Five things to remember before travelling to the UK – student tips

1. It is natural to feel nervous and/or anxious!
   Travelling to a new country is a big move especially because you are travelling away from home where you are used to. You are travelling away from family and friends. It is important to remember that feeling scared, nervous, anxious are all natural feelings. After all, you are expected to take care of yourself and be independent!
2. Research the city you are travelling to.
   Whether you are coming to Brighton or somewhere else; you need to make sure you know enough about the city you are going to be living in for the next couple years. It is important to know what other people said about the city, what restaurants are available especially if you have a specific dietary preference, and what part of the city you prefer living at.
3. Public transport
   Researching about commuting options is important before you arrive in the UK. For example, in London, it is much easier to use the underground however in Brighton most students prefer using the bus rather than the trains because it is easier. So, knowing your preferred way of transportation is quite vital to your move. Many people around the UK prefer cycling since it is good exercise and for a change you might want to try cycling as well!
4. Always ask for help!
   Do not be shy 99% of the time locals actually enjoy offering as much help as they can to people who are new to the country. Everyone is friendly around Brighton so I did not find it difficult to ask questions or ask for help. Especially when it came to asking for directions. After all, you do not want to be wandering off and getting lost. Adapting to a new city is quite the challenge! But, if you find yourself suffering from social anxiety; you can always depend on apps such as ‘google maps’. For the first couple of weeks, I wholly depended on my maps app to direct me everywhere.
5. Learn how to budget.
   Knowing that you have the freedom to spend money on whatever you’d like is exciting especially when you do not have parental supervision. However, you need to remember that the money you have needs to be for food, entertainment as well as your education so knowing how to budget is important. If you think it might help there are plenty of student jobs out there that you can apply for to gain extra money during your studies.