Moving to England Need Advice

I lived in England several years ago. One of the things I was impressed with was the extensive rail system and the public transportation in general. I remember I got a long- term Brit-Rail card, which I got a pretty good deal on. Even if you decide to take your car, I recommend you take advantage of the public transport as much as you can. Often I found it was not just cheaper, but easier to get around with PT, especially near large cities. Enjoy it--and try to get some travelling in--there's so much to see within such a small area!

I was stationed in England. I would say to be careful purchasing over the counter meds because some of it contains codeine. Even though they discourage it, i enjoyed shopping on the economy instead of on base. I don't know where you will be stationed, but take advantage of any trips sponsored my MWR or the USO; that's how I was able to travel cheaply. Getting a job--there should be plenty of jobs available on base, especially through Services; they run the cafeteria, gym, rec center and other facilities on base (I was in the Air Force, but it shouldn't be that much different.) Make sure you bring jackets/ rain gear--There's usually 2-3 weeks of summer. it does not get that hot there. If it does, consider yourself lucky...lol

If you have more questions, you can email me ____@____.com

I was stationed there for 4 1/2 years.

My husband did two years on England and absolutely loved it! Congratulations! (I spent four years in Germany.)

He went as a single person, so it'll be a bit different for you. One thing he did say after house-sitting for friends, is that space is at premium, don't take what you don't have to take. Especially valuable antiques if you can leave them someplace safe here. Besides the space, there are somethings you don't want to trust to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumber.

And the gas should not be as bad as off-base? When I lived in Germany we were given gas coupons so it wouldn't be as expensive. We did not pay what the Germans did for gas. Even so, like the other lady said, if you have a gas guzzler/large car leave it here! I had some friends take their Chevy Avalanche to England; as far as I know they used public transport a lot! Which might be a good idea anyway if you're going into cities. London, for instance has a "Metro" just like D.C.'s so you can see the city without having to try to park in it.

All bases (well, AF anyway!) have Lemon lots where you can get a used car. Buyer beware of course, but then you can sell it before you leave.

For some products, if you're willing to wait a bit, use the internet. Boy, to have had that when I was in Germany! (I left in '93). I did a fair amount of mail order. One thing; when I bought my Nikon F4s camera, they could not send it directly to me in GE because they sell that model in Germany. So I had to have it sent to my brother in MO and then he sent it out to me. Something about foreign competition, blah blah.

Good luck and HAVE FUN! If I think of anything else I will "edit my response". Oh! Why not write to my friend who were there for four years...stay tuned.

-S.

Okay, it took a few days, (turns out I did not have her current email!), but here it is...anything in [brackets] is me interjecting...

First off, seeing as she will be on a Military Base there will be a BX and a Commissary that she can use to find most of her basic items. Some things not to bring:

Anything electrical (if she has MUST have Electrical items, be prepared to use HUGE transformers).["Huge" being a relative term; the ones I used in Germany were about 6"x10"x10. Still, pretty big for what's essentially a plug! I borrowed mine from housing, didn't have to buy them. Also, the ones I had hummed a bit, but not so much you could hear them.]

The housing is really REALLY small (off base, not sure about on-base) so she should be prepared to put any huge/rarely used furniture into Storage.

Thankfully most online stores ship to APO Boxes so there shouldn't be a problem with getting any items that she needs, but she can expect that to take 1-2 weeks for arrival.

Regarding the car, it would probably be better for her to just buy one there. [These are the folks I was telling you about that took their Chevy Avalanche.] Even if she brought her car, not only would the VAT bleed her dry, but also all the required modifications to it like the light bulbs in the head/tail lights have to be changed, fog lights have to be installed front and back, etc. She can find a decent one for a good price at a dealership or on the Lemon Lot and then just sell it when they leave to come back to the States.

Another thing to remember...right now the British Pound is 1 - 2. Meaning that anything she pays 1 GBP for, she's actually paying $2 for so it's better to use the Commissary/BX whenever possible.

Let her know that she will LOVE England. The Schools (especially the preschools) off base are wonderful and much MUCH more advanced than the American ones. 99% of the people there are extra friendly and those that aren't and have a bug up their butts about the Americans just tend to ignore us.

Please feel free to give her my e-mail address if she has any specific questions there.

Talk to you soon,

Tara

More from me, S.; if you go into Scotland, make sure they know you're American, not British! Ireland too. Wales they don't care, they don't much care for anyone not Welsh anyway. But they'll take your money! Still, it's well worth going, Wales is GORGEOUS!

Of course try not to be an "ugly American"! Know your history. there's a saying, "for us 200 years is a looong time, to them 200 miles is a looong way". 200 years is the blink of the eye on the other side of the pond.

Hi A.,
That's so exciting! Of course I am a little biased because I am English - I've been living in the US for the past 7 years, but most of my family still live in England so we tend to go over twice a year just to visit and brush up on the accent a bit! At this very moment I am at my parents' house in a little market town about 35 miles north of London!
I don't know anything much about the bases, but the general advice you've been given about everything being a bit smaller and more expensive is true. I try to spend as little money as possible when I am over here.
The bit about the car - gas (or petrol as it's called here) is currently about $9 a gallon so definitely if you have a large car you might want to consider purchasing a cheap more fuel efficient one when you get here and then sell it when you leave.
I'll give you my email address and if you think of other more specific things then do ask: ____@____.com and I will be returning to the US on the 13th August so you're quite welcome to give me a call after that: ###-###-####.
Good luck with your planning.
L. P

lucky you. i would love to live there. i'm pretty sure they sell everything everything you would need, and some products you can't get over here. hopefully your husband will be paid in Pounds Sterling, otherwise it will be expensive, as the dollar stinks now (exchange rate is $2 = 1 pound).

Oh A. how I enny you right now. I went to England 2 years ago and loved it. I have family there so it wasn't that bad for me. One of the things I will recommend is acquiring the DK travel book on England. I'm not sure where the base is in proximity to everything else but you will be in a central location with the ability to travel to different countries so do take advantage. As for what you should bring I really couldn't tell you but I will say that space is an issue so try not to bring too many big furniture items. Think on a level of Ikea and how they manufacture their furniture and that will help you out. As for your car don't sweat it. England's transportation system is wonderful. You can get anywhere by bus or mass transit and their subway system is very easy to understand. There is a walmart there. Yes a walmart but it's called ASDA and it is WONDERFUL. It is your one stop shop for food, clothing and anything else. Finding a job shouldn't be hard once you become familiar with your surroundings. I don't know your field of interest but there shouldn't be a problem.
If you know that you have a favorite food item check on line to see if the manufacturer distributes overseas. If not you may want to stock up and take some with you.
Oh wow, what can I say I absolutely loved being there and the food is SO much better. But make sure you invest in the DK travel book it will help to familiarize yourself with the living. I agree with everyone else that the dollar sucks right now so that may be the only draw back to all of this. But you can still have fun. Just make sure you take advantage of traveling. You can get to France, Italy and some other countries via Eurostar. And for others you can use bmibaby, and easyjet to get around. I hope that I was a bit helpful. If I think of anything else I will send you another message. All the best to you and enjoy enjoy enjoy!!!!!

hello,

I am from there and moved over here in 2001. where are you going?

to start with the cost of things over there is a little higher than here with the exchange rate.

as to your car, I would leave it here. the roads in town are not as big as here the parking spaces are not as big there either.

they have a lemon lot at most bases or you can pick up a used car (ask for a fleet car) they are the ones that rental companies sell off. so usually they are in good condition. they have MOT insepections on all cars over there.

when you do go there look into living off base you can get into the culture better. food wise they have pubs that you can take your family to and eat out usually the food is best in local pubs than the chain pubs.

they have play groups that you can put your children into i think they start at 2 and go until 4.5

Gas (petrol) is very expensive over in england.

if you havent been over seas before you will also be issued a C.O.L.A cost of living allowence.
this is to help offset living on the economy.

food over there is a little different. you should be able to get what ever you need at your commisary and what you cant get there just go to the local supermarket.

I think tesco is the best but sainsbury is ok a little to expensive for me. they both have a savings card scheem that they also send you coupons in the mail that corrispond with what you buy (they get this info from your card)
stay away from safeway in the uk. they are the lowest grade and often sell out of date food.

there is a lot to see and do over there if you like history, the arts sports. look into your local leisure center they have indoor pools and gymnastics, tennis, foot ball (soccer) and so on.

clothing. it depends on what you like. they have gap there but the also have other womens stores like new look and dorthey perkins and a few other very fashionable for europe. jeans work anywhere.

you will need clothing for all four seasons. buy a couple of umbrellas and keep one with you in your purse. it can get cold enough to snow but a lot of the time it is too cold they have plenty of frost. it can get very hot in the summer and then there is the inbetween. yes it does rain but you put a rain coat on and go out to play. ;0)

when it comes to getting a job you will have to look in to what kind of visa you are allowed to get. other wise you will only be allowed to work on base. as soon as you want to start working go to the GS employment office/websight and also lookinto NAF office they are the two employment offices.

fyi intown the shops usually close around 5:30 6pm some super markest stay open untill 9 pm there are not very many that open 24 and even there you cant get certain things like alcohol. sunday they have restricted selling times. yes you can buy all your alcohol in the grocery store. they do have corner shops but they usually charge twice the price.

well if you have any more questions or anything just email me back. and i will be happy to help.

ps try the little bakerys and try their tea i recomend Yorkshier brand with a little bit of milk.

A.,
Although I've never lived in England, my husband is English and we've gone several times with the kids.
I know your overwhelmed right now but, just take things one step at a time. I can give you a couple of things to think about while you pack:
Appliances: as you probably know, the outlets are totally different, you can buy adapters but you must be very, very careful of the voltage disparity--look for converters. If you have some things that you really care about and don't want to take a chance on, you may want to store them here until you come back--expensive stand mixers come to mind here.
DVDs are not compatable, but the base may have some US players that are adapted to play abroad.
Cars: I just had this discussion with my husband because our neighbor is leaving this week to do a 3 yr tour and they shipped their car over. I asked him how on earth do you go through a drive up gate when your steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car? I'm thinking the parking garages, at any of the shopping centers and petrol stations--I've never seen them have a lane to accomidate US/Europe cars. Fuel is another consideration. If you've got a car with good gas miliage, you may want to consider keeping your car, but, if you've got a guzzler, you may want to consider buying an inexpensive economy car (BTW, most cars over there have a manual transmission). Size counts too. I drive a wagon and I could never get that car to fit into the very tight parking spaces and narrow streets in my in-laws villige. As for shopping, ET was correct, it is incredably expensive over there,have a good sort out, because EVERYTHING is smaller over there you may have less space then you can imagine. I did notice, in our town center, there are at least 4 charity shops in the square alone so, you can buy at the exchange or look around there. What ever you do, get good quality rain gear. It rains a lot.
No being military, I could never take advantage of the exchange but I will tell you, I searched all over Hartfordshire and couldn't find a single blue box of Macaroni and cheese or just PLAIN Cherrios or, bisquick. I now bring them with me whenever I visit. I have a very picky 4 year old and she didn't like the 'cheezy macaroni' that they had.
Good Luck, Semper Fi

Hi, A..

We live in Japan. I have never lived in England, but I have traveled there many times. I am very excited for you. It is so much fun to live abroad and take advantage of all the travel opportunities around you.

First, England and U.S. have many, many similar products. And you speake the same language, so translation will never be an issue which is great! The base will be a great resource as well.... we are not military, and I often have my friend pick up groceries like cheerios, monistat, and murphy's oil from the base here in Japan.

The exchange rate is pretty bad right now, as I understand, so unless you are planning to do all of your clothes shopping on the base, you might want to clean out your wardrobe and update while you are in the U.S.

Have a great time.

A.,

My husband and I lived in England, RAF Lakenheath, for 4 years. What base will you be stationed at? There are many things to do in England - we had a wonderful time.

We shipped over both of our US cars. It was easier for me to drive our US cars as the driver is seated near the side of the road (typically a ditch filled with water) so you can better assess where you are on the road. Also by having 2 US cars we didn't have the difficulty of having to drive a US and a Brit car -- 2 VERY different aspects.

E-mail me at ____@____.com and I can help answer your specific questions as well as let you know some things to do where you will be stationed. As far as a job, wait till you get there -- there will be opportunities both on base and on the British economy.

S.