The Life of a Temporary Londoner

Why move to London?

To start a new and exciting lifestyle ✔

To live in one of the most popular and largest cities in the world ✔

To meet more alike and different people ✔

To gain new perspectives and experiences ✔

To personally challenge yourself ✔ for self-development

To secure that dream job ✔

Or perhaps just to be a two hour train ride from Paris and only a short flight away from exploring all of Europe.

Personally for me, moving to London was a mixture of all of the above, plus so much more than I ever could have ever imagined.

A Year’s Worth of Travel Advice | Part 3: UK

So, given my teaching experience had deteriorated in Beijing, and my time in China needed to end – and end quickly, I was on a plane to Manchester on the 10^th June, 2014…

Flights – I flew Qatar Airways from Beijing International Airport (PEK) to Manchester via Doha (19 hrs travel time). The leg cost my (now) fiancé Matt $800 to get me out of China as quickly as possible. And I can say I would DEFINITELY fly with them again. The plane itself was comfortable, service impeccable and food enjoyable. The flight was on time leaving (always a plus), and easy moving through the queues at Doha to transfer. I was fortunate enough to have been given a Priority Pass membership from my previous employer as a farewell gift, allowing me access to airport lounges all over the world. Waiting in PEK for my midnight flight out could not have been more relaxing. If you are a frequent traveler, I would suggest looking into a membership for the reduced stress, along with the food, snacks and free drinks! I also tend to use the ‘Skyscanner’ App for initial flight research – they don’t charge any booking fees and give you a good starting point to compare direct with the airline. The App is quick, easy to book through and reliable. I’ve never had any issues booking with Skyscanner, and was able to cancel my unused PEK-LHR leg (which was meant to be used in August, 2014) quickly and easily with their online customer service team.