Pre-travel:

1. Read about the UK culture. You may find some details here.
Note ~ If you have been to the US, you will definitely find UK to be poles apart.

2. Immigration check at Heathrow airport is a tedious affair.
Make sure that you get a chest x-ray done prior to the travel. In India, you can get it done for 200-500 rupees.
You will need to present it at Heathrow immigration. UK is reporting an increase in Tuberculosis cases, and thus the scan. There is a provision to get it done at the airport too, but it will needlessly cause lot of delay and embarrasment after a long haul flight.
‘Strutting around, bare-chested in extreme cold for half an hour’ - If this sounds exciting to you then you may land in UK without the X-Ray.

3. Make sure that you have made arrangements for stay prior to your travel. You will need to quote the address during immigration.

Note ~ A short duration of stay could be easily arranged at a bed and breakfast.
This is similar to a paying guest facility in India. The charges may depending on the duration of stay, locality, the proximity to rail/tube and bus stations, single/twin sharing and season.
But these are, any day, much cheaper than booking a hotel room.

4. Note down the numbers of travellers cheques and credit cards. In case of any loss/theft, please contact the Bank(or relevant authority)

5. Please note that most airline carriers place a luggage restriction of 23 kgs while travelling from India to UK. If you are a student, you may get additional baggage allowance. ‘Pack judiciously’ is the mantra.
Let’s make a list of items that you might want to carry from India.

• Formal clothes - Most of the time you would be in formals. So carry as many as you might need. Apparel is expensive in UK. Best time to shop would be during January when almost all the shops would hold clearance sales.
• Woolen - It will be pretty cold in UK. Some areas have snowfall too during winter. Carry good warm clothes. If you are in Bangalore, Eastern Stores on Commercial Street have a large stock of woolen.
  A thick trench coat or a thermal jacket is a good buy. You may want to carry a good pair of woolen/leather gloves, thermal inners, muffler and a woolen skull cap.
• Kitchen stuff - Plan to carry some plates, pans, and some basic cutlery. A good pressure cooker may be a good buy. Please note that you cannot carry knives in your cabin bag.
• Cosmetics - If you plan to use a particular brand, please carry a good load of it. You may not find the same brand there.
• Medicines - Please carry few strips of Crocin, painkillers, antibiotics, digestive tablets and other general medicines that you might need. In UK, you have to have a prescription to buy most of the drugs.
  For cold and flu, you may get OTC medicines at any drugstore. You may also want to carry a pain relief spray, dettol, band-aids, cotton etc.
• Sewing needle - Carry few sewing needles and some colored yarn (apart from the common black and white) that you anticipate need for. Comes in handy at times (Most commonly to sew the buttons that come off your favourite shirt).
• Shoe-Fix - Carry a tube of all purpose strong adhesive or a shoe-fix. You may not find cobblers on the street as you would do in India.
  In case your sole comes off, you may use the adhesive to fix it or buy a new shoe. It is your choice.

6. Dont forget to arrange and keep all your original certicicates. Carry it in your cabin baggage. Have an additional copy in each of your check-in baggage.

7. Another thing to note is that flights to UK allow only 1 cabin bag per person. Your handbag, or for that matter even your camera bag is considered one bag.
So if you want to carry your Laptop, camera, certiciates, etc all on board; buy the largest allowable cabin bag. Remember to check the dimensions for the carrier of your choice.
Also note that there is an upper limit on the weight of the bag too. It is somewhere between 6-9 kgs, depending on your airline carrier.

8. It is also wise to carry some spices and masala powders that you might need. Till you find an Indian store (which you will find aplenty), these will come in handy.

On arrival:

1. Go through immigration check. Be polite and DO NOT jump queue.

2. Avail a Black Cab from the Airport to your Hotel. Note ~ Though it seems a fun way to travel, it will be heavy on your budget. If you have a friend, or a relative in UK, ask them to book a cab for you.
There are many other cab services in UK and they will be easier on your budget. You may also book online here.

3. Open a bank account. You would need another identification apart from your Passport. This is very important because you might need it while renting a house.

4. Coming to renting a house, there a various options. The tedious one being - browse through various websites(http://www.loot.com/, http://london.craigslist.co.uk/ etc).
Generally people prefer to approach a Letting agency. One has to pay for availing their services. The fee can be anywhere from 150 pounds to 500 pounds.
Most houses are let in multiples of 6 months. Renting a house usually requires some proof of employment which can be easily obtained from the employer.
One might also need to deposit some advance with the landlord.
The lease agreement must clearly state the tenure, terms of payment, renewal clauses, and onus on payment of Council tax, water, gas and other charges.
The letting agent will also mention on the agreement the condition of the house along with a list of amenities provided at the time of checking into the house. Cost of housing varies based on type (studio, i bed room, 2 bed room, etc.), furnishings provided, and to a certain extent on proximity to railway stations and high streets.
Note ~ Do not rent council houses/ or in the vicinity of council houses. These are prone to theft and violence.

5. To avail free healthcare services in UK, one needs to register for NHS. Find the nearest GP here.Fix an appointment and get yourself and your dependants registered.

More tips on what to buy as soon as you land in UK, in the next post…

Cheers,
Rosh