I am moving to the uk under the SWAP program. Being canadian and under the age of 30 I can stay for up to 2 yrs. I plan on starting out in London (at the BUNAC hostel) and I’ll see where things lead from there. I have a couple of q’s:
I’m from a small town and I’ve only ever been on a subway once. How long will it take me to understand “the tube”? Also what sort of costs can i expect from getting around?
I’m arriving february 15th-do I need to bring my big canadian winter coat? I need to travel as lightly as possible. If not what sort of coat will suffice? And what about boots?
What is the slang for currency? Here I would say “two fifty” or “two dollars and fifty cents”. What would I say there?
The Tube is pretty easy to find your way around. The famous [Tube map](At least you still get stamps. Here in the UK, they no longer sell stamps for over £1.00 except at philatelic counters. If you want to mail a package, rather than getting a bunch of pretty stamps to stick on it, you get a boring, very badly printed, sticky white [url=http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/tubemap/default.asp) is renowned for its efficiency, and there are generally plenty of signs. Some stations are still rather confusing, due to the number of lines meeting, all at different levels, but the signage is colour coded (each line has a different colour) so you should be OK. Before making a journey, consult a Tube map and mentally plan the route, so you know where you’re heading when you change lines, e.g. “I want to take the District line eastbound to Westminster, then change to the Bakerloo line south to Waterloo.” (Lines are signed as Northbound, Southbound, Eastbound, Westbound. Sometimes the options are, say, north and west, if the line bends…
As for costs - these have recently gone up (again). The cheapest way to get around is generally to buy a Travelcard which covers the Tube and buses. The prices are here. If you avoid the morning rush hour, a zone 1-2 Travel card costs £4.70 for a day. That covers most of the London “sights”. If you’re travelling further afield, you can buy extensions to the card, or just buy a single or return ticket.
Browse around that site for lots of Tube and transport info.
Well, it all depends. February is often the coldest month in England. So far, this winter has not been particularly cold - today it has been about 11ºC, although at night it has been getting down to near freezing. In London itself. Over Christmas it was much colder, with snow showers in southern England (but not London). If you’re not planning on walking around too much, then a big Arctic coat might not be necessary. London cold can be very unpleasant though - damp and drizzly, so that even 5ºC can chill you to the bone. Snow is pretty unlikely. There have been rumours that we’re in for a severe winter, but so far it is basically wet, windy and fairly mild. Deep snow is almost unheard of in London – an inch will basically see the city grind to a halt.
For £2.50 you’d say “two fifty”, same as back home, or “two pound fifty” (“pound” is often not pluralised in speech). For whole numbers, “quid” is often used to mean “pound” or “pounds”, as in “Give us a quid” or “It cost five quid”. Again, no “s”. You wouldn’t say “two quid fifty”, though.
Hmm. Difficult. We have most things. Bring lots of money! Everything is extremely expensive here, the more so as the pound is quite strong currently.
Having lived in London all my life I’m not best placed to answer the first two, but:
The tube is made up of several lines which intersect at various points as shown on this map. As for understanding it as long as you recall the colour of the lines your most regular stations are on you should be fine as the map is plastered all around each station signage can be found with some searching.
2)While I would consider it cold the weather in February shouldn’t be overly freezing (especially if your location tag is accurate) personally I cope with a Swedish army surplus coat which is fairly thickly weaved.
"two fifty " should do you fine any actual slang terms for money are largely archaic and unnecessary for everyday use (aside of course from “Fiver” and “Tenner” for either notes of that denomination or just the amount).
As for the others - nothing in particular comes to mind.
I’m American and have been to UK twice. I was anxious about the Tube, too, but nothing could be easier! Some of the phrase-ology is different (mind the gap vs. watch your step), but it’s not overwhelming. It took maybe 1 day to get used to it. I have never taken the buses–I grew to like the Tube that much.
As for weather–ITA. It can be RAW. Just dark and dank and cold–pretty much like weather here (near Chicago), w/o the snow or the insane heat in the summer. I found layers to work best, in any weather.
The crowds in a London tube station and on the train itself can be overwhelming. I live near Chicago, and go to the city fairly often, and I’ve never seen so many people as in London!
London IS expensive. but we went to Isle of Wight (in Oct, mind you), Dover, and up to Durham and surrounding area and things were quite reasonable.
I would love to live there for a time–I’m envious that you can!
Any Canadian will find Londoners’ attitude to “cold” weather hysterically funny. It really doesn’t ever get properly cold in southern England. And far more useful than a heavy coat is an umberella, because you’ll spend as much time inside (or in the tube or on buses) as outside.
The trick to the tube (ie. how not to look like a fool) is to learn to do everything while walking - finding money for the ticket machine, getting the ticket into the gates, reading overhead direction signs, all should be done without the slightest break in your step
The strong pound actually makes imports cheaper. It’s simply that Britain is expensive, full stop.
If cost is a concern, then as eleanorigby suggests, don’t hang about in London. There’s huge amounts of stuff to do elsewhere in the country, where just about everything costs markedly less.
For God’s sake, don’t stand on the left on the escalator.
If you must travel during rush hours, you may improve chances of a seat by going to the far end of the platform. (Same is true of railway travel)
The real trick to the Tube is knowing which side of the platform you want (are you going east/west, north/south, or does the line split in two? Particularly tricky, I found, on the Circle/District Lines and Northern Line, respectively). Try practicing here, on the Virtual Tube Guru: http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/tubemap/
No-one will speak to you. You will speak to no-one. You will betray no facial emotion. This is the law of the Tube.
After a day in the Tube, put your finger up a nostril (your own, for preference). You will be amazed. (“Gobsmacked, chum!”)
The weather:
What part of Canada are you from? If it’s the Prairies, then you’re used to a very dry cold. It will be damp, penetrating cold in London; think layers (especially in the changeable Spring), and for sure have a good Goretex jacket with hood.
I am from southwestern ontario and I’ve walked 30 min. work in -25C weather so I am thinking maybe i could downsize for a less bulky coat and go with layers as suggested.
I will be coming over with approx. 1100 pounds so I pretty much have to get a job right away which is fine.
Another q: How different are brit keyboards? I can type fairly well and I was wondering if it will take much adjustment.
It shouldn’t be that different. You’re not from Quebec so presumably you don’t use one of those funny French-style kepyboards
For reference, this is my keyboard, first with shift then without:
¬ ! " £ $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + *Backspace*
*Tab* Q W E R T Y U I O P { } *Enter*
*Caps-Lock* A S D F G H J K L : @ ~ *Enter*
*Shift* | Z X C V B N M < > ? *Shift*
*Control Funny-blank-key-(Windows?) Alt Space Alt-Gr Funny-blank-key Control*
` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = *Backspace*
*Tab* q w e r t y u i o p [ ] *Enter*
*Caps-Lock* a s d f g h j k l ; ' # *Enter*
*Shift* \ z x c v b n m , . / *Shift*
(As before)
Well, at least you’ve got the first month’s rent taken care of…
Oh, and you know how we generally hold the door open for people coming behind us, or even opening them and standing aside for folks coming out of a mall, or bank, or whatever? Try it in London; you’ll love the quizzical looks you’ll get.
Well… I do sometimes do that (despite location above I work in London and lived here for several years). It’s not unheard of, you know.
Oh, and most importantly of all… DO NOT try to engage anybody in conversation on the Tube. The only exception to this rule is when the train has been stationary in a tunnel for more than three hours, and water is starting to seep through the roof. In these extenuating circumstances it is acceptable to raise your eyebrows slightly and mutter “T’ch, I dunno” at the person nearest you. Do not, however, expect any acknowledgment. Generally, if a person near you on the Tube faints, vomits, has a seizure or gives birth, remember the Golden Rule of Commuting - you didn’t see anything, guv.
I have a cousin who is an exception in himself - between Holborn and Liverpool Street, he’d found his way to the far end of the carriage, and cadged a beer in return for teaching a bunch of skaters how to roll their joints properly.
Re. the keyboard - the only one that’ll really annoy is having " and @ interposed.
Pasta!!
And regarding the rent - yep, they’re serious, but only for London (well, plus maybe Edinburgh, and Brighton, and anywhere else you wouldn’t want to live ). £1K would cover a decent (albeit small) one-bedroom place in most other places for perhaps 2-3 months - and if you share a house, it’ll obviously go much further again.
(And if you really want to know about the tube, search the boards for Mornington Crescent…)
I don’t know your tastes, but my advice would be to get out of London as soon as possible. Your wallet will thank you, and so will your eyes, as Great Britain is beautiful (except for industrial cities, and the lamentable excuse for architecture since WWII). As cities go, London is a nice one, and of course, if you want theater, shopping, museums, and the like, London is the place to be. But I’d get out and go to Salisbury, Oxford, Cambridge, York, the Lake District, and any number of places along the way. It’ll make your heart sing.
You* can* get Ramen noodles in Britain you know – try a Chinese or even Indian grocers.
A further word about the Tube, without wanting to be alarmist, stash most of your money somewhere hard to get at, there are pickpockets and, if you should be puzzling over the tube map for ex, you may be a target.
I read the 1100 pounds as 100 pounds–and thought that he would have to get a job the next day!
Yes, I know the Law of the Tube. And if you’re with someone–you still don’t talk to them! (in the Tube).
Go to Durham–it’s gorgeous, relatively cheap, there are tons of students etc and lots of interesting things to do…
This is the single most useful piece of advice I can think of for visitors using the tube:
First make sure you purchase an A-to-Z [sup]TM[/sup] street atlas. Get either a small pocket sized one which is quite cheap, or a sligthly larger palm sized edition which should have lager scale maps of the central area.
Secondly, always consult said A-to-Z before you embark on any tube journey. You will be amazed how misleading the Tube map can be about distances. Often it is easier and quicker just to walk. Plus you get to learn a bit about the geography and discover all sorts of cool things on the way.
