London and Edinburgh are dream destinations for most Indians; it was definitely on my list. However, travelling from India to UK can be challenging, as the culture is different, but in the UK, we have hints of similarity to home thanks to colonialism. If you’re planning to travel to UK from India for the first time, here are some travel tips to greatly enhance your India to UK journey.
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Travel trips for your first travel to the UK from India
For a trip to the UK from India, we need a travel visa. It is best to apply for a UK tourist visa for Indians at least a month in advance. If you file your visa application with all the correct information and every required document, you’ll easily receive your visa in approximately 15-20 working days. The visa process can be a bit daunting, but I’ll cover the particulars for the UK visa from India in a separate detailed post.
Once you have flights and visas ready with you, you’re now getting ready for your travel to UK from India. It is now time to get to know a little bit about the UK. I’ve highlighted some points below which will help you navigate London or the UK with ease.
Be prepared for unpredictable UK weather
The UK being an island, the weather here is true to its unpredictable nature. The weather can change drastically here in a few minutes. In Northern UK, it is said one can witness all 4 seasons in a single day.
Always carry an umbrella, a raincoat, or a waterproof jacket with you, especially in the autumn/winter season.
The key to dressing up here is in layers. Pack warm clothes, sweaters, jackets/coats, warm socks, and boots/waterproof shoes.
Most of the UK is walkable, so packing comfortable shoes is ideal, as you’ll probably end up walking a lot. If you’re packing boots, pack the ones with a short heel height. I made this mistake in London, and I was unable to walk after a few hours.
P.S. There are no rickshaws/autos there, and public transport for shorter distances is way too expensive.
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Flights and Hotels
Most people start their trip to the United Kingdom from London. In case your starting point is also London, it is better to choose a direct flight from India. Be it Air India or British Airways, both are good. Although I have always chosen Finnair Airlines, I have truly loved travelling with them. With Finnair, most likely there will be a layover in Helsinki. Helsinki layover isn’t bad considering direct flights are 15000-20000 INR expensive. Another plus – if you can find a flight with a 10-12 hour layover in Helsinki, you could easily explore Helsinki. The downside is that the flight duration is too long if you compare it to direct flights. There are also a couple of other flights with halts in Dubai as well.
Some places in the UK, including London and Edinburgh, are expensive locations from a tourism perspective. In London, I was lucky enough to find a room at a reasonable price in Wembley IBIS Hotel. Wembley is also a prime location, with a shopping centre nearby and the tube within walking distance. I am a fan of the IBIS hotel chain, and I have also stayed with them in Vienna during my stay there. Similarly, I can vouch for IBIS Wembley for a decent 3* budget stay in northwest London.
General unsaid Societal rules for your travel to UK from India
Public transport and Queues
The British take queues extremely seriously. Do not ever try to jump queues. I have seen fights on buses because someone tried to jump the queue. Behave in the best civil way; if you see people ahead of you at a bus stop, don’t try to sneak in ahead and board the bus.
If you’re the first/only person in the queue at a bus stop, when you see the bus arriving, always wave your hands to the bus driver to indicate that you’d like to board the bus. If you don’t waive and you’re the only one at the stop, the bus might not stop. Similarly, nod no from your head if you don’t want to board, especially when you’re the only one at the stop. Don’t waste bus drivers’ time.
In the buses, there are stop buttons at every pillar. If you want to get off at the next stop, press the button to signal the driver to stop the bus. The same rule applies here: if no one else is deboarding the bus, the driver will not stop if the bus stop is empty. Believe me, this happens more than you expect.
When planning your travel to the UK, keep a contactless card with you. Any card with wifi enabled and international transactions enabled will work. I used both ICICI Debit and Credit Cards both.
Cash works most of the time on buses, but chances are you won’t get your small change back if you don’t give the exact amount for the ticket. Make sure you get a contactless card (debit/credit) from your bank before your trip.
Greetings
Britishers are polite, and greetings are extremely common here. Whenever boarding a bus, greet with a Hi or Hello. When de-boarding the bus, always say thank you. This goes for supermarkets, retail shops, cafes or restaurants. This is not a rule, but it is good to blend in with simple greetings.
Coffee & Cafe timings
In Europe and the UK, most cafes stop serving coffee after 5 PM, barring some exceptional international chains like Starbucks in malls. The reason is that Europeans believe in enjoying liquor in the evenings.
There are many local cafes which serve amazing coffee here. You can try Black Sheep Coffee, Pret-a-monger, Cafe Nero, Greggs, etc., which are some of my favourites.
Food and etiquette
Do you know “Chicken Tikka is the national dish of the United Kingdom”? If you’re missing home during your trip, remember you’ll find Indian restaurants almost everywhere.
If you’re staying in an Airbnb, you’ll easily find Indian food supplies in supermarkets like M&S, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, etc.
If planning to experiment with local (non-Indian) food there, I’d recommend learning to use cutlery. I say this because if you’d like to try Fish and chips, it is best eaten with a fork and knife.
Health and Medicines
We Indians pop medicines like they’re candy. If you’re someone who needs pills, especially antibiotics, make sure to carry them with you. You won’t be able to buy them in the UK without a prescription.
Pro tip – if you forgot antibiotics, and unfortunately you get an infection, visit a pharmacy (preferably a local one, not the famous Boots one), the pharmacist there will generally ask about your symptoms and can advise a few meds. This is way cheaper than visiting a doctor there.
Buy an India-to-UK (or international) travel adaptor from India. This is available at a much lower price in India.
For Quick meals and shopping, here are my recommendations –
1. Greggs – Cheapest and has good options for breakfast, do try their pasties.
2. Pret-a-monger – really good sandwiches (chicken and bacon ones are my favourite) and coffee.
2. Weatherspoon – For cheap alcohol & burgers, this is the place to be.
3. Supermarkets like M&S, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons have ready-made fresh food available, like sandwiches, pizzas, chicken, etc in case you don’t want to spend a lot in restaurants
4. Boots – If you’re a skincare enthusiast, I’m sure you have heard of Boots; you’ll find international brands here at relatively cheap prices. Their designer perfume collection is also amazing, if you’re looking for a perfume which isn’t available in India, chances are you might get it here. Boots even has their own skincare & makeup brand No7, and they usually run promotional offers on their products. Note – Boots at the airport are generally smaller, and they might not have perfumes or their makeup range.
5. Primeark – Quite a famous shopping outlet for some budget shopping, collect your souvenirs from here
6. NEXT is another decently priced, stylish outlet for clothes. I bought the blazer below from NEXT at a steal. Jewellery is also cheap here.
7. Cafe Nero, Black Sheep Coffee – Amazing coffee at reasonable prices.
Hopefully, these tips will help you travel to the UK from India with ease and navigate the country easily. Still, do you have any doubts that I haven’t answered? Leave your question below in the comment box, and I’ll get back to you.
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