WORKINGHOLIDAYEXPERIENCESFOR18-35S
4WeekChecklist BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Tellpeoplewhereyou'regoing.
Tellyourbankyou’retravellingandcheckifyourcardswillwork.
Fortwo-stageauthentication,wesuggestusingyouremailaddressinsteadof yourmobilenumbersinceyou'llalwayshaveaccesstoyouremails.
Shareyouritinerarywithfriendsorfamilymembers.
Givethemcopiesofyourpassportandvisa.
Giveatrustedcontactcopyofyourpassportandvisa,keydocuments, insurancepolicyanddocumentsfortravelling.
Checktheexpirydateofyourpassportbeforeyoutravel.Somecountries won’tletyouenterunlessyourpassportisvalidforsixmonthsfromwhen youplantoleavethatcountry.
Checkwithhealthprofessionalsaboutrecommendedvaccinationsand otherhealthprecautions.Vaccinationscanbeanentryrequirementfor somecountries.
Makesureyouhavetherighttouristentryvisasforthecountriesyouare visitingortransitingandcheckotherentryorexitrequirements.
Ifyou’recarryingpharmaceuticalproductsormedicines,makesurethey arepermittedinthecountryyou’revisiting.
Takeoutcomprehensivetravelandmedicalinsurance.Ensureitcovers youfortheplacesyou’llvisit(outsideoftheUK),thingsyou‘lldoandany pre-existingconditionsorcurrentmedicaltreatments(skiing)
Cancelsubscriptionsandpolicies
UPDATE YOUR DETAILS
Ensuringthatyourupdatedcontactinformationreachestherighthandsisessentialfor asmoothtransitionandtomaintainseamlesscommunicationwithkeyentities. Bytakingthetimetoinformthemaboutyournewaddress,youcanavoidpotential inconveniences,missedcommunications,andensurethatimportantdocumentsand servicescontinuetoreachyouwithoutinterruption
Informingfinancialinstitutions,insuranceproviders,andutilitycompaniesaboutyour newaddressiscrucialtoensurethatbills,statements,policies,andservicesare directedtotherightlocation.Thishelpstopreventmissedpayments,policylapses, anddisruptionsinessentialservices.
Rememberto:
NotiftyyourEmployerwhenyouareleaving
EnsuremyGovAccountisSet-up,makesure youhaveset-upyouraccountandhaveyour passwordssavedsoyoucangetintothe account.Itwillsaveyoumoneywhenyou needtodonon-lodgements,taxreturnsor anythingelseyouneedtocheck.(change securitytokentoyournewUKnumber)
PostOfficeformailredirectionorchange ofaddress
Electoralregistrationofficeforvoter registrationupdate
Cancelgymsorfitnessclubspayments
Changephoneserviceproviderpackage
CancelInternetserviceproviderpayment
Cancelvehicleandotherinsuranceprovider
Vehicleregistrationauthorities
AskyourGPformedicalhistory
Notifyyourbankthatyouaretravelling, avoidcardsbeingblocked
ClosingAccounts:Meterreadingsareoften requiredbyutilitycompaniestocloseyour accountsproperly.Byprovidingthefinal readings,youcanfacilitatetheprocessof closingyourutilityaccountsandensurea smoothtransitionforbothyourselfandthe incomingresidents.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
DoIneedit?
Whygettravelinsurance?
Ifyou'releavingAustralia,travelinsuranceis justasessentialasapassport.
Holidaysdon'talwaysgoasplanned
Medicalexpensesarethenumberonereason togetinsurance,butsometimesotherthingscan gowrong,suchastripcancellations,delays,lost luggageoreventhebigstufflikenaturaldisasters andpandemics.
Ifyouendupoutofpocketbecauseofthese things,insurancecanmakeupforthat.
TheAusgovtwon'tpayyourmedicalbills
TheConsularServicesCharterdescribeswhatthe governmentcanandcan'tdotohelpAustralians overseas.Inanemergency,theAustralian governmentcanonlyhelpsomuch.
68%oftravellersmistakenlybelievetheAustralian governmentwouldensuretheygetmedical treatmentiftheyneeditoverseas,and43%believe thegovernmentwouldpaytheirmedicalbills.
Ifyouendupinjuredorsickoverseas,you'llhaveto paythehospitalbillandflighthome.
Ifyou'rereallyunlucky,thatcouldcostyouoryour familyhundredsofthousandsofdollars.
Mostcommoninsurableevents
Flightortourcancelled
Flightdelayedmorethan12hours
Receivedmedicaltreatment
Lost,damagedorstolenluggage
Missedaconnectingflight
Lost,damagedorstolencash/personalitems
Forcedtocanceltripbeforedeparture
When
Buytravelinsuranceassoonasyouknowyour traveldates.Thatwayyou'recoveredifyourtripis cancelledbeforeyouevenleaveorifyou're unabletotravelatall.
Howtosavemoneyontravelinsurance
Buyearly
62%ofpeopletravellingoverseaswhobuy insurancedosoonorbeforethedayof bookingtravel.
Thefurtheroutfromyourdeparturedatethat youbuytravelinsurance,themoreyou'relikely topayforit,butyou'llbecoveredfromthe momentyoubuyyourpolicy.
Forexample,ifyoubuyinsurancetwomonths beforeyoufly,youeffectivelyhavecheap coverforanyeventsthataffectyourtravel plansinthosetwomonths.
Accordingto2022researchofthosewho haveboughttravelinsurance...
FLIGHTS
Howtofindthecheapestflights
Skyscanner
Skyscannerisanothertravel metasearchenginethroughwhich youcanbookflightswithoutfees. Itsflexibleairfaresearchengineisby faritsmostdistinguishingfeature. Youcansearch“everywhere”as yourflightdestinationifyou’re unsurewheretogobutopento takingatripanywhere.
Youcanalsosearchspecificdates, entiremonthsorthe“cheapest month.”Thiswayyoucanfindthe cheapestpossibledestinationfor thecheapestpossibletimeframe. Skyscannerwillshowyoualistofall citiesinascendingorderofcost.
GoogleFlights
GoogleFlightsis,perhapsnot shockingly,asuperreliableoption forfindingairfare.Whenyouplug inyourdatesanddepartureand arrivalcities,it’llpullupyour optionsalmostinstantaneously.
Itssimpleuserinterfacefeatures adrop-downcalendarfunction. Itallowsyoutoseethecheapest daystoflymostroutes.Andit’s simpletousewhenitcomesto flightticketbooking,too.
Tuesdays,Wednesdays&Saturdaysarethe CheapestDaystoFlyInternationalRoutes
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
Howtogettomyaccommodation
PlanyourtransportinandaroundLondoninadvancetosavemoneyand hasslewhenyouarrive.WeKnowhavemultipletraveloptions,bycar,busor traintohelpyougetaroundasquicklyandeasilyaspossible.Londonhasone ofthelargesturbanpublictransportnetworksintheworld,whichmakesthe cityveryaccessible,butthemultitudeoftransportconnectionscanbe confusingsoit'simportanttoplan.
Oneofthebestwaystotravelfromtheairporttoyouraccommodation,orvisa versa,istobookaCarTransferorE-Shuttle.Thisisadoor-to-doorserviceand meansyoudon'tneedtonavigatepublictransportwithyourluggage.However, onceyouareinLondon,publictransportisafantasticwaytotravelaround.
ON ARRIVAL
My
firstdaysinLondon
ArriveinLondon
Checkintoyour accommodation* straightfromairport
1 2 5
Tuesday Meet&greet orientation
Week2
Attendjobtraining induction+startwork
3
Tuesday ApplyforNInumber&Online checksforright towork+rent
4
ThursdayNight LondonPubCrawl
Useyourappanytime tochangejobs, accommodationor scheduleaninterview forLive-Inpositions
*Ifyouareonawaiting listforourLondon Sharedhousingwillbe notifiedbythesupport teamwhenaroomis availableforviewing.
1
YOUR PASSPORT
Usingandprotectingyourpassport
Somecountrieswon'tletyouenterunlessyourpassportisvalidfor6months afteryouplantoleavethatcountry.Thiscanapplyevenifyou'rejusttransiting orstoppingover.Someforeigngovernmentsandairlinesapplytherule inconsistently.Youcanreceiveconflictingadvicefromdifferentsources.
Youcanendupstrandedifyourpassportisnotvalidformorethan6months. TheAustralianGovernmentdoesnotsettheserules.Checkyourpassport's expirydatebeforeyoutravelifyou'renotsureit'llbevalidforlongenough.
Mypassporthasbeenlostorstolen.WhatdoIdo? Ifyourpassportislostorstolen,youhavetotellus. Phoneuson131232orcontactyournearestAustralian diplomaticorconsularmission
HowdoIreplacemylostorstolenpassport?
Justapplyforanewpassportintheusualway.We'llask youtogiveusfulldetailsofthelossortheft.Youwon’tbe eligibleforrenewal.Ifyou'reoverseasandneedanew passporturgently,contactyournearestAustralian diplomaticorconsularmissiontodiscussoptions.
CONTACT
CONTACT
Mailingyourpassport
Isitsafeformetomailmypassport?
Ifyou’remailingyourpassporttogetavisa,orforanyother reason,useregisteredpostorasimilarservicesothatyou cantrackyourpassport’slocation.Considerincludingaselfaddressed,pre-paidregisteredenvelopesothatyoucan trackyourpassport’sreturntoyou.
YOUR PASSPORT
Usingandprotectingyourpassport
HowdoIcareformypassport?
Yourpassportisavaluabledocument. ItprovesyouridentityandAustralian citizenship.Deliberatelydamagingyour passportisacrime.Ifyourpassportislost ordamaged,youmaynotbeableto travel.Ifitislostorstolen,someonecould useittostealyouridentityorforother criminalpurposes.
Tokeepyourpassportsafeandsecure: Knowwhereitisatalltimes.
Keepitdry.
Don’talteritinanyway.
Neverallowanyoneelsetouseit. Becarefultonotbendthecoverback oryoucoulddamagethestitchingthat holdsthepassporttogether.
Keepaphotoorphotocopyofyour passport’sphotopageoratleasta recordofitsnumberandexpirydate. Thiscanbeusefulforyourreference andincertaintravelsituations.
AustralianHighCommission
UnitedKingdom
HeadofMissionAddress: AustraliaHouse, TheStrand,LondonWC2B4LA, UnitedKingdom, Phone:+442073794334
www.uk.embassy.gov.au
UK E-VISA
From1stNovember2024,thevisacard (calledBRPORBiometricsCard)willno longerbeusedbytheUKVisa& ImmigrationDepartment(UKVI)and willbereplacedwithanEvisa.
Youwillhavetoregisteronthenew eVisasystemtoproveyour immigrationstatusandproveyour righttoliveandworkintheUK.
OnlineRegistrationvs DownloadingtheApp:
Ifyou’veregisteredfortheeVisaandnot justdownloadedtheapp(it'satwo-part process,remember!)butit'sstillnot showingup,youmighthavetowaituntil youarriveintheUKtosortitout.Ifyou’re stillhavingissueswhenyougetthere,and afteryou’veregisteredyourUKnumber andaddress,you’llneedtoreachoutto UKVisasandImmigrationforhelp.
ExtendingyourVisa
IfyouareaNewZealand,Australianor Canadiannational,youcanapplyfora oneyearextensionofyourYouthMobility Visa.Thiswillbringthetotalperiodupto 3years.Youcanmaketheapplication technicallyatanytime,butitmustbe beforetheexpirydateofyourcurrenttwo yearvisa.YoumustalsobeintheUKto makethisapplicationunderthetermsof yourYMSvisa.Pleasedonotplanany travelduringthisprocessingperiod.
THE PUB CRAWL
Informatonaboutyourfreepubcrawlinclusion
Thursdays@7.30pm
TheLondonPartypubcrawlisonThursdaynights!
YoucanjumponthePubCrawlanytimefrom7.30pm-8.30pmfrom BarRumbainLeicesterSquare.Yourpubcrawlticketisfree-youwon't needtoprintthisout,youcanjustshowtheticketonyourphone. Youwillgetyourticketbyemailifyoutoldthecrewatorientationyou wantedtoattend.PleasecheckyourSpam/Junkfoldersandifyou can'tseeitletusknow.
Note:Ifyoumissedorientationandwanttojointhepubcrawl,dropus anemailtoconfirmandwewillissueyourfreetickettoo.
Ifyou'dliketobringanyoneelsealongwithyouwhoisn'tfromTWHC thisistotallyfinetoo-justletusknowsowecangivethemadiscount code-theycanpurchaseaticketwitha50%discount!
Thecrawldepartsat8.30pmsharpfromthefirstbarsoifyou're headingalongwerecommendgettingthereabitearliertosignup, meetthecrewandhaveacoupleofdrinkswhicharealldiscounted untiltheyleaveat8.30pm(youneedtoarrivebefore8.30pm!).
RemembertotakeyourID (Don'tuseyourpassport-AUS/NZdriverslicenceisOK).
TheaddressisforBarRumbais: 36ShaftesburyAvenue,W1D7EP
1
BAG STORAGE
Securestoragewhileyoutravel
Ensureyourpeaceofmindbeforeyoumove abroadorgotravellingwithSafestore’s storagesolutions.Ifyou’regoingonabig adventure,thenyou’llneedsecure, convenientandaffordablestoragespacefor yourbelongings.That’swhySafestoreoffers storagesolutionsthatcanbetailoredtoyour exactrequirements.
1.Price
Youwillfindthatanentireweekwithuscan becheaperthanafewhoursatleftluggage facilitiesattrainstationsandairports.The priceofstoragequotedincludesVAT.
Theonlyotherthingsyouwillneedtobudget forisapadlock,whichyoucanpurchase (£12.95)instoreoruseyourownandyouwill berequiredtohaveinsuranceandyour luggagewillneedtobeinsuredwhistthey areinstorage.Wecanarrangethisforyou.
2.Flexibility
Youcanrentforaslittleoraslongasyou need,youcantakeyourluggageoutofour baglockerswheneveryoulike(evenonthe sameday)duringthestore'sopeninghours.
1
3.Location
Whetheryou’retravellingtoorfromLondon byairorrail,wehaveanumber ofconvenientlylocatedstoreswhereyou candropbags,includingseveralnearthe majorrailwaystations,andHeathrowand Gatwickairports.
Safestoreleftluggageataglance:
✔ Cheap,secureleftluggagestorage
✔ NoDepositRequired-Bookandreserve onlineforfree
✔ NoutilitybillrequiredasID-travel documentscanbeusedinstead
✔ Secure-buildingsarecoveredby CCTVandIntruderAlarms
✔ 50%offforthefirst8weeks*termsapply
✔ Closetomajorairports&railwaystations
✔ Cleananddry
✔ Stayaslongasyouneed
✔ 47storesinLondon
GETAQUOTE&BOOK
UK TAX RETURNS
HowandwhentodoyourtaxreturnintheUK
Asyoumaybeaware,theUKtaxyearrunsfrom6thApril5thApril,meaningthebesttimetoclaimyourtaxrefund willbeinthefirst2xweeksofApril.
We'vepartneredwithTaxBack(fittingname)tohelpyou claimanyexcesstaxpaidwhilstintheUK,andwith25 yearsexperienceTaxBackwillhelpyougetthelargest possiblereturn,inthequickestpossibletime.
SimplysubmityourdetailshereinAprilwhenit'stimeand aTaxBackspecialistwillbeintouchtogetstarted.
TaxBackoperatesonanorefund,nofeebasis,andwill takeasmallcommissionfortheirservicesifyoudoreceive arefund.AsthemajorityofusarefromoutsidetheUK,it's verylikelyyou'llreceivearefund.
TaxBackwillalsobeabletohelpyouifyouleavetheUK beforetheendofthetaxyear,andcanclaimtaxfromup to4yearsago,meaningasizablerefundcomingyourway! TheycanalsopaythefundsintoyourUKbankaccountor yourAUS/NZbankaccountifyouarebackathome.
Happyspending!
TRAVELLING IN THE UK
Travellingbytrain
Isagreen,scenicandrelaxingwaytodiscover Britain.Therailnetwork coverswholeswathesof theUK,withmorethan2,000stationsserving England,ScotlandandWales.It’saneasyand efficientwaytotravel,withavarietyoftrain companiesservingdifferentparts.Youcanplan yourjourneyusingwebsiteslikeTrainlineand beforeyouknowityoucouldbeinBrightonor Scotlandoralmostanywhereelse.Journey lengthsaren’ttoohugeeither-hoponatrainin LondonyoucanbeinScotlandwithinfourhours.
Buyingyourticketfurtherinadvancecansave youmoneyandsometimesit’sevencheaper tobuytwoseparatesinglesthanonereturn,so itpaystocheckthisbeforebooking.Ifyouopt foraBritRailpass–exclusivelyfortourists–it offersunlimitedjourneysanddiscounts,giving youthefreedomtotravelatyourownpace.
TravellingaroundtheUKbycoach
Ifyou’reonabudget,travellingbycoachisa greatalternativetotrainorcar,butjourneytimes canbelonger.
Ifyouknowwhereyouwanttogo,planahead andbookyourcoachinadvancefrommajor operatorslikeNationalExpressorMegabus.You canalsotakeacoachtourofplacesofinterestlastinganythingfromacoupleofhourstoa
coupleofweeks.Choosefromseasidetowns tochocolate-boxvillages,historicsitesto buzzingcities.It’sagoodideatobookcoach excursionsorlongercoachtripsbeforeyou arrivehere.
TravellingaroundBritainbyair
Ifyou’reshortontime,thenmajorcitiesand sometownsarewellconnectedbyairports. Thisisanexpensiveoptionandonceyou’ve factoredingettingtoandfromtheairports,not alwaysthemosttimeefficient.
Youcancatchdomesticflightsfrommajor citieslikeLondontoGlasgow,Edinburghand Aberdeeninaround1hourand30minutes.
DrivingintheUK
CanIDriveintheUKonanAustralianLicense? AustraliaandtheUKhaveareciprocal agreementwhichmeansyoucandriveand exchangeyourlicenceintheUK.Forthefirst 12monthsintheUKyouwon’tneedto exchangeyourlicencebutafterthisyouwillif youwishtocontinuedriving.
Planningonpurchasingacar?Insurancewill besuperexpensivewithyourAussielicence (i.e.3timestheprice). Waituntilyouqualifyfor aUKlicenceasitwillsaveyouatonofmoney. Toqualifyforexchange,youneedtohavelived intheUKfor185days.
CHEAP EUROPEAN TRAIN TICKETS
TravellingbytraininEuropeshouldn’tcostyou afortune.Wewanteveryonetoknowthatthere arewaystosaveonyourrailtravel,sowe’llshow youhowtogetyourhandsoncheapEuropean trainticketsandgetmorebangforyourbuck! Readonforourhandyguidetogettingcheaprail faresacrossthecontinent.
CheaptrainsinEurope
IfyouwanttotravelinEuropebytrainwithout spendingtoomuch,it’sbesttoknowhowtherail networkworksineachcountry.InBelgiumfor example,ticketpricesarecalculatedbydistance andtherefore,ticketfaresstaythesameno matterwhenyoubookthem.Inmostother countrieslikeItaly,Spain,FranceandGermany, youcanstillsnagabargainbybuyingyourtickets asfarinadvance(typicallyaboutthreemonths) aspossible.
Wanttoknowmoreaboutwheretrainsin Europecantakeyou?
CheckoutourinteractiveEuropetrainmap.
HowtobuycheaptrainticketsinEurope
Whilebookinginadvanceisatriedandtrusted wayofgettingcheaptrainticketsinEurope,there areotherwaystosaveonrailfaresacrossthe continent.Checkbelowforourtoptips.
Bookreturnjourneys–youcouldsavemoney bybookingbothyouroutwardandreturn journeyatthesametime.
UseaRailcard–inmostcountriesinEurope you’llfinddifferentversionsofanational Railcardthatcansaveyoumoneyonrail fares.SomeRailcardsrequirethatyou’rea residentofthatcountry,butnotalways. Researchkid’sandseniorfares–ifyou’re travellingwithlittleonesorareanolderadult, manycountriesinEuropeofferfreeorheavily discountedratesfortraintravel.
Checkforgroupdeals–itdependsonthe numberofpeopleyou’retravellingwith,but thereareoftengroupdiscountsavailablein Europeancountries.
Lookupadvancedbookingperiods–weknow we’vesaiditbeforebutdon’tassumethatthe 90-daybookingwindowoperatesEuropewide.Insomecountries,youcanbookasfar as120and180daysahead.
Travelatlessbusytimes–itcouldbeawinwinsituationifyoudo.IntheUKwehaveOffPeaktickets,whileotherEuropeancountries sometimeshavesimilardiscountsfor travellingatcertaintimes.
WhynotcheckoutourEuropeantraindealsand discountspagetoseeallthelatestoffersyoucan bookwithus,includinghowyoucangetcheap Eurostarticketsinasnap.
CheapestwaytotravelEuropebytrain Europeanrailpasses
Investinginarailpasscanbeagreatwaytotravel forlessinEurope–butmakesuretocheckthey’re worthitfortheamountoftimeyou’llbevisitingfor. Forexample,itwon’tmakemuchfinancialsenseto buyoneifyou’retravellingaroundItalyforjustafew days.Railpassesaregreatifyou’regoingcityor countryhoppingthroughoutseveralweeksor monthsatatime.Therearetwomaintypes–Eurail fornon-EUcitizensandInterrailforpassengersfrom withinEurope
When can I get the cheapest train tickets in Europe?
MostEuropeantraincompaniestendtorelease theircheapestfares3-6monthsinadvance.We recommendbookingthemasearlyaspossible tosavemoneyonyourjourney.
RENTING A ROOM IN LONDON
Whentostartflathunting
It’snormalforyoutowanttogetaflatbeforeyouarriveinLondonandbyallmeans dogoonlinetogetafeelofwhatisavailable.However,Irecommendnotstartingthe processuntilyouarrive.Notonlywillitbeeasierbutyouwillalsohavetheimportant thingsestablished(likeajoborbankaccount).Plus,youwillhavetheabilitytogeta senseoftheneighbourhoods,safety,commutetoworkandmuchmoreonceyouare inthecit.IfyoudowanttostartsearchingforflatsbeforearrivinginLondontend,then startyousearch4to6weeks(asthiswhenpropertiestendtocomeavailable)priorto yourdesiredmoveindate.
Flatshare/Houseshare–ThemostcommonwayofrentinginLondon.It’swhereyou livewithothers,eitherfriendsorstrangers.Ifyou’rerentingwithstrangersthereis normallyaninterviewprocesstoseeifyoufitwithinthehousesharehousesinMultiple Occupation(HMOs)–Thisisonlyrelevantifyouarerentingapropertywithatleast3 peoplewhoarenotfrom1‘household’(forexampleafamily)butsharefacilitieslikethe bathroomandkitchen.Forexample,ifyouarerentingwith3otherfriendsthenthis couldbecomeanHMO.TocheckifahouseisanHMO
LondonExpatNeighbourhoods
Londonisacityfilledwithexpatsandtherearesomeareasthatwearejustfamousfor buildingourrootsin.Forexample,AussieandKiwistendtoliveinWestandSouthWest LondonlikeHammersmith,Shepherd’sBush,Fulham,Putney,Southfields,Wimbledon, WandsworthandClapham.EvenIhavespentsometimelivinginClaphamanditwas hardnottopassafellowantipodean.
TheantipodeanshaveslowlyspreadtheirwingstoNorthandEasttobeinthehipand trendyareas.Shoreditch,Hackney,Dalston,Angel,IslingtonandOldStreet.Kensington, NottingHillandIslingtonareareaswhereAmericanexpatslive.
FindingyourexpatneighbourhoodinLondoncanmakeyoufeelsettledinlikehaving familiarpeople,supermarketscateringtoyournationalityandmakingfriends. AlthoughIalwaysthisit’salwaysgoodtospreadyourwingsoutalittle.
ThefamousLondonTubeMapisdividedinto zones,from1(mostcentral)to6andbeyond, andthecostofyourjourneyisbasedonwhat zonesyoucross.Soifyouworkinzone1,you paylesstogettherefrom zone2thanfrom zone6,butyoumayfindtherentsare significantlylessinzone6.Sodecidingwhere toliveisatradeoffofthosecosts,andof courseyourtimespentcommuting.
GETTING AROUND LONDON
TravellingaroundLondon
Britain’s busiest,mostpopulatedanddiverse cityisEngland’scapital:London.Whilelotsof thecentralareasareeasytoexplorebyfoot, youwillnodoubtneedsomeformof transportduringyourstay.Ifyouknowwhere youwantgoto,youcanfindthequickest routesforyourjourneysinandaround London usingTransportforLondon’s(TfL) handyjourneyplanner. https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/
2istheringaroundzone1,zone3isthering around2andsoon.
WhatLondontransportzonesdoIneed?
Pre-departurechecklist
Findtheclosestundergroundortrainstation toyouraccommodation.Thenfindthezone ofthestationyouwanttotravelto.Ifyou’re visitingLondonforsightseeingortoshop thiswillprobablybezone1.
WeeklyormonthlyTravelcards
Contactlessbankcards,ApplePayand AndroidPaycanalsobeusedonLondon’s transportsystem–therearedailycaps meaningyoucantakeunlimitedjourneys inadayforasetprice,thoughthesecaps changedependingonwhichzonesyou travelthrough.
LondonTransportZones
Londonisdividedinto1–9zones*,butmostofit fitsintozones1–6.CentralLondoniszone1,zone
InLondonyoucanbuyaTravelcardthat coversallthezonesbetweenwhereyou stayandwhereyouwanttovisit/your regularfinaldestination.
Forexample:
IfyoustayinShepherd’sBush(zone2) andplantovisitcentralLondon(zone1), youneedazone1-2Travelcard.
IfyoustayinWimbledon(zone3)and travelto/fromcentralLondon,youneed azone1-3Travelcard.
TfLInteractivemaps,clickonimagesbelowandgetyourfreeguides
GETTING AROUND LONDON
Pre-departurechecklist
TransportinGreatBritain
TheUK’srailnetworkistheoldestrailwaysystem intheworld,andanumberofdifferentcompanies provideserviceswithinNetworkRail.
Trainsmostlyoperateoverground,butthere’s alsoanundergroundsysteminLondon,Liverpool, GlasgowandTyneandWear.Wealsohavethe channeltunnelserviceoperatingfromstationsin KenttoParisinFrance.
TickettypesintheUKareasfollows:
•Anytime(canuseanytimeduringtheday)
•Off-peak(canonlybeusedduringoff-peakhours)
•Superoff-peak(cheaperticketsfortravellingon trainsthatarelessbusy)
•Advance(onsalewellbeforethedayoftraveland usuallyalotcheaper)
Youshouldbuyaticketbeforeboardingthetrain astherewilllikelybeaninspectoronthetrainwho maychargeyouafineifyoudonothaveone.
UK CELEBRATIONS
JANUARY NewYear’sDaycelebrations,Hogmanay,BurnsNight
FEBRUARY Valentine’sDay,ChineseNewYear,LondonFashionWeek
MARCH StDavid’sDay,StPatrick’sDaycelebration,ShroveTuesday (AKAPancakeDay),Lent,Mother’sDay
APRIL AprilFool’sDay,GoodFriday,EasterSunday,EasterMonday, TheBoatRace,StGeorge'sDay
MAY MayDayBankHoliday,FACupFinal,ChelseaFlowerShow
JUNE TroopingtheColour,SpringBankHoliday,Father’sDay, TasteofLondon,WimbledonLawnTennisChampionships
JULY PrideLondon
AUGUST NottingHillCarnival
SEPTEMBER LondonFashionWeek
OCTOBER LondonFilmFestival,RaindanceFilmFestival,Halloween
NOVEMBER
BonfireNight,RemembranceSunday,LondonJazzFestival, StAndrew’sDay
DECEMBER Advent,Chanukah,ChristmasDay,BoxingDay
FESTIVALS & EVENTS TRAVEL
bycoach
Cheapestairporttransfers
CheapestUKdestinationtravel
Events&festivalcoaches
Simplesavingsforyoungpeople
Ifyou'reaged16-26orareafull-timestudentour YoungPersonsCoachcardgivesyou1/3offallour StandardandFullyFlexiblefares,£15dayreturn anywhereintheUK(Tues,WedsandThurs)and 15%offtraveltoeventsandfestivals,allforjust £12.50ayearor£30forthreeyears.
Sowhetheryou'relookingtorenewyourexisting Coachcardortobuyanewone-signupandstart savingtoday.
Gettingyoutoyourhappyplaceswithfaresfrom£5
