I'm in no position to be doling out advice to anyone moving to London. I was so ill prepared for this move when it came down to it, but maybe that means I'll be good at giving advice to fellow scatterbrains/lazy people. I also won't be writing a tip everyday because as I just mentioned I'm lazy. I just made that the title because it sounds better than just writing "Tips".
Tip #1: Set up a job and place to live prior to moving.
This is common sense for most people, but I know there are other people like me out there who just move to England and decide to figure it all out when they get there. So far it hasn't been bad for me, but it probably wasn't necessary to move with such an open ended plan. Do your friends and family a favour and sort it out. Moving to a different country with no plan only heightens their fear and makes them more overbearing during the lead up to your trip. So if you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for them.
Job Sites:
http://www.getaukjob.com/jobs.php
http://www.ccusa.com/Programs/WorkExchangeUK.aspx
http://www.1stcontactkickstart.com/before-you-go-to-uk/uk-jobs.aspx
Housing:
http://uk.easyroommate.com/
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/
http://www.spareroom.co.uk/
Or if you're a true pioneer you can just wing it like me and hope you find something when you get there. Seriously though, you probably shouldn't do that. I'm foolish and naive. Do as I say, not as I do.
Tip #2: If moving/traveling alone learn how to take a good selfie beforehand so that you can have decent pictures to share with your friends and family.
Once again, this might be common sense. I'm not a huge fan of taking pictures of myself, so I never mastered the are of taking selfies. I actually went on a solo vacation to San Diego not that long ago and I attempted some selfies there and it didn't work out. I never get any of the background and half the time I only catch my forehead. Or to catch more of the background I do an upshot and then I just look really weird and scrap the photo anyway. So practice taking selfies and find out what angle works for you before going. So far I have about three pics of myself and they're all bad.
For example:
That's my best one and I look like someone just hit me in the face with a shovel and in every shot I forgot to take my headphones out.
Tip #3: App Up!!!
1. Smart Compass
Obviously the compass app is my #1 suggestion. Just get it. Even if you have a good sense of direction it's still handy to have just in cases. It's free, it seems to be accurate, and I said so. Enough said.
2. London Underground
So I'm a total tool and forgot to download this app for myself until all of two minutes ago.
Is this map the best thing since sliced bread? No, but it does give you an indication of where the tube lines are and since it's on your phone you can do it discretely without feeling like a tool for busting out a giant map of the tube network.
3. Google Maps
Google Maps and I are in a bit of a fight right now. It's been giving me some wonky directions and I don't appreciate it. Nevertheless, it more or less gets me where I want to go. I think it automatically comes downloaded on an Android, but if I'm wrong on that, download it. Or create an alternative for me that actually takes me on a direct route to where I want to go.
4. Pocket Budget
This lets you put in info on your rent, expenses, etc. So it's a cool way to keep track of all your stuff. Then when you go out for dinner you can put it in there and keep track. Since it's my first month I'm ignoring it, but after this month I'm actually going to use it to make sure I don't get out of control.
5. Paper Toss
Great for when you get bored and since it takes place in an office you can almost pretend you're working while doing it.
Tip #4: Banks Close At 5pm Here
So yeah, I'm always that idiot walking up to a bank at 5:13pm going "What the?" while banging on the door. In true European fashion the Brits like to keep normal working hours and not work well into the night to satisfy the whiny people who say they can't get to a bank in time after work. Just keep it in mind so you don't look foolish like me.
Tip #5: Learn How to Become a WiFi Ninja
After a week and a half of being here I've found that free wifi is like crack to me. Since I need the internet to do absolutely everything I heavily rely on it. I've used it to find a place to live before coming here and while here, paid for all my rail and flight tickets, to transfer money into accounts, find where I need to go, and most importantly, to write this blog. I'm amazed I still know how to interact with people after all this time on the computer. In order to do all of this I've had to find pubs that offer free wifi and then I buy a Coke or beer and squat there for endless hours. Sometimes I don't even buy anything. I just walk in, sit around for an hour, and walk out. Since no one serves you here it works out. Another random tip is to find phone stores like O2. Then you can creepily skulk outside their door to pilfer their wifi. You'll get some weird looks, but it's worth it when you're lost and relying on Google Maps to show you the way. Then of course there's the old reliable, Starbucks. I've actually found their wifi to be a bit dicey. It's not always available and I usually can't get on. Thankfully McDonald's will also throw a bone your way and give you free wifi. Seriously, I think I could make a career out of identifying wifi hotspots.
Tip #6: Pubs Don't Actually Serve You
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I'm officially adding it as a tip. My first couple times here I was the fool just sitting around waiting for someone to come around and offer me a beer. Then after about 20 minutes I realized that's not how they roll here. You've got to go up and get it yourself. When poaching wifi this is a great thing, but when you're lazy it's kind of annoying. I feel like other people knew this about pubs, but somehow I didn't. I'm too Canadian and haven't learned about these things.
Tip #7: Move to Clapham
JK Rowling, people. The genius behind Harry Potter at one point lived here. That is the only reason you need to move here. That and the nude bike ride. It's intriguing, right? I mean wouldn't a nude bike ride be incredibly uncomfortable? I insist on watching it next year. I need to know what a nude bike ride looks like.
Tip #8: Make a pit stop at Primark
Even if you're not a fan of their clothes they still have lots of cheap stuff. So if you're just starting out and you need stuff like hangers or towels or bedding it's a good place to stop off. You can get most of what you need and it's not a crazy price, so even if you leave it behind or don't love it later it's cool. I think I got my stuff for like £16. Oh wait, the comforter was another £8. All in £24. Not too shabby.
Tip #9: Get Trip Advisor Apps
This is a tip from my travel buddy, Eric. I know I already gave the advice to app up, but this is separate because I was unaware of this back then. They're called "City Guides" and they have them for all the major cities. They have a little owl sign, that's how you'll know it's the Trip Advisor app. They give you recommendations on free stuff to do and the major attractions, plus they provide you with a free audio tour with facts on the stuff you're seeing. Most importantly for me, they have this thing where you can type in a major attraction and it will point you in the right direction. It's no Google Maps, but it works offline, so that's super handy.
Tip #10: Research Your Travels
Eric and I were a bit of an odd couple to go travelling together because we're both pretty disorganized. We always got the job done, but there were times when we almost didn't get to the car rental place on time or we nearly missed check in. We were pulling some tight ones and that's always bad. It worked out and we had a great time, but you can definitely minimize stress by just doing a little extra research. Additionally, if you're on a budget really look into the different ways to travel. My advice on this one is to always go into the train station. The internet often gives you a direct route and that involves the really fast train (I know that's a better term for this) and this way is far more expensive. If you just ride a bunch of local trains you can save a lot of money, but it takes a lot longer. You can also bus it to some places, which saves a bundle, but again, it takes awhile. If you're big into planning this doesn't apply, but if you're trying to wing it you should definitely shop around before committing to anything. Just because you're in a rush doesn't mean you have to take any offer.
Tip#11: Confusing Terms
Vest here means tank top. I can't tell you how many times I've gone "Man, you guys are really into vests here" only to remember that everyone is talking about a tank top and that a North American vest is called a waistcoat here. I mean who actually still says waistcoat?
Here they call their safe/standard cabs "black cabs" because they're black. This is fine and makes sense, but when people keep commenting on the black cab drivers it's bound to cause some confusion. One time I went "Is it really significant that he was a black cab driver?" and I got the blankest stare ever. Just call them cabs!!! Apparently the non-black cabs are unlicensed or something, but I still find it weird that they don't just call them all cabs.
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