princess_tigeress

Hi everyone,

I got exciting news that I got excepted a university in London to study there for a semester. I am very nervous and excited to visit England and hopefully maybe France and Ireland see how I go and money I have too.

A brief history I was born in Bedford UK and moved to the Central Coast Australia AU when I was 7, since I been pinning like a lost kitten to go back to my homeland.

Some sad news, I have lots and lots of family in the UK yet they will not support my trip its like there warning me off coming home, and even went as to say that "I am not British" and "I do not belong there". I kinda felt terribly upset as I was born there to an Irish mother and adopted to English parents and moved to Australia. I feel that England is still my homeland and after studying history at Uni I feel a sense of national identity.


QUESTIONS

Anyways I have a few questions about London.
I know that transport trains and buses to be very expensive. Wondering the London buses "Red Buses" are they the cheapest options? And is there any of saving money like using a weekly ticket or a Opel card (travel card) oyster card to save money.

I feel like I want to explore as much of England and its surroundings as possible while I am there yet I am on a student type budget and sadly the English family is less accommodating than I thought or expected. I might be a little alone but I don't mind.

Thanks everyone
Regards
Chelsea

dave2003

If you are still overseas, you may be able to get a deal on train and coach travel if you buy tickets or passes before you arrive-check it out.

SanDiegogirl

How long are you studying for?

I ask because in an earlier post you said you did not have a British passport - so presume you are travelling on Australian passport and the seminar is for less than 6 months - just a summer school.

Celticprince_86

Congrats on getting into Uni! I also moved from the UK when I was seven - to NZ in my case, and I fully understand what you mean about wanting to go "home". It's a shame that your family havent been as suportive as you might have hoped. From my own experiance it is most likely a mix of worry for you being able to adapt to a virtually foreign country. And of not being able to get in the mindset of someone who desperately loves their country, and wants to go back to it.

From what I've seen London is expensive, but as a student you should qualify for concessions on some things. An Oyster card is a must for bus & train around London as it's cheaper than cash.

Pulaski

You can no longer pay with cash on a bus in London.

Celticprince_86

Well, there you go, definitely a must then!

Pulaski

Only if you want to ride on the bus.

princess_tigeress

Hi Dave, I am still in Australia, I arrive in London early September, I'm just trying to work out the cheapest way to get around

princess_tigeress

Hi, I have applied for my UK passport, they received all my documents birth cert, the status is still processing.

princess_tigeress

Hi Celticprince,

Your right its very nerve wrecking going overseas especially as I know the area yet don't know the area. How do you like New Zealand? I haven't been there but I would love to one day it looks really pretty and there's so much stuff to see and do and I feel like I would love to go there as Australia is so close.

I think sadly that my family hasn't been supportive enough so I am doing this totally alone. I have to add that I am mildly autistic and I have ADHD so life hasn't been straight forward but I thought my family may of supported the fact that I got the grades and marks to be excepted to an overseas university yet sadly that just say horrible things.

I been on the London transport web pages and I have been hunting for what is the best ways of traveling. It seems very similar to Sydney transport yet a lot more expensive sadly.

princess_tigeress

Hi everyone,

I found the London transport web page and what I can figure out is there is an Oyster Card that allows for a week of unlimited transport on the buses and I think London trains.

What is very different from Australia is the privatized transport networks, these seem to be very very expensive. I looked up from Heathrow Airport to London there is a train or bus and one train price was 40 pounds the bus was around 10 or 12 quid, there is a massive difference. Cause I haven't been to England since I was a child I haven't really caught a train or bus alone or in fact paid for it 'Haha" so I have to try and figure the cheapest options allowing for me to save money.

I do have a good idea of things to see and do while I am there, my research skills and abilities to plan things out are very different to how regular people's travel, I can very clear and precise distances and opening closing times and costs of attractions.
The great thing - lots of places in London museums and art galleries are free which is fantastic, I know the food drink is a little pricey but I don't have to eat out every day which keeps costs down.

I do want to go to Jane Austen's museum through, it's outside of London around 1.5 hours away by train bus but the problem is, it's super expensive to get there. I might be better hiring a car possibly for a couple of days and driving to a load of places in one two days.
I also really want to go to Bedford just for a look at where I was born, I heard it's a beautiful roman style city/village place lots of old building.

My total trip is around 4 months depending on money so it's a semester running from Septemeber to December, and the final University day of term is actually on my Birthday in the Uk so that's super exciting.

I really can't wait for this trip, and if I can get a working visa the uni can extend it to two semesters and maybe allowing me to go to Leads or something which would be amazing.

Celticprince_86

Moving to the other side of the world is a tough thing. NZ is nice enough I suppose, but it just isn't home. Yeah, London is a really expensive city & very crowded. It's a shame your family aren't behind you, hopefully they'll come round.

princess_tigeress

Hi, I got lots of plans to save money, going through most of my life being underemployed mostly at fast food chains I learned to live on little money, taking a snack bar (museli bar) in my handbag and grabbing a coffee or hot chocalate from seven-11 always saves me money in sydeny.

I will hopefully be staying at the uni accomadation or i'll have to find a share house when i get into England, the uni is outside London which is good cause that initself saves money and hopefully if I am able to get uni accomadation that saves money on transport to and from. I think I will be ok but I think I will have to rough it a little because my family will not help even letting me stay there at there places while I secure a share house (which i think is discusting). My parents are kinda stupid they want me to "wire" pay bank deposit money to someone I have not meet and a place I have not seen on the other side of the world securing me accomadation. I see this an easy way of becoming deputed sadly.

I will be deferntly going, I prefer to planout things, I relsie there's is tips and tricks most of them simalr to sydney, here buying an opel card saves so so much money, and eating in sydney is really expensive. I go to sydney nearly every two weeks yet I also have little plans in place like traveling non-peak and saving on food drink in the city and walking between stations to save futher money all these little things can be adapted to England/London.

Pulaski

You can get the Tube (Piccadilly line) from LHR into London for even less than the bus. It's slow, but how the cost-conscious traveler gets into London.

princess_tigeress

One another thing I wanted to ask is,

I would like to visit some countryside, what areas of country towns are close to London again transport costs are the issue. I did look up certain things like going from London to Milton kens, and its like 100 or so quid each way thats really expensive, in Australia I can travel the same distances and for a fraction of the cost an on full adult fares to, I think its England privat rail lines.

I did how ever find a 3 or 4 day ticket that can get me around the whole of the UK its around $400 Au think I may get that and squeen a lot of travling in a few days without sleep and I can go to wales schotland and see a few area's over a few days.