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| My trip to Hogwarts, I mean Cambridge . . . just don't tell Oxford. |
1. Don't put too much stock in the dates websites tell you
to buy your airline ticket. Obviously you can't wait until 3 or 4 weeks before
you leave to buy your ticket, unless you don't mind paying insane amounts of
money. I bought my ticket about two and a half months out and got a pretty good
deal through studentuniverse.com,
and it was on Virgin Atlantic (which I highly recommend)! So you won't
necessarily get the absolute best price at 54 days out (as I was advised),
so shop around. If you use Student Universe set up fare alerts that notify you
when the flight you want drops below your desired price; and when a really good
price comes along, grab it!
2. Pack Smart! That 29" suitcase you just have to take
with you, yeah, you're going to be lugging that thing up and down multiple
flights of stairs at tube stations, hotels, and your university, as well
as down picturesque cobbled streets. So scale down a bit, you're coming to
the UK not the Congo, they have everything you will need for your stay
available here.
3. Over Budget! No seriously, I cannot tell you how vital
this is to enjoying your time abroad. The UK is expensive (especially compared
to Fayetteville) and London is even more so. If you are going to Cambridge or
Oxford, be prepared for similarly high prices. So give yourself a break, you're
going to want to eat somewhere other than the dining hall every once in awhile,
and you're going to want to travel, so just plan ahead and you can avoid any
financially related freak outs!
4. Take a few creature comforts. That neck pillow you swear
you don't need, it will become your new best friend. So bite the bullet, make
room for it, and you can thank me later. After two horribly uncomfortable
overnight bus rides to and from Paris, I will never travel without my neck
pillow again. (I'll tell you more about my disastrous Parisian escapade in the
next post.)
5. Technology. Wifi hotspots are all over the place in most
major UK cities, so you have nothing to worry about there. However, this may
not be the case with your university accommodation, many residence halls
require an Ethernet cable (some supply them for you) to connect to the
internet. In light of that, don't do what I did and only bring a tablet. Sure
it's lighter and saves lots of space in your carry-on, but it's more trouble
than its worth. It's really no fun trying to write and essay at 2 a.m. on a
7" keyboard. Also, check with your phone company about international
plans. Some people opt to purchase a cheap pay-as-you-go phone once they
arrive, but it just depends on what kind of plans your phone company offers.
Finally, the minute you land at the airport turn off mobile data on your phone!
Even with an international plan Verizon charges $25 per 100 GB of usage. That
adds up faster than you think, and before you know it, you've added an extra
$100 to your phone bill. Lesson learned.
In my next post I'll share some of the amazing, and not so
amazing, things I've learned during my time in this beautiful country.
Hopefully you can benefit from what I've learned and avoid some of my mistakes.
I only hope that you will learn as much as I have and have as much fun on
your journey as I have had on mine!
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| Even the Louvre appreciates the Hogs! |
Cheers,
Jessica Luallen
