Top Tips for Relocating to London

As someone who has relocated a number of times I think I’ve got it down to a fine art. Of course that is until I have to move again and spend ages agonising over scraps of paper and ribbons, books I’ll never read again and clothes with holes and stains. I am an absolute hoarder.

I have moved cities 4 times and moved houses an extra 5 but the biggest move of all was when I relocated to London a move that big takes lots of planning, packing and tears. 

1. Packing is by far the worst part of the process. Trying to decide what you want to take with you, what you want to put in storage, what you want to sell and what you want to throw out can cause plenty of arguments and stress. Start by creating a pile of things that you want to take with you and then try to reduce it by half. If it’s got a hole in it, it’s a definite no go. With the power of the internet it’s very easy to get your favourite brands and cosmetics online so don’t bring excess amounts of anything. You might also find new brands that you like in London.


2. Get all of your documents in order well in advance and make sure to have scanned copies of everything uploaded to a cloud a based system. Dropbox is a great system to use that allows you to access all your documents in an instance and you’ll really understand the need for this if you ever lose or have your passport or other documents stolen. It’s also great to have a scanned copy available for when you are signing a lease.


3.  If you are planning on buying and driving a car overseas get records of your driving history from your insurance company and find out which companies accept international driving records. This will help you save money as some companies treat overseas drivers as first time drivers and will charge a pretty high premium. Admiral accepts international driving records and offers a good premium.  On a side note, it will cost £50 to have your driving licence swapped over to a UK one and the DVLA require you to hand in your international licence.


4. If you are relocating on a visa that has an end date or if you’re not sure how permanent you want the move to be you can “stage” a move by putting your furniture into storage or selling it as overseas shipping cost can be expensive. Furniture hire helps to give you a bit more flexibility if you decide that London isn’t the right place for you.


5. Keep at least one bank account open in your home country. After your move you will still probably have some outstanding bills that are required to be paid off and it will be easier for when (or if) you do move back to your home country.


6. Have an unlocked phone handy so you can get a new sim when you land. Even if it’s just a pay as you go sim whilst you’re waiting to set up your banking accounts.


7. When looking for a place to rent be wary of any apartments that seem too good to be true. London is a hot spot for property scams. And never rent somewhere without viewing the place first.


8.  Expect a cultural shock. It is very easy to imagine coming from one English speaking country to another that there won’t be many if any cultural shocks
9.  Stand on the right hand side of an escalator. The locals hate anyone that takes up the whole escalator and even if they drive on the left they still stand to the right like many of their European counterparts.


10.  Embrace your new life. It’s not always going to be easy and there will be times when you miss your old home but if you dwell on all the things that you are missing out on you’ll miss all the good things that London has to offer. I always have a standby packet of tim tams available for when I’m feeling homesick. Be social and active. Go for after work drinks with your friends and join a sports or social club. It’ll help you assimilate into your new life in London.