A Millennials Experience

Let me start by saying, London is one of the best decisions we’ve made. I’ve always loved London on holidays but moving I knew was going to be a huge decision. Being on holiday is a very different story compared to living in a place fulltime. So, with knowing that I knew one of the biggest things to face would be the weather. In Cape Town we have every season to its fullest while London is basically rain, sun, rain, rain, storm and thunderstorms and waking up in the winter (As experienced on holidays) is the worst – it feels like a gloomy 17:00 when it’s actually 8:00 in the morning.

 

So, once we overcame the thought of what the weather would put us through it was time to pack my flat into 3 suitcases and make the move. Our first week and only week before our USA was unbelievable. Besides the fact that we literally had few friends and there was a heat wave, I can honestly say that week was a great one. We settled into my families flat (Very easily) and unpacked my suitcase.

 

There’s something so refreshing about decluttering and minimalizing. I’m far from a minimalist but I can truly understand some people’s fascination and obsession to decluttering. Everything had a place and there was definitely no wasted space but everything I brought I needed and valued.

 

We made it our mission on the first week to exercise, eat out, see two friends and do a bit of museum exploring. Two things that people kept on saying to me about London was 1) Don’t get fat and depressed and 2) Don’t let the weather get to you – so in our first week we soaked up the summer sun, educated ourselves a bit about Knightsbridge, exercised and tried our hardest to stick to a budget.

 

So far, moving in Summer has been the best decision we’ve made! Any advice for millennials looking to move to England – Move in Summer because a few things that we’re doing now we’d never be able to do in England’s long Winter. So, here’s to many more weeks in London full of a lot of exercise, exploring and making friends!

 

List of priorities in your first week:

1. Get to know your area, community and perks. I searched for local markets, butchers, breakfast spots and the closest park. These are the places that have made me feel more comfortable and more in tune with my new home.
2. Budget for eating out and drinks. If you don’t go for coffee in the morning, a few lunches and a dinner you won’t get the opportunity to meet new people, fulfill your need to explore or have the joy of finding what you never knew you loved.
3. Book the necessities. All your insurance number meetings, visa meetings, get your driver’s license and get organized because when you start working its near to impossible to these things checked off.
4. Stay local. We had to stop ourselves (And our budget sort of stopped us) from popping to Paris for this long weekend coming up. Get to know your area and then branch out!
5. If you’re already working and have hit the ground running. That’s amazing! Download all the transport, foodie and traveling app’s to keep you in the loop. The other night Nicholas and I passed a concert in Hyde Park, which we never knew about. Turns out it was the last Summer Concert and Khalid was singing. Do yourself a favour and get on those apps and websites so you don’t end up singing Khalid songs on the outskirts of the arena.

 

I hope this helps – these are a few points that we did do as well as wish we had done in our first week. Get organized, have fun and go exploring!