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Passports
Money
Student Cards
Rail Passes
Guidebooks
What to Bring
Airfares
Arriving in London
Classes
Travel
They won't let you in without one and the time to get one is now. It takes anywhere from two to eight weeks to process them although last minute arrangements can sometimes be made. For your own sanity, try to avoid this.
Passports cost $85 and are good for ten years. The best information on applying for passports, including downloadable application forms, can be obtained at the State Department's Passport Services website: http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.php. The University Neighborhood Service Center, 4534 University Way NE, (206) 684-7542 (the passport acceptance facility closest to campus) has a basic information sheet that you can pick up there -- they include the hours during which they will process passport applications, as well as nearby places you can have passport pictures taken, and additional passport processing locations.
Visas (the travel document, not the credit card) are not required for Americans in England, but if you plan to travel to other countries, you may need a visa. The Office of International Programs and Exchanges can help you find out whether your travel plans will require obtaining visa(s). It's probably a good idea to get a passport holder in which to keep your passport and other vitals (like tickets and money) while traveling. These little items go around your neck and under your shirt. You can find them at Council Travel (4311 University Way NE, 206-632-2448), or elsewhere.
Once you're all set up and living in London, don't bother carrying your passport all over town. No one will be spot-checking you to see if you belong and you'll only need it for cashing traveler's checks or crossing international borders. Carrying it around will only help you lose it.
One of the questions you are likely to ask is “How much money should I bring?” Your basic expenses (room and two meals a day, textbooks, tuition, London transport pass, excursion tickets, etc.) are included in your fees, so we’re really only talking about pocket money. London, however, is a big and fairly expensive city with lots of good things to spend money on. A ballpark figure for a moderate spender is about $2000 for the quarter; if you like to shop, more like $2500. Why not look at it this way: you will be in London for three months; you have the rest of your life to be frugal. You won’t need an enormous amount of money to enjoy the program, but you may never again be where it’s as much fun to spend money.
It is difficult to say precisely how many pounds you can count on getting for your dollars. The rate of exchange on February 27, 2004 was one pound sterling = $l.86. No matter what the exchange rate, a pound is still a pound in London and will buy you about what a dollar does in Seattle. You’ll be happier if you look at it this way, rather than converting everything into dollars to determine its “real” price. (There are handy conversion programs on the web -- a quick and easy one can be found at http://www.xe.net/currency/)
Get an ATM card from your bank if you do not have one. Ask for a list of places in Europe where that card’s system is honored (plenty in London, fewer in the rest of England, and fewer still on the continent). This is the easiest and cheapest way to handle money, since you need keep only $$s in your account here and will receive pounds, francs, etc., at the bank’s rate of exchange. You will be charged a service fee by your bank for each transaction (usually about $2). In addition, it is a good idea to take a portion of your money in traveler’s checks.
The most useful credit cards are Visa and Mastercard. All of the sorts of businesses that accept them here will accept them there. You can use them to get cash advances, but be aware that this is the most expensive way for you to get money abroad.
Either before you leave SeaTac or as soon as you arrive in London get about 50 pounds in cash to cover your immediate expenses. You will receive your London Transport Pass on the first day of orientation in London.
The international student ID is available from Council Travel (see above). All you need to acquire one is a small fee and an application stamped by the registrar's office in Schmitz that says you are a student. This little piece of identification entitles you to all the reductions students receive at galleries, museums, travel agencies, etc. While you're at Council Travel, you may wish to check out their other student travel services, like a student-rate travel agency, travel guides, passport holder, etc.
People ask about rail passes. They must be obtained here; travel agents sell them; they are not cheap. They are useful primarily if you plan travel dates carefully (places don’t matter). You can get 5-day, one week, 10-day, 30-day, or unlimited passes, and you get a good ratio of cost to convenience only if you’re going to be traveling a lot within the time frame, which really means that you like spending time on trains, not worrying about destinations, changing your mind, etc.
You should learn how important good guidebooks are. Among the best all-purpose books are the LET’S GO series; they are written with American students in mind, are updated every year, and are somewhat cheaper here than over there. The University Bookstore on the Ave and Wide World Books and Maps (4411A Wallingford N.) both have extensive travel and guidebook sections.
There are two kinds of travelers: those who pack light and those who wish they did. Carrying any amount of luggage is unpleasant; carrying a lot is painful. Anyway, most people who overpack usually discover that much of what they brought was unnecessary. Abjure heavy suitcases. If you can buy things in London why pack them over? Everything you might buy here at Bartell’s or the U Bookstore in the way of supplies—writing paper, shampoo, soap, etc.—can be bought in London. Travel light.
Most homestay families ask students to wash only one load of clothing each week. Let that be your guide as to how much to take: enough for a week. Good substantial walking shoes, good rain gear, and thin things to layer for warmth are crucial. Take as little in the way of dress-up wear as your vanity allows. Formal wear is not needed for any program events, including theater nights. Bring a brief and sensible collection of clothing.
Remember that electrical systems in the United Kingdom are 240 volts AC, not 120 volts AC as in the US. So your hairdryers, curling irons, portable stereos, computers, etc. are useless without a special converter, and these are expensive and unreliable. Best to buy what electrical appliances you feel you absolutely need in London. You will not need a computer to do any of the required coursework. A walkman may be nice to take along; replacement batteries are available in London. For detailed information on whether or how to use your cell phones, computers or e-mail in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, see the UW Computing and Networking website at http://www.washington.edu/computing/global/
London is not a dangerous city by US standards, but take sensible precautions. Do not bring anything that is irreplaceable. Leave Dad’s expensive 35mm camera, Grandma’s antique cameo, and your graduation Rolex at home. Do not carry your passport, your credit cards, and your driver’s license in your purse or pocket everywhere you go. Carry them only when you will need them and only as many as you will need. If you use a backpack, keep it in sight while riding on the underground.
If you are flying over in March and back in mid-June, you should not pay more than $650. You’ll pay more if you’re returning in peak season. (If you are flying over in July and back in August for Summer B-term in London, you'll be flying at peak season both ways.) Council Travel (4311 University Way NE, 206-632-2448) usually has good buys on tickets, but do take the time to research what a variety of travel agencies can do for you, and also check travel sites on-line..
More than likely, you'll arrive at one of London's two major airports, Heathrow or Gatwick. Gatwick is serviced by a regular British Rail train called the "Gatwick Express," which takes you into Victoria Station, one of London's main train stations. In June 1998, the “Heathrow Express” went into operation, connecting Heathrow with Paddington Station in London. Heathrow is also connected by the "tube," or the Underground (London's subway system), so you can take it into town. You can also take a bus from each airport, but with more difficulty. Taxis are nice and convenient, but very pricey.
If you arrive by train from other European cities, you'll end up at one of the major stations like Victoria or King's Cross, from which it will be fairly easy to switch to a bus or the tube.
The first two sources you'll want at your disposal are a pocket tube map and a Streetfinder. The former is a nice, compact map that shows all the stops on the tube, and is available at all ticket windows of the Underground. The latter is a detailed map of London (one easy city to get lost in, being so huge and irregular), broken down into book form and easy to use. It's available at all bookstores, newsagents, etc.
As you may know, they drive on the other side of the road in England. They even steer from the other side of the car. There's actually a big difference between just knowing this and remaining aware of it. It's easy if you're not really paying attention to lapse into the old habit of looking left before crossing. In this case, especially considering the way Londoners drive, it can be really dangerous to lapse like that.
There will be two days of orientation in London just as school starts (Spring quarter orientation sessions are usually on Thursday and Friday, with classes beginning on Monday), which can tell you more than you need now. Classes will run 4 or 5 days/week, roughly 10-noon and 1-3, though classes may have you going places at other times. There will be directions to the orientation and classroom site waiting for you at your homestays when you arrive.
You can travel to other parts of the United Kingdom and to the rest of Europe both before and after the program. In addition, there will be a one-week break in the middle of Spring term. This break is designed to facilitate relatives who want to show up and take you skiing in Switzerland or strolling in Paris in mid-term, or to satisfy that midterm hunger to escape. Please plan on using it as such and not travelling while classes are in session. (Because of the compressed timeframe of Summer B-term, there is no break during the summer program, so any personal travel should be scheduled before or after the summer session.)
Travelling in Europe is a very exciting and wonderful experience which you are strongly advised to do. Students are privy to all sorts of discounts and special deals which make this the best time in your life to travel. There's a lot to know about smart and safe traveling, too much to outline here. Make sure you're comfortable with any plans you've made, protect yourself from physical or economic tragedy, and be sure to ask questions before you go. Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door in Edmonds, 124 - 4th Ave N., is a reference library and resource center for travel to Europe and elsewhere. You can consult and photocopy any of the current material he has in the library, you can watch any of the videos he has there, you can find all of his books and videos for sale there, and you can find all of the equipment he recommends for "Back Door" traveling. No one will try to sell you anything. The staff will cheerfully answer your questions and, if asked, will offer advice. If you feel the need for information on how to travel cheaply and successfully in Europe, this is the place to find it. Try going during the week. It is usually very crowded on Saturdays. You can also check out his extensive and informative website, http://www.ricksteves.com. There’s nothing wrong with waiting until you get to London. There are plenty of travel agencies there that specialize in planning tours.
