Surviving in London

Today I'm going to talk to you about my experience in London, and give you a bit of advice on living or spending a holiday in this fascinating city.

At the moment, it's very popular for Spanish people to emigrate to the United Kingdom, specifically to the capital, London. There's a high amount of Spanish people in the city that sometimes when you walk through the streets, you can't tell if you're walking through Madrid, Barcelona or the English capital. To be honest, and as many of you may know, London is a very expensive city, therefore, if you're thinking of starting a new life there; save up a bit, have a decent level of English and, if possible, have a contact who is living in the capital already, who can help you in the first few days. Some of my friends for example, went to London empty handed, and wasted almost all of their savings.

Good, so, if you have moved there with no problems and you've found a good opportunity in London, then you're going to have a good experience. You'll progress personally, professionally and have an extra boost on your CV.

If you find a work placement related to your job or career, congratulations, you're lucky because you're going to work in the same field of your studies. But if you don't, don't feel discouraged, London has an infinite number of opportunities for foreigners who want to make a living. Waiters, hotel staff, hotel bellboys, receptionists, etc... Jobs like these can help you cover your basic expenses for the initial months. And if your income allows you to have good savings during the month, and your English is not very good, take the opportunity to go to an academy. The price is around 200 euros per month.

Where can I stay?

Well, this question is a bit difficult to answer as London is a very big capital. To know which area to stay in depends on your motive for travelling to London.

Yes its true that accommodation is much more expensive depending on the area in the capital . London has exactly 9 zones, divided in the north, south, east and west. If your reason for travelling to London is tourism, its advisable that you stay in, for example, zones 1, 2, 3 ... as the accomodation is probably cheaper the further away you are from the centre, but where you save money on accommodation, you will lose on travelling, and spending your whole holiday constantly from one place to another... is exhausting. A very good hostel that I remember is called Smart Russel Square Hostel, which is located in zone 1, very central. The price was around 19 euros with breakfast included. You can find offers like these in many hostels or hotels dotted around the central area, which is important if you're there for a holiday.

How do I get around the city?

Whether you like it or not, given how expensive London is, you'll have to use public transport, as the huge size of London makes it a hard to walk around by foot. The easiest and cheapest way is the tube. A normal ticket costs 5 pounds, which is almost 6 euros just for one way. Expensive, right? Don't worry, there is a solution, and it's called an Oyster card. You pay 5 pounds for this card and you top it up yourself. This is the cheapest way to move around London by tube, as every time you use the card on the tube, it costs you £2. 40, roughly 3 euros. You will save half the amount of money in each journey. And that's not all, when you finish your holiday, you can simply return the card in the station and they'll pay you back your 5 pounds that you used to pay for it. There are various ways to buy the card depending on the time period you're staying; for 3 days, 7, etc...

Aside from the tube, which is the best way to get around London, there are taxis, although they're quite expensive.

The other option, which is better than the taxis, is Uber. Uber is a multinational company which provides a private transport service to its clients. All you have to do is download the app, enter your desired destination, see which company cars are available in the area, choose one and there you go! In a few minutes they will be at your front door. The price is much more economically friendly than taxis.

A piece of advice that I want to give you is that, when you leave the tube station, use the lifts instead of the escalators. I am very much in favor of using the stairs instead of the elevator, since I am a sportingly active person and who despairs over waiting for the elevator. But this changed at the Russel Square station, when I decided to climb the stairs to leave the station and they never ended. I had to rest three times to be able to continue, with cramps in my legs, and there was no one else going up but me. When I reached the top, I saw this poster:

It says that this this staircase has 175 steps, which equates to 15 flights, and that they aren't to be used unless in case of an emergency. I was in shock.

What to see in London?

Aside from how expensive it is, London has many beautiful and historical spots. If it's your first time in the English capital, I'd recommend you to do a free tour. There are some good ones which start from Covent garden at 10am, 11am and 2pm. There are ones in a variety of different languages, including Spanish. It's advisable because it'll explain the history and curiosities of the places you'll visit.

I guess that many of you have already heard about some of the places to see in London, such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace... and yes, those places are very worthwhile. But there are many others that are also mandatory, such as, for example:

Camden Lock: Also known as Camden Market, it's one of the most original and creative areas in the whole of London. Here you have the opportunity to visit a variety of shops, restaurants, street markets and other various attractions.

I personally advise you to go during the week, as the area is filled with tourists during the weekend.

Trafalgar Square: This historical square is one of the most famous in London. Although it is hard to recognise, the British Navy defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Trafalgar at the beginning of the 19th century, which is why this square was created at the end of the same century, to commemorate this victory.

Picadilly: Also known as the Times Square of London (given its similarity to the New York area), along with Trafalgar Square, is one of the most prestigious squares in London. Its located right in the centre of London and offers a lot of leisure activities for tourists and English people.

China Town: If you want to feel like you're in Beijing or Shanghai, do not hesitate to visit this area, very close to Trafalgar Square, in which all of its restaurants, street markets and shops are Chinese.

London Eye: This is another if the compulsory stops in London, buying a ticket for a spin on the London Eye, one of the biggest ferris wheels in the world. It's made up of 32 cabins, which can carry 32 people and take 32 minutes to spin once around. It seems as though they like the number 32 right? This is in honour of the 32 boroughs in London.

I could continue to write about the locations and sights to visit, but the list would be enormous.

The majority of these places are very near each other, so if you wake up early and take advantage of the day, you can see the main points of interest in a few days.

Another thing to highlight in this section is that, despite London being so expensive, many museums and attractions are free . For example, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery... So for all the lovers of art and natural, don't miss out on this opportunity.

What to eat in London?

With regards to the food, we all know that London isn't very famous for its food or eating well. Well the truth is that they have some reason to say this because in the street you see many fast food restaurants, buffets and other similar places. But if you search well, you can find good places at very good prices for London. Take advantage to go to the English pubs, which offer many English specialties, including the famous fish and chips , kidney pie, sausages... and lots of delicacies. They also have a lot of famous Italian restaurants , and we know that we all like pizza and pasta!

How to get to London?

After telling you where to eat and what to see, where to stay in London... the most important thing is missing, how do I get to London?

Well the answer is logical and simple, by plane. Although it is also possible to go by bus or train from Paris, for example. Now, London has five airports : Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and City aiport. The most famous for Spanish people is Stansted, since it is where almost all low cost flights operate. Everything depends of course, from which city of Spain you're coming from. Once you get to the airport, you can get to London by train or bus. The train is faster but more expensive, with the ticket coming to about 24 euros each way, while the bus is around 10 euros per trip, taking about 1 hour. Personally I recommend the bus. The best bus company for me is National Express.