I recently wrote about phobias to conquer while traveling to Asia. Well, phobias can be extremely unique to specific cultures and destinations.

Let us continue on this rollercoaster ride to England.

Top Phobias To Conquer While Traveling: England

Photo by: Mike McCaffrey@flickr.com

1)   Top of the charts for sure: Anglophobia – the fear of England.

2)   It is cloudy in England about 70% of the year. If you have Nephophobia – a fear of clouds – you can head here or maybe Seattle.

3)   London is an awesome city for so many reasons. They have an amazing public transportation system. If you need to go a long way, hop on The Tube. Just a short ride but too far to walk? Grab a taxi! They are everywhere. Do both and rid yourself of Siderodromophobia & Amaxophobia: The fear of trains and the fear of riding in a car.

4)   Not suffering from Siderodromophobia & Amaxophobia? All right, walk and conquer Ambulophobia.

5)   Take a walk by Big Ben and cure your fear of clocks: Chronomentrophobia.

6)   All that walking is sure to make you hungry. A very popular dish in England is fish ‘n’ chips. Head to a local pub, grab a warm lager and some grub. While you¹re at it, take care of that Ichthyophobia and Dipsophobia, the fear of fish and the fear of alcohol.

David Goodlin
Online Marketing Coordinator

When I studied abroad in London, I submitted my application late and therefore had little to no time to get organized before taking my first transatlantic flight.  These are some things I wish I had known before I left:

There are such things as flexible student air tickets.

Most students who study abroad might not know right away what their plans are after their programs end.

Since I was franticly dealing with the logistics of moving abroad, my dad jumped online and booked my flight for me.  This ticket, however, could have been way cheaper and a lot more flexible if I would have known about the STA Travel Blue Ticket.  When my program came to an end, everyone else was changing their return dates to the end of summer so they could continue traveling and I was stuck with my original flight.  Bummer.

It is a good idea to find out how the locals dress and pack accordingly.

Strolling The Large Red Carpet

At home in the U.S., I pretty much live in hoodies, t-shirts and sneakers.  Therefore, that’s mostly what I packed.  However, I realized quickly that wearing these things in our posh London neighborhood made me stick out like a sore thumb.

Making minor changes to my wardrobe allowed me to adapt to the style of the city and made me feel less like a tourist and more like a resident – without losing my identity. If I would have done a bit of research beforehand, I could have saved some much-needed space in my suitcase.

Know your U.S. politics

The number one topic that was always brought up when speaking with locals in London was politics.  It never ceased to amaze me how informed the Brits were on our government and how uninformed I was.   Make sure you know enough to hold an educated debate or discussion and it will be easy to make new friends.

Acknowledge and respect the local etiquette.

Get to know what the culture is like before you go.  Just because London is an English-speaking country, does not mean they act the same.

For example, the first week I was studying abroad, we did not understand how to use our ‘inside voices’ on the tube.  We’d hop on and just yell to one another, being completely oblivious to those around us.  Then we began to realize that nobody else talks on the tube and this is a quiet time for commuters. I wish I would have known that before annoying everyone around us.  It is not a bad thing to have fun and talk, but make sure you are respecting others in the process.

Make sure you have everything you need before you go.

There are certain things – like a Eurail pass – that you can only get in the U.S.  I was not aware of this and could have saved a bunch of money having a rail pass when I traveled around Italy instead of buying a lot of point-to-point tickets.

Living abroad is the experience of a lifetime so make the most of it by doing a little preparation before going!

Thanks for reading,

Lindsay Juley
STA Travel Expert

London Photo Credit: doug88888 on flickr

I find it interesting how traveling can really make a difference when it comes to watching sports.

Take baseball for example. I grew up going to Texas Rangers games. You can always get tickets. It’s not a special thing. People don’t stay the entire game and there’s really not a lot of excitement.

Then I spent a weekend in Boston and experienced a Red Sox game at Fenway Park and separately a Cubs playoff game at Wrigley. Um, Rangers who? Everyone was excited to be there – they couldn’t believe they got tickets and knew everything about every player. This was their team, in their stadium and they loved it all. Nobody left before the end of the game. That doesn’t really happen at Rangers games.

I found the same to be true during a recent trip to London. I grew up playing soccer, have seen a few English Premier League games on TV and had an afternoon free. So, a phone call here and an email there and we had a pair of tickets to see Chelsea v. Wigan.

It was amazing and it was NOT the MLS on so many levels. Yes, the skill level was different but let’s not dwell on that. Let’s talk about the fans.

At an MLS game, there’s always just one group out of the entire stadium that tries to act like the game’s cheering squad. If you’ve been, you know who I’m talking about. They make as much noise and make as much of a spectacle of themselves as possible during the entire game. They wear team flags as capes, use blow horns, set off smoke bombs, paint their faces, and, strangely, always speak to each other in the absolute loudest voice possible (I’ve never understood that). They do chant and sing but nobody else in the stadium joins with them. They try to make it a party for themselves as if that’s what cheering for their team is all about. I pity tha fool….

At the Chelsea game, there was none of this. Fans showed up wearing their team’s jersey. That’s it. No face paint, no capes. We sat for most of the game because the stadium not does not allow standing at an excess. There were no noise makers, blow horns or smoke bombs. Nobody yelled at the top of their lungs just to be loud. Instead, you just had an entire stadium of die-hard loyal fans who love their team singing in unison songs they’ve known since they were little. It’s stadium-wide camaraderie. THIS is what a soccer game should be about. Pure love of the game and love of the home team.

It was awesome and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to a country that plays soccer.

Don’t get your knickers in a bunch, I’m back today for the second half of the top 10 free things to do in London.

Over the past 24-hours, Tottenham scored in squeaky bum time to defeat Burnley on aggregate in the Carling Cup and the BBC reported on squatters taking over two GBP 15 million mansions overlooking Hyde Park.

Now on to #6-10 of free things to do in London (other than taking over a mansion)…

6. The BBC – Tickets to watch a taping of your favorite (or soon to be) BBC shows cost bugger all. And it’s easy peasy to get your tickets, just check BBC Tickets Web site.

7. Lecister Square – Take a gander over there, is that Mr. Bean? If you hang around Lecister Square for long enough, you’ll likely to catch a glimpse of a movie star or two, seeing as it hosts many of the big movie premieres in London.

8. Old Bailey – Have you seen the movie Sweeney Todd? Maybe you’ve read Charles Dickens? Both include mentions of the famous courthouse in London that is open for public viewing. Just don’t slag off the judge; we don’t want you taking any chances.

9. Speaker’s Corner – Want to talk a load of bollocks? This corner of Hyde Park was declared open for free speech in 1855. Just be sure to gen up before scaling your soapbox – heckling by the gathered crowd is part of the fun.

10.  The Scoop – Fancy a bit of art and culture to round out your trip to London? The Scoop at More London, an outdoor sunken amphitheater,  is open to all and offers free films, music and theater during the summer.