I have been spreading my wings in the last couple of weeks, to get more involved in the way people live in the United Kingdom. I wanted to understand what the norm is and to grasp the English heritage fully. What you see in London, is not what the United Kingdom is about. There is much more about the English culture you will need to explore before you can really make up your mind about the people who have lived here for hundreds of years.

Interact with as many people as you can, it will only broaden your views and understanding. I recently found a website for the local community I live in, and my oh my, have I found a few interesting jewels. You need to dig a bit deeper in London to explore the culture and to feel part of this great city. Try googling an area name of London and I am sure you’ll find a website dedicated to that area. They’ll discuss the crime in the area, upcoming events and local issues.

We’ve only started to scratch the surface of this great city, who knows what we’ll discover next? Oh, a quick reminder, be sure to browse around your council’s own website, they have tonnes of nuggets to dig through and to explore. If you can’t be asked to search for your council’s website, here’s a link to all the council websites in London. Have fun!

London - Council Website List 

So, our lease renewal came through the post the other day and it sparked a few thoughts about moving to see if I can beat the price increase by finding a private landlord in London. Like I said, I had thoughts but they’re gone now as I have signed the lease agreement for another year and sent it back again.

Moving around in London can be a very stressful experience to go through and one I’d try to avoid as much as possible. It’s first finding a place that is affordable as well as in a good area. Each borough in London have their good side and their bad side, some are actually not as bad as the press makes it out to be. Then it’s the deposit and the estate agent fee’s all over again with their supposedly credit check fees which I think is bogus but you’re at their mercy so you’ll just go with it. If that is not bad enough you will have to make sure you leave the place in a suitable condition and move into the new place and sort out all the bills while you are at it.

People living in house shares have got it a bit easier as you only pack your bags and you’re off to the next best thing you find on Gumtree. So all in all, moving around in London can be a mission but if you plan it right and you’re not on a super tight budget, then it is very do-able.

The Moving Check List:

• Save enough or get a backup plan for the deposit, tenancy admin fee and first 4-6 weeks of rent.
• Change your address with everyone’s who’s got your address such as your bank.
• Move out at least two days before you should be out so that you will have enough time to clean the place properly and not rush into the new place.
• Take meter readings for any dispute that may follow.
• Double check your tenancy agreement to make sure you have complied with everything you signed up for at the beginning or before you enter a new agreement.

In the last week I had the pleasure of going on the train twice outside of London. It was a nice change, to see something else and to get away from the concrete jungle. Since I don’t normally travelling around the United Kingdom by train, I found myself ill prepared for the journey. Everyone else around me pulled out reading books and magazines while others were tapping away on their laptops. After reading my very thin newspaper I decided to stare out of the window for the remaining part of the journey. It hit me then and there that I had no clue what to expect when I boarded the train in London.

There are a lot of railway companies in the United Kingdom that are responsible for a different part of the railway network which is why you’ll always have different trains coming in and out of London. Most of the trains have the seat setting the same allowing people with laptops to plug in their power cable or their mobile phone charger whilst on the train. More and more train companies are providing free wireless access on their trains, which is a nifty feature I only discovered on my way back.

Travelling around the United Kingdom by rail is quite exciting but very expensive for some bizarre reason. Avoid travelling early morning as it tends to be double the amount than what you normally pay for in the afternoon. There are plenty of websites that will help you with discount tickets and remember that it is always best to book in advance as you will get some sort of discount. The advantage of trains are that there’s no baggage check in and you can take a seat anywhere on the train except first class, unless you forked out a fortune for that. Plus, you will see a different side to the United Kingdom other than London for a change.

A word of caution though, get your own snacks before boarding the train as they tend to be unbelievably expensive on the train and very limited. Own entertainment is a must, unless you want to sit there and count your teeth.