Some Dos and Don'ts of Travel

Hello everyone! I know it’s been ages since I posted but the truth is there hasn’t been too much to talk about lately. Time here falls into a rhythm just like home and I’ve been occupying myself mostly with class. This past weekend I did get the chance to go to London and can’t wait to tell everyone about it. But, until I post about my trip later this week I figured I would try to do an informal list of Dos and Don’ts of travelling that I’ve figured out about while I’ve been here. By no means is this a complete list and I’ll most likely add to it as my time here passes.

Do-

Bring a backpack on your initial journey over.

Not only is it great carry-on, it’s great to have when you take smaller trips to places while you’re here.

Know the dates and times of your travel.

We thought our second train down to London was only 20 min, only to realize it was 2 hrs and 20 min. Needless to say we weren’t prepared for it.

Keep any needed tickets in easy-to-access areas.

This is especially helpful when you’re taking the Underground or quickly transferred transportation services because you don’t want to be the person holding up an entire line whilst you dig for your ticket.

Book early if you plan on staying in a hostel.

We booked ours days before we left and ended up in having to carry our backpacks through London because we didn’t want to travel from Central to South London and back again to explore the city.

Realize you will get lost.

And it’s okay. It’s the only way you’re going to really explore a place. As long as you’re with other people you will eventually figure it out. I led us astray in London and we got on the wrong Underground tube, but we figured it out and it only took us a bit longer than normal. It only made us understand the tube that much more.

Bring good walking shoes!

You essentially walk most everywhere here and it’s much better to just bring something your more comfortable walking in then having to buy a new pair of shoes to break in while you’re here.

Budget (and stay on it!)

            I’ll be honest with this one, although I budgeted how much I was able to spend while over here, I didn’t budget weekly amounts and have realized I’ve been spending too much money in the beginning weeks that I’ve been here. Also realize that there will be costs that you’ll forget about, some here include money for doing laundry (to wash and dry a single load is about £3.20), miscellaneous food, and general grooming products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, hairspray, etc.) to name a few.

Don’t

Travel alone.

Take this as you want, but I personally found it much more fun to experience different cities with other people as opposed to being alone. In addition you have comfort in knowing there are other people around in case you get lost, need to find something, etc. etc..

Be naïve.

Realize that no matter where you go people can be shady. Maybe not in Ormskirk per say, but in the bigger cities you may visit rules are different. Although nothing has been taken from me I still operate on the idea that pickpockets are most everywhere. They even broadcast the warning in the train station themselves. Just be smart about where you’re carrying items at all times.

Over pack.

I’m quite wishy-washy on this one as I only came to England with one checked bag and a carry-on and wish I would have brought more. But in my trip to London I wish I would have brought less because it was such a bother to carry everything. Basically, pack your essentials in local travelling and I would suggest bringing whatever you may need for the entirety of your trip (within reason!).  

I’ll add more as I go along and figure things out. In addition I’ll post soon about my trip to London!

Happy Devil's Night to all!

First Week of Classes

It’s come and gone and I’ve survived my first week of classes here in England! I must say that the set-up is very much different here compared to the US, but I’ve found it’s almost better. The classes (or modules) do tend to be four hours long, but they’re generally split into a 1-2 hour larger lecture with a two hour smaller seminar group to discuss the key elements glossed over in the larger group. All in all, I really enjoy the set-up and the classes don’t seem nearly as long once you start.

On top of classes I’ve finally found my footing here in Ormskirk itself. It’s definitely a smaller town, but since there’s a University it seems to support itself quite well. The center of town is only a 10-15 minute walk away from campus and if it’s raining or you don’t feel like walking there’s a free bus that runs to town every 15 minutes. There are about four main roads that contain many clothing shops, coffee houses, drug stores, etc. that fill really most any of your needs while away from home. The only difference between here and the US is the early closing times and the tendency to not be open on the weekends. This really isn’t too much of an inconvenience in the end though because it’s easy enough to pop into town after a morning class to get anything you really need.

I also took a trip to Liverpool this week. It’s not that far from Ormskirk and they have a large assortment of shops, restaurants, and street performers to keep anyone entertained for hours. We discovered Primark (a cheap clothing shop) and let me tell you, it’s next to impossible to walk out of that store with nothing in your hands. Four floors of clothes, accessories, and shoes would make any wallet weep.  

We also explored the street where The Beatles frequented and played before they ever really ‘made it’ and it was amazing to see the great prevalence they still have everywhere you turn here. I’ve also heard that there’s a church somewhere around the area that was bombed during WWII that stands as a homage to the people lost. I’m looking forward to returning in order to see more of the history of the city!

Overall it’s been a great first week of class and I look forward to the rest of the semester.The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and I fear for the day when the rain starts and doesn't stop!