Life in UK
| Life in
USA |
Life
in Cyprus
It is recognized that experiencing life and
the culture of your host country is highly beneficial to
adapting to university life. It will also improve your level of
English as you use the language more.
This page will link you to information about
where to go and what to do in the UK, plus information on UK
cinema and theatre, as well as museums, night clubs and sites of
interest.
USEFUL MAPS
Here are links to take you to pages containing maps of the four
countries within the UK; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland &
Wales. Each of the four countries has it's own distinctive
flavor, traditions, culture and dishes (food).
You can get a lot of information on where to go and what to do
in Britain from the British Tourist Authority. They have
information on all major cities and regions and also on
festivals and special events taking place throughout the UK.
Below
are the official sites of the four UK Tourist Boards
The English Tourist Board
For all information on travel, events, places
The Northern Ireland Tourist
Board
For all information on travel, events, places to go and things
to do in Northern Ireland.
The Scottish Tourist Board
For all information on travel, events, places to go and things
to do in Scotland.
The Welsh Tourist Board
For all information on travel, events, places to go and things
to do in Wales.
Lonely Planet
As odd as it may seem that we should place a link here, it is
because here you will find a host of useful information on
virtually most countries in the world. The Lonely Planet has a
great deal of information on the UK past & present, plus places
to stay, how to travel to and in the UK and a host of other
great information sources besides. We have provided a link to
The Lonely Planet's destination page where you select the
continent and country you want and then...enjoy!!.
The UK Travel Guide
An informative site giving you virtually everything that you
might need to know about the UK from travel to money, timetables
and the Royal Family.
Scottish Highlands Explorer
The site for information on events, places to visit and what to
do in Scotland.
Millways.com
A London Site for Overseas Students and Au Pairs
CINEMA &
THEATER
There are many cinemas throughout the UK, and
you will find them listed on the links below. It is possible to
find non-box office cinemas where films in original version and
of a non Hollywood mould are shown.
"Cinemas normally will give
student discounts with an ID, so don't forget to ask."
Cinema Listing
Here you will find a search engine that will let
you search for a place in the UK. You can also then search for a
particular film that you want to see.
Film Reviews
Here you will find reviews of the latest films and information
on where these are showing.
Theatre Listings
A listing of Theatres in the UK, and what is currently showing.
UK Theatre Guide
A full guide of what's on at UK Theatres.
Opera
Fancy a night at the opera? Check here for what's on and when in
your area.
UK Night Clubs
A listing of all the UK night spots by area so you can dance the
night away.
Ticket line
Here you will find what's on at major theatres and events in the
UK. You can buy tickets for all major shows, concerts & events.
If you want to know when your favorite pop star is playing or
what's on and how much it is... then click above.
MUSEUMS etc.
The UK has a wealth of museums, zoos and
places of general interest. Use the links below to get
information on where you can go in your chosen area or whilst
traveling around.
Aquariums
Aviaries
Museums
Natural History Museums
National Parks
Safari Parks
Zoos
WEATHER IN
THE UK?
The British weather is very changeable.
November to February are usually the coldest months, with
average temperatures between 2 and 9 degrees centigrade. Spring
and Autumn can also be quite cold at times and it can rain any
time of the year.
Ensure you have adequate clothing. Wearing
layers of clothes is a good way to keep warm, wearing a T-shirt
under a jumper for example. You can buy thermal underwear in the
UK which is very useful if you tend to feel the cold -
particularly advisable if you come from a country with a very
warm climate. You will need a warm heavy coat for winter and
also a waterproof jacket or coat. An umbrella is also very
useful.
Spring can be very changeable. It can be wet
but often has some lovely mild weather. This applies to Autumn
as well.
English Summer has a reputation for rainy
weather. Although this can be true it can also be very warm. A
warm sunny English summer day is truly enjoyable. Temperatures
can sometimes get into the 80´s with temperatures in the 70´s
very common.
You can get information on weather forecasts
in the UK and all over the world by
clicking here.
ACCOMMODATION
If you are offered a place at a university or
college you will be helped to find accommodation by the
international or accommodation officer.
.
Home-Stays
Because Home Stay accommodation needs to be carefully checked,
it is often universities,
colleges
and education establishments that will help you find suitable
families for a home stay.
If you wish to arrange your own accommodation
near your place of study we advise you to wait until you arrive,
find temporary accommodation and then look in local newspapers
and visit local letting agents.
If you are visiting the UK on a short stay and
wish to find your own accommodation, you will find useful links
below.
.
Home-Stays
For a listing of UK Hotels, B&B's and Guest
Houses.
Click here
.
B & B
For a comprehensive list of more than 6000 Bed
& Breakfast accommodations throughout the UK.
Click here
CONTACTING HOME
It is always important to keep in touch with
your family and friends at home. This can be done in different
ways.
BY POST
In England there is first and second class
post. Second class post can only be used for post within the UK.
There is a set rate for postage to an E.U.
country.
The cost of a stamp for countries outside the
UK varies so you must ask at the post office.
Stamps can also be bought at shops such as
supermarkets and newsagents.
There are several collections a day from post
boxes.
First class delivery within the UK is normally
the next morning. Ask for delivery times to your own country.
BY TELEPHONE :
Costs of calls vary within the UK, depending
on which company you are with.
It is usually cheaper to phone after 6 in the
evening.
You can register with other companies but
still keep your main supplier. Some companies just give you a 4
digit pin number to put in front of the number you are phoning.
These calls are usually cheaper - especially when calling
abroad. You will be given a leaflet with prices of calls. One
such company is Onetel.
There are also many specialist cheap phone
shops in many towns and cities where you can make calls from an
internal phone booth. They will advise you of their prices and
you pay after you have made the call. They are cheaper for
international calls than some phone operators, but not
always...so check first. It is still often cheaper to use the
international phone cards than these shops.
PHONE CARDS :
You can buy phone cards which make calling
abroad a lot cheaper.
Call To or From the UK For Less Low cost phone
calls designed for people living outside the continental United
States. Pay less anywhere in the world.
MOBILE PHONES :
The UK has an extensive amount of mobile phone
shops in every town, village and city. There are many different
prices available so check out which is best for you. You need to
ask questions about:
How much of the UK do they cover (coverage).
Do they allow you to take the phone overseas to make and receive
calls (roaming).
Do they have an answering machine service (voicemail).
How much is the monthly cost.
How many free hours or minutes of calls do you get monthly, and
when are those free calls available - between what times.
What extras do you get with the phone - in-car chargers, home
chargers, fascias, case etc.
How long must you sign a contract for.
Does the phone allow you to send and receive
e-mail or SMS (short messages), and can you use the Internet
(WAP).
There is so much competition in the UK that
many companies offer you free or very
cheap
mobile phones connected to one of their packages and contracts.
If you don't have a credit card nor a UK bank
account you may find it difficult to get a contract mobile
phone, but you could still consider a pay-as-you-go mobile
phone. You pay a one off price and this will come with some free
time (once only). You can then top up (add money) at many shops,
phone shops or over the phone with a credit card. Many
pay-as-you-go phones are now just like any others. You can get
e-mail, SMS and WAP phones and services link voicemail, roaming
etc.
BY EMAIL :
All universities and colleges have internet
access and as a student you will normally have free access.
Free e-mail:
Hotmail or
Yahoo.
Mixmail is a
Latin free e-mail service.
BY FAX :
You can find places in the
UK where you can send and receive faxes. There are not very many
and they can be quite expensive.
There is a free service on the net whereby you
are given a fax number in the UK or the USA and can receive
faxes. To send them you must pay to register. For further
information
click here or
click here.
