Thanks for helping me figure out where to go with this blog. I have written about most of the factors involved in moving to the UK from Canada or the USA (which you will find on the right hand side of this blog), but I need to know where to go next.
What do you want to see here? Please vote above, share your thoughts in the comments and help this little blogger figure out what to write about here.
Greenlaw is a Victoria based musical duo who will be performing on Hallowe’en Night in Leicester, United Kingdom. Check out the whole event here and be sure to get tickets in advance as it’s sure to be big. There are a tonne of brilliant DJ’s at this event, so even if you’re not so into the jazz feel of this Canadian duo, you’re sure to find some music you like anyway.
Network Canada in London holds a social event on the 22nd of every month called “Vandoos.” That’s tonight! It’s now late in the evening for readers in the UK, but maybe you can still read this and get down to the pub for tonight’s Canadian gathering. Check it out here.
You can also meet Canadian authors in the UK:
CHRISTIAN LANDER, author of the incredibly successful blog, Stuff White People Like, (now also a book published by Hardie Grant, £7.99), will be making his first visit to London this month.
He will be giving a talk and signing books at this FREE event on Thursday, October 22 at the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE, 54 Lincolns Inn Fields, London WC2A 2AE.
I met Margaret Atwood in London and let me tell ya’, this was BIG. She’s such a Canadian icon, and to meet her in person in London was very cool. The best thing to do is to read the Guardian newspaper books section every weekend and you’re bound to find an author coming to town that you’d like to meet. I also met many amazing American authors, but that will be another blog post one day soon.
Tegan and Sara are performing in London at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire (where I saw Cat Empire, a really fun Aussie band, and a Japanese Ska band whose name I forget – it’s a great venue anyway) on November 13th.
That’s it for the shows and events I know of for the next couple of weeks anyway. Anyone know of other Canadian artists in the UK that we should post? Please let me know by leaving a comment below. Thanks!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Canadian artists, Canadian authors, Canadian bands, Canadian musicians
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.
Posted in airlines, Uncategorized
Tagged British Airways, Easy Jet, Europe, Flight Centre, flights, Ryan Air
Ahh….shopping in the UK. I lurrrrve shopping in London. I live on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada now, and trust me, there’s no better shopping than in the UK. It’s cheap, it’s stylish and it’s all ’round awesomeness.
So, here’s my advice on where to shop when you first move to the UK:
No good foreigner can move to the UK and not shop at M&S. Now, before ya’all get upset that I’m pointing out a major UK chain here, let’s put this shop into context. In Canada, we had Marks & Sparks for a few years, where my grandmother loved to shop but complained about the prices every time. At that point, Marks & Sparks was an older person’s shop, with plaid skirts and cashmere sweaters.
Since that time, Marks & Spencers has re-branded itself as M&S, trying to get that younger clientelle to shop there and spend our disposable incomes on clothes, food and wine. And well…we do! The food is great – well made, with good clean ingredients and at reasonable prices all things considered. The clothes can still be a bit grandmotherly, but they do have the younger line of clothing called Per Una that I would wear myself. I think I’ve even bought a few pieces there in the past, particularly for teaching in London schools. They are a bit pricey compared to a few of the other shops I’m about to tell you more about.
You want cheap, hip, young clothes? PriMark is your shop. We’re talking pennies or pounds for all the latest fashions and styles for men, women and children. Made in China? By children? You betcha’! But if cheap & stylish is what you want, you’re going to love Primark. These are the kind of clothes you wear a couple of times and throw out but hey, it only cost you a pound or two.
They actually have a link on their website about Ethical Trading which I find quite interesting to note. So, they know their image is that they have small children making their uber-stylish and darn cheap clothes and clearly want to change that image. I wonder if it’s working? Anyone know anything else about this one? I’d love to hear it!
For women who are well endowed, this is your shop. It will change your shopping experiences for life! For bras, swimwear, business suits and casual, this is the store that women with an above average chest size will adore. You can order from the States and Canada as well, so if you check out their website be sure to ask for a catalog. Their prices are good, (for a bra that I can get here in Canada for $150, I can get it in London for 25 pounds. Bargain!) and their sizes are ideal. You will never go back to wearing the wrong sized bra again. Men, support your ladies in this one. Their confidence will soar, and we all know confidence is sexy.
Okay, okay, I know you already know this, but Harrods is an experience all on its own. Spend a day here, dreaming of your new life of luxury and abundance in London. Sure, you’ll probably only buy a bag, but a Harrods bag is like no other. I personally love their nuts and dates. They’re delish!
Selfridges is a large department store chain that you will likely run across if you go to Birmingam, Manchester or London. It’s good if you like a department store and want to get everything in one place. Very stylish for a department store!
Now, this is my store! Cheap, stylish, hip and on almost every corner in Europe. We just got H&M in Vancouver, and while I still take the ferry all the way from Victoria to Vancouver just to go to H&M, I find H&M to be a million times better in the UK than here. I think they’re trying to break into the North American market, but as far as the UK goes, they have that one down! I buy t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, dresses, pants (aka “trousers”) and all the basics from them. I get shirts in every colour, because for 5 pounds, I can’t go wrong.
H&M is great for men,women and kids so it’s a great shop for everyone. Everyone young-ish that is. My grandma wouldn’t shop here, that’s for sure (although she would love the prices!). Some people love the swimwear, although I find it to be cheap (not in the price way, but in the way, ew-this-is-too-cheap-feeling way).
Neal Street is just outside of the Covent Garden tube station. It’s a half day’s experience all on its own for shopping in London. You like shoes? Neal Street is the place for you. Funky, fun and fabulous, Neal Street is an amazing experience for you to have when you first move to London, or the UK in general. For lunch, grab a cheap lunch at Food for Thought, a great vegetarian restaurant that always has a line-up.
I should just write another blog post about markets in the UK and explain more about Camden there, but for now, just know – this is a day and a half for those who love shopping in unique, off-the-beaten path type places. Amy Winehouse is often spotted drunk and disorderly in the evenings in Camden, and during the day, you’re bound to see people of all fashion-senses in Camden. Alternative, funky and strange. Often cheap, sometimes ludicrously expensive for a special designer piece. This is the place for the shopaholic and punk rock diva alike.
Right, so that’s as much as I have time for today. I could write for hours about shopping in the UK! Please help our readers know more by sharing your two cents in the comments section.
I will also write a piece about grocery shopping, and house & home shopping in the UK for those who are just getting settled in. Any other ideas for blog posts? Please share below! Thanks 
I answer this question almost every day:
“Victoria, what do I do about health care when I move to the United Kingdom?”
And my answer is always, “Nothing.”
Well, okay, it’s a little bit more complicated than nothing, but compared to everything else you have to do to move to the UK, like get a visa, a UK bank account, set up your Forex account to transfer money and get a flight, you would think that health care would be just as hard right?
Well, this is one of those rare things that are actually really easy to deal with when you move to the UK. See, you will be paying tax in the UK when you move there. You aren’t double taxed by Canada and the UK, nor by America and the UK. So, you pay taxes in the UK when you work there and not at “home.”
Since you’re paying UK taxes, you’re entitled to UK health care. It’s called the NHS, which stands for National Health Service. Here’s the step-by-step:
That’s it, that’s all!
Any other questions or advice to share about moving to the UK? Please share your thoughts below!
Also, I’m away at a conference until Sept. 30th so won’t be back blogging until Oct. 1st. See ya’all when I return!
Posted in Uncategorized
When you move to the United Kingdom from Canada or the USA, you might want to bring a few electrical devices with you. They won’t work just by plugging them into the socket like you would in North America.
You will have to purchase an adapter. Here is a great explanation of electrical matters for your travel. I won’t bother explaining the science, as this article explains it better than I could anyway.
I like the device featured in the video above, although I haven’t used it yet myself. I always end up just buying my adapters at the airport, after losing one every year. Silly I know, and I have no idea where these things end up, but honestly I do purchase at least one adapter a year.
Now, the issue for you will be – do you plan to travel outside of the UK while you’re there? Chances are you will want to visit Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Morocco, Egypt, Brussels, Rome…
You will need another adapter to convert your UK appliances and another one for your American appliances to European plugs. The one featured in the video above looks like it will do them all, but I would recommend that you ask the experts in a travel shop (like I do at the airport).
There are some electrical items that are just better in the UK, so I recommend that you leave the following at home in North America:
Here is a list of Maybe’s:
Iphones, Ipods, MP3 players, and any other hand held music device work fine there, just get the adapter so you can recharge them, or bring your cable for your computer.
Are there any other devices you would want to know about that I left out here? What’s your experience traveling abroad? If you have any advice or questions, please share your thoughts below.
Thanks to Tyson for the link on Electrical Matters.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged adapters, converters, electrical, move to the UK, travel
You’ve decided to move to the UK, and now you’re searching for a “flat.” Overwhelmed yet?
Most people will tell you to check out Gumtree if you want to live in London. It’s an Aussie website that everyone now uses in London to search for apartments, or jobs, or just about anything. I bought a sofa from someone who posted on gumtree for only 50 GBP. It’s basically Craigslist for anyone in London.
But, here’s the problem.
There are now loads of scam-artists on Gumtree that post amazing flats, with incredible photographs for dirt-cheap in very posh areas. You inquire, and they email you back (usually with very poor spelling and grammar – a sure giveaway), and then they tell you that you need to wire a deposit to them using Western Union. You call the number they give, just to make sure, and manage to speak to someone who sounds legitimate.
They might tell you their sob story about how they were screwed over by someone else, and they just want to find the right tenants. Even if you don’t arrive for a few months, they’ll save the flat for you! Just send that money, and send it fast.
No, scratch that. Don’t. They are very convincing, and without seeing the property, you should never send money for a deposit.
Findaproperty is a better site than gumtree for flat finding from abroad. They have properties across the UK and only have legitimate ads from estate agents, which are real estate agents for rental properties. They can be great, but they can be rubbish. At least this way you know that you’re unlikely to be scammed.
The best thing to do is to get a referral from someone who has recently rented a flat in an area you like and want to live in. For example, Jodi & Tyson are two Canadians who just moved to London this past week and write a bit more about their adventures in flat-hunting here.
Estate agencies have fairly high turn-around, so you will want a recent referral and not one from a year or so ago. Try to get the agent’s name, and call them directly.
Otherwise, just stay in a hotel or hostel while you hunt around for the best flat for you. That’s what most people do when they first move to the UK. It’s easier just to go to the area you want to live in, walk around and walk into all the estate agents you can. They will either be able to help you or they won’t, but at least you’ll get somewhere with them, whereas online you will likely just become overwhelmed and confused.
Here are 10 resources to help you find a flat in the UK, which I have recycled from my other blog for Classroom Canada:
I apologize for the London focus here, but it’s what I know best.
What do you think? Any other advice for our readers? Questions, thoughts, wanderings? Please leave your comments below.
Posted in accommodations, apartments, flats, Uncategorized
Tagged accommodations, apartments, flats, housing
Victoria Westcott
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