Downton Gabby

Hello everyone,

I am going to make the move to the UK in a matter of a few months. Much depends on the weather here in the Midwest as you cannot fly with a dog during weather extremes, so I am planning on late March or very early April.

This has been a long time coming and I know many of you have been so very helpful, answering all manner of questions from me and giving advice. Now I have more questions as I pull everything together. Some may have been asked and answered quite a while ago, so I am asking again. Please answer whatever you can.

Thanks very much in advance. You are all so smart and kind.

I'm so excited to be actually making firm plans!

Questions:
Is it a good idea to use a service to find a rental for me or do it on my own from over here? DO you know of any reasonable, reputable relocation firms?

Does it matter if I, a dual citizen of the US and Ireland, arrive on my Irish passport before or after March 29 / Brexit?

Landline or cell phone company with unlimited calls to landlines in the US - super important for me!

Best pre-paid cell phone service


Using Roku, Google Home mini, Chromebook. Can I just buy different plugs?

Where can I find a small, nice bungalow to rent with a yard and easy access to rental cars and public transportation, doctors, dentists, vets, grocery stores and a rent of between 900 and 1100 USD? Not in the middle of nowhere. Close to a city or in a nice part of a city. Also has to have reasonably fast internet.

Best airport to fly into with a dog?

Best airlines for traveling with a dog?

Best crate to buy for bringing my dog on an airplane

Opening a checking acct as an Irish citizen vs a US citizen

Best bank. No problems opening an account in general.

Can you watch broadcast tv for free using an antenna as we use here, plus streaming? I know you have to pay for a license.

What kind of deals, discounts, perks, benefits (not welfare or anything like that) in general for 65 and over?

Best venues for traditional live Celtic music?

SanDiegogirl

The above is the most significant question of this whole list..... and in your many posting regarding this move you have had umpteen suggestions as to where to live .... from John O'Grouts to Land End. Wherever you end up will affect all these other questions you are asking.

I really don't know what more people on this forum can help you with.

Downton Gabby

Well I guess I'll find out, won't I?

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

christmasoompa

Question for you SDG - if the OP only has an Irish passport but is hoping to move to the UK, then presumably there's no way of knowing if she even can do so after Brexit? That was the bit that jumped out at me from her post, that April may be too late. I know nobody can know for sure until Brexit is sorted, but is it likely to be an issue and mean she should try and move sooner rather than later?

OP, FWIW I agree with SDG, until you've decided on a location the rest of your questions are a bit tricky to answer. But your question about where to live is really vague - if you've been given previous location advice on other threads, it may be worth revisiting those threads to get an idea of where you should focus on. If you have no ties to the UK at all i.e. family there, or a previous location you've liked, then personally I would travel around for the first month or so and get an idea of where you might want to base yourself.

Good luck.

Downton Gabby

Thank you for your reply. I have both a US passport and an Irish passport, As I am going to be living in the UK I will be coming in on the Irish passport. I believe that there won't be any issue re: Brexit, but I just wondered if anyone had any further insight...perhaps BritinParis.

I prefer the idea of renting beforehand for at least 6 months. I have a dog and I can't be wandering around. We need to have a proper home.

christmasoompa

Hopefully he will, an Irish passport won't necessarily let you live in the UK without a visa after Brexit but I don't think anybody knows for sure yet.

S/he would love it I'm sure! Just thought it may help you narrow down an area if you haven't already.

Downton Gabby

BTW, there are several questions that have nothing to do specifically with a location that anyone who's willing could possibly answer.

I wonder why you feel it's necessary to be so snippy. if you can't or don't want to answer my questions why don't you just move on instead of saying something nasty?

Sammy2018

Downton Gabby

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the information!

christmasoompa

Only the airline/crate questions, everything else is location dependent tbh. Have you narrowed it down to a country or are you considering all of the UK?

SanDiegogirl

Oh.... but I did answer many of your questions regarding rentals, banking, rental companies, where to live, etc etc during your last forum visits which go back to around 2015.

If I remember correctly you have never visited the UK, and although a number of folks advised you to visit before you make a permanent move, this advise was not agreeable to you.

I don't see that asking the same questions again is going to help you move. However, maybe someone will come along with additional information which will inspire you.

BritInParis

In case there’s any doubt, Brexit will have zero effect on an Irish citizen’s rights in the UK. The Common Travel Area predates the Treaty of Rome by several decades and Irish citizens’ rights are superior to EEA citizens in the UK. The only exception would be bringing in a non-EEA family member under EEA freedom of movement rules post-Brexit. Since the OP is single this will not affect her.

christmasoompa

Pollyana

I'm sure we've gone over all this before, but.......

Highly unlikely that someone will rent to you before you are even in the country. They will need proof of your ability to live legally in the UK for a start.
Pointless choosing a provider without knowing what area you are likely to be living in. Some have better coverage than others. For instance, no point signing up with EE and then ending up in an area with only O2 and vodafone coverage.

Almost any small town or large village,though I can't speak for the rental cost.

Once you know where you are living, visit a bank with a local branch. If you pick a small town/large village you will be limited as to what banks are there;

If you own a tv receiver you need a licence. Then you get a few channels for free - if you are in an area with good reception
Varies from council to council, again you need to arrow it down.

Plenty of them nationwide, settle on a rough area and you will get a better response.

As you can see, its really impossible to answer most queries without you even knowing whether you want England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. So much in the UK is dependent on which council, which town, which county. The diversity of the UK is amazing and thats why you've always been advised to visit first and get a rough idea of where suits you

sherbert

Re flying with dog: You can only fly into a UK airport that has an animal reception centre which are, I believe, Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester. Further, your dog can only fly into the UK as cargo (not as additional baggage) and this means it's going to cost you around US$2,000 to get him there. Doggy will need to have several forms filled in and will need a current rabies vaccination. You will need him to fly in an airline approved crate which you can buy easily online (they are hard plastic with ventilation grilles around and with a door that cannot possibly be opened accidentally). I have been considering a move back to the UK but the expense of flying the dog in means I'll likely fly to Paris or Amsterdam as he can fly as baggage and will then take the train or ferry over with him (of course, this may no longer be possible if Brexit happens).