London OE with Sarah Bedford: Marketing - STA Travel

Sarah embarked on her UK OE in September 2008, living and working in London and travelling throughout the UK and Europe.

Highlights:
People constantly say this but it really is a major highlight - living in London means you're so close to so many amazing countries. You can literally pop away for the weekend to France, Italy, Spain or wherever you can pick up a cheap flight to!

I spent two months travelling Europe on a van tour with 7 mates covering France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Holland and Germany. I had the most amazing time and experienced Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, the Benicassim Festival in Spain (featuring Oasis, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and more), saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, went to the Colosseum in Rome (AMAZING), learnt about Berlin's history (also AMAZING), swam in the crystal clear waters of Croatia....I could go on and on and on, it was the trip of a lifetime!

Living in London is great too as I really appreciate history and find it amazing to think of how the city and its inhabitants lived and functioned hundreds of years ago, there are reminders on every street.

Lowlights:
Taking the tube in London can be an overwhelming experience during rush hour! If you have personal space issues then aim for the bus instead, you are literally hugging people sometimes... Despite this you can get just about anywhere in London relatively quickly, and you usually never wait more than a few minutes for the next train.

Tips:
If you're moving over to London get yourself a London starter pack - they're invaluable because you get an introduction to living in the city, a sim card, a London A-Z (a very very handy map), help with your NI (tax) number and probably most importantly you get help opening a bank account. This can be near to impossible to do on your own! The package is cheap and well worth it.

Get yourself down to Brick Lane for a curry and byo - very cool experience. You'll be enticed into many a restaurant with different deals so you have a bit of bargaining power!

Head into Oxford St if you're a shopping fan and make sure you pay a visit to Primark. If you're after cheap clothes, theirs are the cheapest you will ever find, but mostly go to experience the huge crowds that overwhelm the store every single day. I've never ever seen anything like it.

Sarah recommends this trip for:
In order to work in the UK you need to be at least 17 (for an ancestry visa) or between 18-30 (working holiday visa). Those lucky UK passport holders are free to do as they please! I would recommend Europe to everyone, it's a must-do whether you go on your own, with family, as a couple or with a group of mates.

Cost:
London one way: $1299 (student/under 26 price)
London starter pack: $71 (student/under 26 price)
Europe van tour: I had a budget of about 3500 pounds.

Score out of 10:
10/10
Everyone should head to London for a working holiday or at the very least to a tour of Europe.