What do I need to know about Europe?

[Fiere]

So, I'm planning on going to England next summer to just live there. I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'm planning on saving enough money here for the plane ticket and maybe a couple months of rent/food to give me time to find a decent job, then I'll go. My question then is what do I need to know? Is it at all hard to find a job? I need one where I can write while I'm at work. I currently work graves at a place watching over mentally handicapped people while they sleep. Where should I live? How do I get in touch with the social scene, since I probably won't know anyone there? How much does it cost visit other European countries while I'm living in England? You know, that sort of thing. Man, I can't wait to date foreign girls

[Rairen]

One at a time...

So' date=' I'm planning on going to England next summer to just live there. I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'm planning on saving enough money here for the plane ticket and maybe a couple months of rent/food to give me time to find a decent job, then I'll go. My question then is what do I need to know? [/quote']

1. Pickpocketing is an epidemic there. Make copies of all important documents and watch your wallet like you would a straying gf.

2. There are usually student deals on mass transportation, or simply passes you can buy in advance that give you discounts. The tube in London and the train system in England are the big two that jump to mind.

3. Some debit cards work in Europe, some don't, though hopefully this has improved in the last three years since I had to deal with this. In general, though, if you have your passport and some sort of money-providing source, there's nothing you'll really need that you can't buy.

4. Bali/Evangelon did a similiar post like this a year or two back. As I recall, there was all sorts of valuable advice in there, aka how to hook up with Dey (although, I suppose the sod is now off in Greece somewhere.)

Is it at all hard to find a job? I need one where I can write while I'm at work. I currently work graves at a place watching over mentally handicapped people while they sleep.

I forget. The Brits are fairly protective of their work, due to the number of immigrants they receive yearly, I know, but it's possible for an American to get, at the least, a part-time job there fairly easily. I'd check into Visas and things like that.

Where should I live?

In terms of cities? Depends on your income. London = fantastically fun, but miserably expensive. Things tend to become cheaper as you move north, but the weather also gets pretty lousy come fall/winter/spring. For housing-housing, hostels are the cheap versions of hotels that make for a good staying place. You might even be able to coerce a few people into renting something, find a person needing a housemate, or bug a Brit player here until they let you live with them.

How do I get in touch with the social scene' date=' since I probably won't know anyone there? [/quote']

Find a pub. Rinse. Repeat. If it's a bigger city, clubs work well, too. They tend to be pretty gregarious, at least in my experience, although it's usually easier to meet someone of the opposite sex.

How much does it cost visit other European countries while I'm living in England?

Learn to love websites like RyanAir, the other cheap flights site that I'm drawing a blank on, and hostels.com (other hostel-finding sites).

[Evangelion]

And remember that buying something from a store and taking it back home is always cheaper than drinking in a hotel bar.

As far as Deykari, I'll ask him if I have permission to give you his mobile number.

Your credit card will work as long as it has the "Star" logo on it. Visa might.

Calling cards (ISCard) are great for short trips. If you're planning on being there for an extended period of time, talk to your cell provider, and ask about international plans. Avoid their selling advice, because their service is probably expensive out the ***, but they can usually point you in the right direction if prodded enough.

I'll see if I can think of anything else.

['tarako]

'might want to look up couch surfing. very cheap way to live almost anywhere. just look it up online. good way to meet people to, i guess. I havent used it. lol.

[Fiere]

Hey, thanks for the advice, guys! Much appreciated. As for the social scene, I don't drink, but I suppose that doesn't stop me from...going...to pubs? I could always buy the girl a soda, haha :} The ultimate in class, that's Fiere.

[Raargant]

You don't drink? WTF are you going to England for? That's all they do over there. Ask Dey, he knows.

[Izlimak]

There's no reason to go to England if you don't drink. The stuff is cheaper than bread or water, seriously.

3 quid for a 3-litre bottle of White Lightning. My god I've never been so hung over. I later found out that it was the beverage of choice for homeless people in the UK. Sweet.

[Raargant]

See what I mean?

[Fiere]

I'll mostly be going there because I've always wanted to visit Europe, and it would be really easy to do that while living in Europe. Plus, it's a scenic place for me to write. Plus, I get to date foreign girls :}

[Pali]

I'll mostly be going there because I've always wanted to visit Europe' date=' and it would be really easy to do that while living in Europe. Plus, it's a scenic place for me to write. Plus, I get to date foreign girls :}[/quote']

Just remember that in Europe, YOU are the foreigner, not them.

[Izlimak]

You know that whole thing about British guys/girls crossing the pond to come here and how their accent is so hot and sexy and blahblahblah?

Yeah, the reverse doesn't apply.

[Fiere]

That's ok, I'm so dead sexy that I don't need the help.

[KRins]

Just because you are the foreigner doesn't mean you can't use your American logic and savvy to completely distort that fact until they feel like they are trespassers in their own country...hell we do it all the time.

[Pali]

Just because you are the foreigner doesn't mean you can't use your American logic and savvy to completely distort that fact until they feel like they are trespassers in their own country...hell we do it all the time.

As opposed to normal ideas of logic, which actually make sense.

[Zrothum]

In the famous epic saga of Borat let me say this.

American logic and everything else american owns..............

..................

.................

................

*insert beginning of new conversation here*

NOT

[Roykagh]

4. Bali/Evangelon did a similiar post like this a year or two back. As I recall, there was all sorts of valuable advice in there, aka how to hook up with Dey (although, I suppose the sod is now off in Greece somewhere.)

Not yet.

Anyway, just come here to reply as I had this thread brought to my attention.

Where should I live?

Rairen pretty much nailed most of it. Unless you plan on bringing a fair bit of money, you may be better going to one of the larger cities up north, which are much cheaper than the south. Places like Leeds, Liverpool, Hull (my turf), Manchester. If we compare them to London on the stuff that truly matters as far as I'm concerned...

Pint of beer in London - at least £3.50 in most pubs and bars (excluding Wetherspoon's chains - more on that later)

Pint of beer in most places up North - At least £1.50 in most pubs and bars

If eating out and drinking out a lot is your thing, you're going to want to do it as cheaply as possible. Enter, the godsend - Wetherspoons. A chain of pubs all over the UK that sell cheap food and cheap beer. The quality of the food is 'acceptable' and the beer 'slightly below average' but when you're paying £4.00 for a huge cheeseburger, chips, salad and a pint, you can't go wrong.

Beer aside though, cost of living down south is typically much more than up north, whether you drink or not. Don't worry about weather, it's never really good here and north or south, it's not really at all different enough to warrant that being a factor on where you go. For living, you may be able to find websites that cater to students moving away to towns closer to Universities looking for roommates in student accomodation - you might find that a very cheap option for living as rent will be shared between 2-5 other people. That will also help you get involved with the social scene. Speaking of which....

How do I get in touch with the social scene, since I probably won't know anyone there?

Unlike the US, we don't have the whole 'college campus social network' thing going on with like fraternities and all that - at least, nowhere near as socially networky as you have. Best advice I could give is just to get yourself involved with the locals - people you work with, people who live near you, or join a club or society and just meet new people. Pubs are very common and the typical social scene revolves around those - the fact that they serve beer shouldn't deter you if you don't drink - think of them as 'social houses'. Just be warned in advance, that the youth of England is currently recognised as being very much in a 'binge drinking' culture - don't be surprised to see people absolutely hammered in the big pub/bar/club areas, laying in pools of their own vomit unconscious. Seriously, Izlimak is right, except he paid waaay too much for his bottle of scumjuice (white lightning).

If hot foreign girls is your thing, get yourself further east in Europe. Netherlands, Sweden, Latvia, Slovakia, Ukraine, France, so on. For me, a good looking girl with a slightly Russian sounding accent speaking in broken English absolutely kills me.

How much does it cost visit other European countries while I'm living in England?

For cheap, easy access to other European cities, check out two major airline operators we have - Ryanair and Easyjet (as well as some other ones like jet2.com). They are no-frills airlines, meaning you get no in-flight meal, no in-flight entertainment, with fairly basic in-air facilities like not the comfiest of seats, BUT they travel from England to most places in Europe. And the best bit is that they are incredibly cheap - perfect, as England -> Europe flights generally aren't long enough to warrant wanting all the bells and whistles of meals, entertainment and such like. Then it's just a case of ensuring you put a booking in for a hostel in the place of your choosing and you've got yourself a ridiculously cheap trip to a European city of your choosing.

Public transport is pretty good here too - trains, buses, taxis, and tube systems in a couple of the bigger towns. And as you'd expect, if you plan on using it a lot you can save a lot with weekly/monthly/seasonal passes.

Is it at all hard to find a job?

Depends on the job. The fact that you're from the US shouldn't hinder your chances, put it that way - unless the job is for "Chairman of the Born in and lived in Britain forever group' (which doesn't exist ).

With money in general, you'll be fine for definite with American Express/Amex, Solo, Electron, Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, and any other big-name credit/debit cards I've forgotten about. There's plenty of places like Western Union for wiring money across too.

Should you find yourself checking in over here before April, by all means feel free to give me a shout.

Dey

[mya]

You are not going to Europe, you are going to UK. A different beast all togueder.

Remenber UK has same language, and a very close to US comunity. It will mutch like being in the US.

Drop by france, germany, spain and other to see the other faces of europe.

Do listen to the advice on the Ryans air ways, its pretty cheep.

[English lad]

Basically if your visiting the Cheap (northern Monkey) part of the country listen to what Dey/Roy has to say - for the somewhat more sophisticated South (hey hey) I'll log on later and put a simple guide together.

[brsingr]

what a coincidence. I'm moving to england too, if this thing at my dad's job comes through. It means I get to live in Europe, and at least a year or two seperation from my stepmom, if he doesnt divorce her. basically, it's a win - win for me. I hate my step mom.