Is traveling before work justified?

Is it worth traveling before starting work? Surprisingly, I get asked this question regularly, and it usually sounds like this: "Hey! I'm flying from NY to the Cape, do you think I should stay in NY for a couple of days and hang out?"

Let's think about this together. Imagine you've arrived at a New York airport, there are lots of people around, everyone is rushing somewhere, and you're standing with your luggage in the middle of the hall. In a couple of days, you start work in a place you don't know yet. At the moment, you only have savings brought from Russia. Let's assume it's $500. And you decide not to go straight to your workplace, but to stay in NY for a couple of days. So, what will follow from this decision?

Where to leave your luggage?

Where to go?

How much money to spend to survive until your first paycheck? Should you buy those $50 jeans, since they're on sale? Should you buy souvenirs now or later?

Should you rent a car or take the subway?

Is $70 a night for accommodation too much? etc.

You will immediately have a thousand problems that you most likely won't be able to solve as effectively as you would after three months of work. At this moment, you are a typical tourist who doesn't yet know the American mentality, doesn't know how to spend money in this country, and doesn't know how to save best. And in general, you don't yet know the value of American money, since you haven't earned it yet.

From this, we can conclude that you will use your money inefficiently at this stage. You will either spend more than necessary or less. Both are bad.

In addition, you may encounter other problems related to not knowing the area, American services, apps, etc.

To sum up, I would like to say that you shouldn't break the usual scheme of the program: "work first, rest later." After all, it is during your work routine that you will form an idea of the country and gain experience — this will help you rest fully and qualitatively without unnecessary expenses and rushing. That's all.

I wish everyone high salaries and a bright vacation! Good luck!