[ SECRET POST #2783 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2783 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 069 secrets from Secret Submission Post #398.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - random pattern image ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Traveling/moving abroad

[(Anonymous)]

Yay! Congrats, anon!


Get an Oyster card ASAP. Using cash on London's public transport is a total rip-off. If you land in Heathrow you can get it right by the Tube entrance, it costs 6 quids. It's how you pay for all public transport. You might also want to get a headstart on getting to know the public transport system, as that is how you will get around here. A few key points:

- Buses have gone cash-free, so you definitely need an Oyster or contactless payment card. Also, depending on what kind of stop, a bus will not necessarily stop just because people are waiting at the bus stop. Always wave the bus you want to go with down, this way you'll never go wrong. Also, because there are so many stops along a route, the little "plans" on a busstop don't have all the stops on it. When going by bus, always make sure you know the final destination or next major stop along the route (Oxford Circus, Clapham Juntion, that sort of thing) so you won't catch the bus in the wrong direction. Orienting yourself in London can get difficult, as you will mostly travel underground.

- Tube: They actually have little posters on tips and little reminders about what to do/not to do on the Tube, courtesy of the Mayor's office. Generally speaking, people don't appreciate noise in the Tube. Always move along inside the carriage, unless you really need to get off at the next stop anyway. Give up your seat for elderly people or pregnant women, especially when you sit on the Priority Seats right next to the doors. Watch out for lines that have two branches, like the Northern Line, for example: One branch goes via Bank, the other via Charing Cross. Depending on where you need to go you need to watch out on which branch you travel.

- Overground/DLR/etc.: Watch out for the Oyster scan machine, they can be really easy to miss. I mostly get around by Tube and bus, so I'm not much help in this regard, sorry.


If you don't already have a place, a good site to find a room is spareroom.co.uk. As another anon said, rent is terrible around here, so don't even hope to get a one-bedroom flat. Unless you're rich as hell, in which case, go for the one-bedroom flat, flatshares can be hit-and-miss and boy, you will hate your roomates when you get a "miss". When you do use spareroom, be careful about whether or not bills are included in the rent; if not, they can make quite a difference.

Generally speaking, London is expensive as hell. If you want to do some kind of sport, be prepared to pay a lot. Gyms, on the other hand, can be pretty cheap but still good value.

The pub culture is great in general, but can be rather strange when you're not used to it. Yes, you will see people sitting in a pub and drinking from noon on, and no-one will bat an eye. I have seen pubs absolutely packed by 1pm on bank holidays, and people will already be smashed at this point. Also, while people won't necessarily say anything to you, it will be noted when you don't get rounds. People buy rounds in pubs, and if you never get one people will notice after a while.

London is dirty. From garbage bags lining the pavement to the old houses with weird plumbing and wiring, don't expect anything too glamorous unless you have the money to pay for it.

London is international. Seriously, you can meet people from all nationalities here, and you won't have to look far. It's an excellent place to learn new languages, too. If you're interested, check out the London Language Exchange group on Facebook.


There's a lot more, but that's all I can think of right now. If you have specific questions, let me know!