Canadians & Americans in the UK » airlines

First Things First: Moving to the United Kingdom from Canada or the USA

Victoria Westcott — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:13:12 +0000

Since I’ve been writing this blog for a few months, I figure it’s time to review the steps you need to take to move to the United Kingdom from Canada or America.

Step One: Legalities

Can you legally make the move to the UK? It’s not enough to have a Canadian or American passport!

Check out this blog post:

How to Get a Visa or Work Permit to Work or Study in the UK

Step Two: Bank Accounts, Accommodations and Flights

Once you know you can legally move to the UK, you’ll want to start getting everything in order to make the actual move.

How to Set Up a UK Bank Account From Abroad
How to Get a Cheap Flight to the UK from Canada or America
How to Find a Flat in the UK - watch this space for more details about my arrangement with London Relocation Services. They help you get a flat within 24 hours, and I’m working with them to get you a great deal on their services. Watch this space!

Step Three: The Job Hunt

Depending on your profession, this might actually be step 1 or 2. In any case, here are my two cents:

How to Get a Job in the UK

Step 4: Network with other Canadians and Americans in the UK

Make new friends! You are not the first American or Canadian to move to the United Kingdom, so why not make some new friends with others in the same boat as you across the pond?

How to Network with Other Canadians & Americans in the UK

Step 5: The Nitty Gritty – Health Care, Packing, Electricals, Shopping, Flights, Send Money “Home”…

Wow! That’s a whole lotta information that I wish I had when I moved to the United Kingdom from Canada. I hope it helps you.

I am currently looking for more ideas for this blog. Please help! What would you like to see on here? Any ideas? Please share your thoughts below.

How to Book a Cheap Flight From the UK to Anywhere in Europe

Victoria Westcott — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:17:58 +0000

After you book your flight from the USA or Canada to the UK for your big move across the pond, you might want to start thinking about other places to visit in Europe. You’ve probably heard that flights within Europe cost pennies. Betcha’ don’t believe it right?

Well, it’s true! I booked a flight to Barcelona for a 5 day adventure that cost me one pence each way. That was about 2 pennies in American currency at the time. Now, I didn’t actually pay that little, because there are taxes and fees, but all told the trip cost about 50 GBP (Great British Pounds). That was about $100 US. Cheaper than taking the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. Cheaper than going from Toronto to Ottawa. Cheaper than getting anywhere in the US I’m sure. And it’s Barcelona baby!

So, how do you do it you ask?

You look on RyanAir and EasyJet. Try to book while schools are in term time so you get the best deal, and fly during the week (Tues, Wed, Thurs) and at the oddest hours (6am for London means taking night buses at 4am to make it to the airport in time).

Kind of like taking the Greyhound bus, these are cheap, tacky and really quite obnoxious flights. I took a flight with Ryan Air from London to Bratislava, which is close to Vienna and I swear, my seat smelled of vomit. It was nasty. But it cost me pennies. So…you get what you pay for. The flight attendants will try to sell you raffle tickets, food, duty free and all round spend the entire flight selling. You pay for your luggage. They drop you off in cities outside of the city you want to go to, and then charge you to take the special Ryan Air buses to get into the actual city you’re visiting. It’s not unlike the video above.

Smart business? Dang right. But it’s worth every penny you spend just to see these amazing places in Europe for the cost of a night out anywhere else.

The other option is to pay more for the higher end airlines like British Airways (Love British Airways compared to Air Canada! So much better). You will feel safer and not have the scents of Ryan Air, but you will pay an arm and a leg to get anywhere in Europe with them. From pennies to hundreds of pounds sadly.

Now, if you care about the environmental impact of all these cheap flights, you could always just take the chunnel from London across to Europe and travel by train. Trains in Europe are well known for being fast, efficient, on time and an experience on their own. I love taking the train anywhere in Europe and highly recommend that you do at least one journey by train. You can book first-class or second-class seats, and sometimes even 3rd class tickets.

Watch Before Sunrise to see Ethan Hawke’s amazing movie set on a train in Europe. That will get you excited I’m sure.

Questions? Ideas? Experiences to share? Airlines to recommend? Please share your comments below.

PS) To book a flight from Canada or the USA to England, be sure to call Jonathan at Flight Centre on 1 866 552 4050 and mention “Classroom Canada.” He’ll match any deal you can get elsewhere and give you at least $25 off from that price.

How to Book a Cheap Flight to the UK from Canada or the USA

Victoria Westcott — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:42:00 +0000

When you decide to move to the UK for work, study or pleasure, one of the first things you’ll likely do is search the internet for great deals on flights.

Here are my tips & tricks to booking a cheap flight to the UK from Canada or the USA:

1. Call Jonathan at Flight Centre on 1 866 552 4050, and mention “Classroom Canada” or my name “Victoria Westcott.” Jonathan has agreed to give at least $25 off any flight booked through him because of my work with Classroom Canada but also this blog. His partner is in London working, and he visits often and knows the best way to get cheap flights. Be flexible with your departure dates as well as the cities you can depart from so Jonathan can get you the cheapest flight possible.

2. Sign up to online newsletters with Travel Cuts, Flight Centre, Travel Zoo, and any other travel agents that offer emails with deals. Watch those and book as soon as you see a really cheap seat sale. They go fast!

3. Consider flying to another destination outside the UK first. For example, my teachers from the East Coast are flying to Iceland on their way to London this summer. It turns out to be cheaper to fly to Iceland as a stop-over on the way to London than it is to fly direct to London. This way, you get a wicked trip in before you’ve even started your new life in Europe.

4. You can also fly to another destination like Paris, and take the Eurostar across the channel, or fly with Ryan Air to London from there. It will cost you pennies! The Eurostar is a bit pricey, but again, watch for seat sales.

5. Reduce your luggage so you can fly with a charter. Charters are cheap, but really restrict your baggage so you have to be careful when packing. Trust me on this one: you won’t need most of what you think, and anything you do need you can buy in the UK.

Do you have any other advice to share with our readers? Please share below!