You might have started thinking about decorating your new bedroom and speaking to your new flatmates on Facebook but have you thought about your actual arrival to London?
Arriving at KCL is one of the most exciting times in your first year but it’s also a pretty jam-packed period. Lots of people are moving in, getting settled and adapting to their new environment. You will need to know how to make your way around London, your local area and campus pretty quickly, but that can be easier said than done!
Don’t worry though, because here are a few pieces of advice that will help you on your arrival to London and King’s Residences…
Shop around for your flights
Flights can be expensive but that all depends on where you’re booking them. By shopping around and looking at a few different websites, you will be able to book your flights for a much lower price. Skyscanner has some great deals and StudentUniverse has offers that are only available to university students. If you’ve left it a bit late to book your flights, that’s not always a bad thing because you can sometimes get last minute deals for a little bit cheaper. By saving the extra money, you have more to spend once you arrive or to do some shopping for university supplies. Don’t overdo it though!
FYI, London has FIVE airports!
When you’re booking flights to London, whether that’s from elsewhere in the UK or overseas, be aware that there are 5 different airports in London that you can fly into. You’ve got a choice of Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City and London Luton. Check which of these is closest to your King’s Residence or which has the most suitable transport links for you. Compared to other countries, England is quite small, so you may find flights to various other airports in the country BUT we would advise sticking to London-based airports only. Otherwise, you will spend more time (and money) travelling to London from places like Birmingham or Manchester and you don’t need or want that!
Trains and coaches run very frequently
Once you’ve jumped off your flight, the next step is making sure you get to your King’s Residence safely. The majority of our residences are close to major travel hubs and trains/coaches run directly from airports meaning that you can travel to your destination quite easily. It’s worth checking information about which coaches/trains will get you to your residence in advance to save time once you’ve arrived with lots of suitcases and bags.
- Where can you catch it from?
- Where will it take you?
- How long will it take you to arrive?
- How far is the train/coach stop from your residence?
For coaches, NationalExpress and MegaBus are the main two companies that will help you get to your King’s Residence safely. With trains, you should check Transport for London. All these sites allow you to plan your journey in advance too which makes your life that little bit easier. For example, Champion Hill is close to Victoria station and Atlas and Vauxhall are walking distance from Waterloo station.
London has Uber and Addison Lee
If you’d prefer to travel from the airport directly to the doorstep of your King’s Residence, use a taxi. Rather than jumping into the black cabs that you’ll find around the airport, use Uber or Addison Lee to make life a bit easier. As you’re only just arriving into the UK/London, you might not have cash to hand and using taxis that you can book on an app means you can pay directly from your card or PayPal account. When you order an Uber or Addison Lee, you can share your journey with friends/family so that they know when you’ve arrived safely at your destination. That’s one way to put your Mum’s mind at rest straight away!
Remember, London is a really safe city to live in and getting around the city will soon become second nature – we all have to start somewhere! It may take a while to find your feet but once you’ve arrived in London and at your King’s Residence, we hope you’ll feel happy and at home.
For more tips and information on living in London, check out What you need to know about living in London video! It’s also available with Mandarin subtitles here.
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