out I can leave a week or so earlier just change the date.
That might cost me a pretty penny though -.-

>.< Thinking aloud here don't mind me!

FouxDaFaFa

ToniTuddle wrote: »

The gold print on the front of the passport has all faded away over the years I've had it. But the pages inside are perfectly fine.

Mine's exactly the same and I'm assuming it'll be fine.

ToniTuddle wrote: »

Think they have an office there must check again though.

They do, it's on Mary Street near the GPO.:)

ToniTuddle wrote: »

Have exams in May but no idea when they finish up....course I could always book it and if I find out I can leave a week or so earlier just change the date.

I don't think you can fly before the 21st of May anyway, not sure though. And I remember them saying something about having one free date change if you need it before you go. They'll be able to tell you better than I can anyway.

ToniTuddle

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

And I remember them saying something about having one free date change if you need it before you go. They'll be able to tell you better than I can anyway.

Yes I think they all have a free date change but looking at USIT somewhere in the fine print, it said that date change had to be made before end of Feb or sometime in Feb.

Can't be 100% on that but it annoyed me anyway I remember that much.

Not sure on the other ones fine print.

Finally decided to spend a week or two(can't decide on that yet-week would probably do me ha) in Boston.

Then onto New York for the rest of summer and stopping off for week in boston on way home.
Back home in time for Electric Picnic! :D

byrnsey

hi i'm a 21 yr old girl headin to boston alone this summer!!! i've travelled alone before so don't worry about it its an adventure! where ya's all in college now?if anyone is lookin to share rent let me know! can't wait!:D

abelard

ToniTuddle wrote: »

The gold print on the front of the passport has all faded away over the years I've had it. But the pages inside are perfectly fine. So I should be ok.

Last year the gold writing had worn of mine and the cover was a little out of shape (not that much mind you) and I had no problem at all.

ToniTuddle

abelard wrote: »

Last year the gold writing had worn of mine and the cover was a little out of shape (not that much mind you) and I had no problem at all.

Cheers.

Good to hear from folks who have had dealings with it!

Are you going out again this year?

abelard

ToniTuddle wrote: »

Cheers.

Good to hear from folks who have had dealings with it!

Are you going out again this year?

Potentially. I'll be between my degree and masters so money might be a bit of an issue.

The good thing about going back to Boston would be that I'd probably get work straight away and with no hassle with a previous employer. I'd also have an idea what areas to go accommodation hunting in, and would know my way round the place pretty well straight away.

On the other hand I'd also like to experience NYC for the summer, or have for ages wanted to head somewhere rural in maybe Colorado, or else head northwest to Seattle or even up to Alaska.

I didn't even decide to go until May last year so it'll probably be an equally last minute job for me again this time around.

ToniTuddle

abelard wrote: »

The good thing about going back to Boston would be that I'd probably get work straight away and with no hassle with a previous employer. I'd also have an idea what areas to go accommodation hunting in, and would know my way round the place pretty well straight away.

On the other hand I'd also like to experience NYC for the summer, or have for ages wanted to head somewhere rural in maybe Colorado, or else head northwest to Seattle or even up to Alaska.

I didn't even decide to go until May last year so it'll probably be an equally last minute job for me again this time around.

Was it not difficult to get the Embassy interview in May?
I guess alot folk would have theirs done.

I'm just after leaving a comment over in the New York MegaThread as I'm looking for more stuff to do than what they suggested.

I'm sticking with Boston as a holiday point on the way stay a week or so catch up with a mate, then onto NYC.
Next summer I'm most definitely going to be going to Alabama or Wyoming.

I'll make sure to save like mad during that year so I can really get to see alot more.
Going to research a bit more on Boston too. Don't want to spend that week inside the Irish bars in Dorchester!
All the best in your Degree/Masters thing!

abelard

Nope, I was in and out of the Embassy in about 20 mins. I think it may even have been the first few days of June by the time I went in, and there were a few others in at the same time, but it was pretty quiet. The main J1 rush was well over at that stage. I'm not sure what it's like in Feb/Mar but I'd say it's a lot busier.

The interview itself is also nothing to worry about in case anyone is. They basically want to be satisfied you're not going to stay on illegally and don't really go beyond that. So they'll ask were you in America before, when/for how long, do you have relations where you're going, what year of your course you're in, when you fly back, when you start college again, where your family are resident etc. They might ask about any previous convictions if relevant.

I also don't know why, but before I went for it I imagined you'd get taken into a room, sat at a desk and asked questions for about 10 mins. In reality, it was about a 45 second conversation over a counter similar to how you'd deal with a bank clerk.

If you're going to visit Boston, the following might be of help...

Boston is a great place to live for a summer, but as an actual tourist, you might run out of things to do fairly soon to be honest. Catch a Red Sox game if you do nothing else. I've been in both Fenway Park in Boston and (the old) Yankee Stadium for games and the latter didn't have a patch on Fenway. The Red Sox have apparently sold out every home game for the last decade or something like that, so there's always a crowd and always a great atmosphere. When I was in Yankee, it was over half empty and the atmosphere was amaemic. It probably didn't help that they played poorly and lost that day as well. But anyway, Fenway Park is the one to go too! I managed to get tickets on the day for the Red Sox game (which kind of makes me wonder about the "sold out" claim) though they were in a row of fold-up seats behind the last row of real seats! There were even people standing up in a space behind us! Still it didn't take from the experience so don't worry too much about booking ahead and whatnot. If I remember, the tickets were $30 each.

Unfortunately summer isn't the time for other sports. The other biggies (NFL, NBA, NHL) don't start their seasons until well after the J1'er is back home. There should be a lot of coverage of the World Cup this year though, so make sure to be in the bars to catch some the matches (though time difference will be awkward). There's a fair bit of hype after the USA's showing in the Confederations Cup last year. I was also surprised that quite a few of the locals followed the Premier League.

The "Freedom Trail" is pretty popular with tourists but I have to admit I found it a bit boring in parts. It is a great way to get a sense of a lot of parts of the city, and get the geography of the citycentre 'oriented' in your head, and also get a sense of Boston's history, but it is long! You can always do it in parts. It starts on Boston Common (think a better St. Stephen's Green!) which you'll probably visit anyway and goes around Beacon Hill, the North End and Charlestown. There's a kiosk in the common that gives out maps and info on it so check that out at least and see what the story is.

Copley Square (subway Green line to Copley) is nice to see though there's not much to do there. Trinity church is pretty to look at, and the Hancock Tower (Boston's tallest building) is there too (look at it from certain angles and it seems to be 2-dimensional!). It's in the Back Bay which is a beautiful area. Boylston St (kind of line Boston's main street I guess) and Newbury St., the best shopping street in the city, are also here (Copley Sq. is on Boylston and Newbury is 2 streets over I think).

Harvard is worth going to (subway red line to Harvard), even if only just to say you've been! It's a lovely (but smaller than I expected!) campus. The surrounding Cambridge area is cool to wander in as well. It's got a blend of intellectual and bohemian styles.

The Museum of Science (subway Green line to Science Park) could be good if you're into that. I never went, but an Engineer friend of mine went when in Boston for a few days and spent something like 5 hours in there. I got the feeling it was more aimed at kids but I can't say for sure.

The Museum of Fine Arts (subway Green E line to Museum) could be worth it if you're into that. I thought it was ok at best even though I do like art museums in general. It was also a bit expensive.

Charlestown Navy Yard is kinda cool. I stumbled across it by accident more than anything. You can get free tours of a WWII battleship that's stationed there which I actually really enjoyed.

Long Wharf is nice in summer if you want to have a walk down there (subway Blue to Aquarium or Green to Govt. Center). You can get boat trips out into the harbour from here too. There's also the New England Aquarium. Didn't go in here either (apart from to drop in a CV once!) but you can look at the sea lions outside for free! Quincy market is near here too, which is good for shopping for touristy stuff and some decent restaurants.

North End is cool (subway Green/Orange to Haymarket, little bit of a walk). Great, great spot for Italian food (and I mean great!). I also was having a walk about one day there and ended up stumbling into some sort of Italian festival (there's a festival pretty much every week in the North End it seems) which was cool.

Samuel Adams beer is brewed in Boston. The brewery does free tours, with, yes, some free samples! Go. Plan that one ahead though, the opening hours are a bit awkward if I remember right. Try Sam Adams Red, was my favourite.

Boston Duck Tours are pretty good. $30 ticket may be a little expensive for a student. 90 minute tour, full commentary. The cool thing is that they use those WWII amphibious vehicles and go out on the river for a bit of the tour so you get a great view of the back bay. If you're shameless enough to ask, the driver will let you drive for a minute when on the river as well. They leave from Prudential (near Copley Sq) and the Science Museum.

If you miss home too much, take a quick trip to Cleveland Circle (subway end of the C Green line). There's a green and outdoor pool there. If it's in any way sunny that day, you'll almost definitely come across some lads playing hurling, and the distinctive O'Neills shorts on the lads and pasty Irish skin on the girls at the pool!

For shopping, try Newbury St as I said above, or else Cambridgeside Galeria (subway Green line to Lechmere). It has your American Eagle, Hollister, A&F etc and more. It's not an outlet mall but still the clothes are a bargain compared to here!! There's an outlet mall just west of Boston if you really feel the need. I didn't go and can't really remeber it's name though, but it is there!

For going out, know Boston is a bar city more than a club city. They love their Irish bars and particularly their sports bars. If you happen to manage to be in Boston for the first week of September, head out to Allston. All the studnets will have flooded back into the area for Uni again, so the bars are great craic. I used to frequent a place called 'The Avenue', especially on $2 beer Tuesdays (in my last week this became $1.50). Brighton is another sweet spot to head out. I didn't spend very much time in Dorchester at all but I've heard it's good for the Irish pubs as well.

If you or someone you know have a car, take a trip or two. There's some cool "only in America" things you can do in the surrounding suburbs. I went to a batting cage and hit some baseballs for the first time in my life. We also went to a drive-in movie which was a nice experience.

Cape Cod is well worth a visit. A few of us camped there for a weekend, had a fire/beers on the beach (I later found out that's not strictly legal in the area so be careful...) and watched the sunrise over the Atlantic. We went in to Provincetown for a day, which is cool for a day trip. It's far and away the gayest place I've ever been. A fascinating town, it's honestly like nothing you've ever seen in Ireland. Buy some saltwater taffee.

Plymouth is on the way to Cape Cod from Boston, if you want to see the whole Mayflower landing spot thing. I didn't bother, so can't say if it's worth it. If you're a history buff I'm sure it is!

You've got Salem a little north of Boston, with all the witch trials stuff. I think you can get a train up from North Station. Some girls I knew went and seemed to enjoy it but said it's a bit of a tourist trap.

Then there's Martha's vineyard and Nantucket, which you obviously need to take a boat to get to. I never went, but they're supposed to be lovely in summer, and if you're into hillwalking or biking there's supposed to be some good trails out there. And you can also spot some of the holiday homes of the rich and famous.

Whoo...that ended up being a fair bit longer than planned. It should give you some idea of things to see in between drinking sessions! Boston really is a wonderful city with wonderful people, so just try take it in, even if you never do any of the things above. Walk around, relax, eat, drink, live with the locals and get used to their way and pace of life which is fantastic.

I'm no expert on Boston, far from it, and the above just reflects an experience of 13 weeks of living there, but if there's any questions on the city I'll try answer as best I can. Like most cities everyone gets something different from their time there, but it's really a city that can steal your heart if you're not looking!

ToniTuddle

If you haven't already you should put that post into the Travel+Holidays Review section!!!

Thanks

I'll be spending about a week or two in Boston on the way to New York.
Then a week or two on the way back.

So I shall definitely be looking into the majority of what you posted!!