Just look at all this action! 2014 is shaping up to be a great year so far.
So while I am down south in the USA with Contiki I thought I would give you a sneak preview of my NEXT adventure. Yes, this is an adventure of a very different kind: I am moving to London, England!
I will be making a video on this later, but this is more of the logistics announcement. Also, you guys get to hear about it first cause you like to read. YAY for literacy.
Now even this is gonna be a very summarized version since I could literally go on for hours about the details. Basically I was feeling like I was in a creative rut and I wanted a change from Vancouver, Canada. Now when most people ask me this they are always so concerned, but really they shouldn’t be. This will be the third time I have moved to live in another country. First New Zealand, then the USA, now England.
What do they say, third times a charm? Well regardless, being my third time I feel a lot more confident, less worried and scared than my first two times. PLUS, London is perfect for a Travel Vlogger since you can fly everywhere from there!
How long will I go for? Who knows, it’s indefinite at the moment, but I would like to stay at least a year.
So basically, who is ready for an adventure?!
Here’s some details and some of your questions answered:
Housing and where I’ll stay
This is the second most popular question I get asked and honesty, I don’t know yet. Most people get hung up and worried about where they are going to live and stay, I am not fussed. My biggest tip is not to find something TOO permanent. A short term let is ideal. Since your not to familiar with the area yet and not sure which place you’ll like best. Once you get a bit more comfortable it’s easier to commit to a long term place.
Also, I don’t like finding a place BEFORE I depart. I think it’s very important to visit a place in person before you move in. Pictures are sooo deceiving, and your really relying on the poster’s honesty and accuracy when you commit to a place from an online ad alone. Also, chemistry between your roommates. These are people you are going to be living with, you better make sure you get along.
I HIGHLY recommend getting local roommates when you move to a new country. It’s honesty the easiest most natural way to make new friends in a foreign country. They already have friends, and now their friends will become your friends. PLUS, they know a lot more about the city your moving to and can help you figure things out.
$$$ More is less…literally
One of the worst parts of moving is the conversion rate. CAN-GBP .Good god, it’s like taking what I have in my bank account and dividing it in half. So I essentially have to save up twice as much as I would need back home.
You need to make sure that you have a support fund. This is minimum:
- One month’s rent plus another month’s rent for a damage deposit
- One month’s living expenses, so food, transportation and misc items you would need to purchase.
Usually this works out to being around 2000-4000 IN THE CURRENCY OF THE COUNTRY. Important to note this cause $4000 CAN is only £2280 GBP. 4000 is on the higher side and not REALLY necessary if you are planning on finding a job ASAP, which I plan on doing. I usually try and have around 2000-3000 but then again, I am frugal with my money and can stretch that.
VISAS
Thank my daddy for my Slovakian EU Passport so I can legally live and work in the UK, or else I would have a bunch of VISA paperwork to file and go through like the last two times I moved. For those looking to live and work in foreign countries I HIGHLY recommend checking out your country’s working holiday scheme. I did a working holiday in New Zealand the first time I moved and I LOVED it.
Transportation
I know that London has a great public transportation system so I plan on using that. LA’s public transportation is shit, but if you have a car you are fine (which I did). In Vancouver walking and buses are very efficient ways to get around. I had a car, but only used it to drive longer distances and as more of a convenience. In Auckland I lived in the CBD (central business district) so I was right downtown and it was pretty easy to get to places. In London I am somewhat planning the same thing; live central and close to transport, as much as I can afford.
Well that is all the basics for now. I hope that answered some of your questions, stay tuned for the video and if you have any more questions let me know in the comments and I might do a part 2!
Cheers to London!
Hey my brother in law moved from Vancouver to London a few months ago. He loves it there. I can ask him about places to live or if there is any other room to rent where he lives if you want? he is renting a room in a apartment and his rent is not to expensive. Email back if you want details. Good luck
Strangely enough I was thinking of moving to New Zealand or Canada to try a change, so a lil’ jealous you’ve had the chance to do all of them 🙂 Am struggling with the concept of you need a visa sponsorship to get into the country but companies are reluctant to hire you as a foreigner since then they have to go through that whole process.
On a note of changing currency, I’d kill for it to only be dividing by half 😛 Converting to USD or CAD is divide by 10, converting to pounds is divide by 18 FML :'( And not too mention everything costs 3x more than it does here >.<
Good luck with the move though! Am looking forward to reading/watching your blogs/vlogs about it 🙂
Amazing that you’re getting out of your rut and seeing the world. Looking forward to seeing how you’re getting on as I live an hour from London and I
I don’t know why it cut off my comment! What I was saying is that I find it so expensive but I have friends who’ve moved there and love it. Good luck to you! Xo
This is so exciting & I know you’re going to LOVE London, I live 2 hours outside of London but I’d be there all the time if I could! I look forward to your new adventures!
I think it’s great you’re coming here! It’s pricey in London, but there’s a lot to do and I think you’ll enjoy it here. I wish you all the best!
Great news Nadine!! London is an amazing place to live! You’ll never run out of things to do! I am hoping you are going to make a fan gathering!
Good luck with the move! I’d say only a month’s expenses is a little optimistic, though.
Yay! … No, wait. I mean Boo!
London is so far away from Vancouver … mind you, you spend a lot of your time not being in Vancouver already so it won’t be much different now.
I like London, but it’s expensive. I used to live near London and you don’t have to be far away before the living costs drop a fair bit – and the trains, at least when I lived there, were excellent for getting in and out of the city.
And you’re right about the travel. It’ll be a good move.
Replacing cool rainy weather with some cool rai… um, never mind. :p
I hope this adventure goes well and that it launches you forward on your journey.
I hope you like it in London. Yes, it is expensive, but overall it is a great city to live and work in.
i havnt been on your blog for a few weeks. this is exciting news! welcome to my country! i can suggest places to visit here in england. i myself am from a small town called alton. it has allot of history and tourist attractions. we have jane austins house what is by far the most popular. plus if you get the train from london waterloo it takes about an hour to get here. im looking forward to your video. im loving your travel videos by the way 🙂
x sammy x
I can’t stand living in the uk, am always looking for a way out… But good luck!
Hey Nadine, London; wish I could go with you… Nah be safe and have an adventure.
Right now your Traveling again what is cool ofc when your not , are you going to Londen or Canada or mabye try a other country in Europa for Close traveling have Fun in all your Travels
hope to meet you one day 🙂