Hey everybody,

First time poster here but I am soo glad I found you all! My brain is starting to have a meltdown after spending too long in front of my computer comparing prices and figuring out what I am doing. I have never been overseas except for Bali which I did zero organising for.

Basically, I am moving to the UK for at least a year with the girlfriend to work, earn some pounds and travel around europe and other places as much as I can! Looking to go to Cardiff in Wales just to avoid the typical London migration, save money on rent and enjoy a slightly different area close to the coast.

Alot of Questions here that are broad in subject, just help me out where you can please..

So here is what I have so far..

My girlfriend and I are leaving Brisbane on the 28/07/08 and doing a stopover at Bangkok. We will book accomodation in bangkok for 3 days, get an airpass with Thai Airways for US$199 before we arrive so that we can travel to phuket and some of the other places in Thailand (yet to be finalised). This will probably include some sort of adventure package or something. We will depart from Bangkok on 07/08/08 and arrive in London and stay with various friends and family till 24/08/08.

Q1) Is it easy to find accomodation once we are in thailand so that we are not locked into a time table? For a 3 star hotel in a double bedroom we will be paying about AU$41 per night for both of us on the webjet hotel finder tool.

Q2)Is Thai airways the best place/price to get the airpass?

Q3) Are there any places to go for well priced adventure packages in thailand (got out for a day to the islands, or even 2 or 3 days, ride an elephant etc)

On the 24th, we will head to Cardiff in Wales. It cost alot extra on the plane to continue our flight from London so we are still trying to decide the best way to travel there.

Q4)I looked up some train fares and things and the best price was about 60 or 70 pound from memory. What is the best/cheapest way to travel around the UK?

Q5) I used webjet to check plane prices and got the Brisbane -> Bangkok -> London flight for $1492 including taxes with British airways. Is this a good price do you think? Can I get it cheaper at all?

Q6) I have no degree so was looking at doing a sales job over in Cardiff. Are there any other jobs that earn half decent money over there? What is the best way to set up a job in Cardiff so that I can be working straight away?

Q7) would you like to offer any special advice to a first time traveller?

Q8) also, just thought I would mention that I can get an ancestry visa since my grandfather was english. I may only spend 1 year in the UK though, so can use a normal working visa for this trip and get an Ancestry Visa if I wanted to come back for a full 5 year stint?



The main thing I am concerned about right now is the best plane tickets since I am buying them this coming week. YEAH!!! So can you throw me some magical information that will save me heaps of time and money?

Thanks!!

JB

I'll have a bash at points 4 and 6

I dont know what you think is good money, the minimum wage in the U.K is 5 pounds and 52 pence an hour.
The best way to get going immediately would probably be with an agency. If you have any specific skills, join an agency of that type, if not join a general labour agency. You might end up doing manual work but it will bring money in whilst you sort out something better.
A web search will give you lots of indications of whats out there.

Travelling by coach is normally cheaper than the train, check out the national express website. Some independant companies like Megabus also run to some places with really cheap fares.

As for travelling round the U.k it depends how long and how far and how often. Also where you want to go. Car hire could be a good option if you want to go to out of the way places, otherwise look at train passes. Stay outside town centres to keep the cost way down.

Good Luck

My first check for plenty of options and a good price overview is usually ITA

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/prego

Registration is free (just click on create account) and you get heaps and heaps of options as well as a very good overview what is available at all. With that information you can either go straight to the airline webpage or go to any travel agent and let them book your choice for you. That said, you might be able to get even better fares at some consolidators like Orbitz and the like (don't know if they are any good for OZ travel though)

Welcome to Flyertalk!
I 've never been to Wales, but I'd suggest you consider living in the Midlands instead. Lots of cities and towns are literally next to each other, and it should be a lot easier to find a job. Rent and cost of living will be similar to Cardiff (i.e. a lot lower than London). Moreover, unlike Cardiff, there are a lot of flights to everywhere in Europe for when you fancy a bit of travelling, and even London isn't that far away.
If you're thinking of returning to Australia for a holiday etc within a year, you may want to look into a Round-The-World ticket instead. You may be able to go business class for not a lot on top of your economy price...

Oh...In terms of work...It may be worth looking into becoming a professional driver. There are ALWAYS loads (no pun intended!) of vacancies, and some of them pay really well (�13 an hour is not extraordinary...most salaried people get paid less than that, even with a degree!), though I am not totally sure about how licensing works for the various types of vehicles.

Thanks for your help. I am just about to do some research on the midlands. You talking about the west midlands I assume?

So I bought tickets last night, $3150 for two one way tix including travel insurance for both of us! No turning back now!

gotta run. got things going on ttonight so can't talk much!

Thanks again!!

JB

It's all the same really. Personally, I think the East Midlands are a better place to live in, but the West may have more job opportunities. But they're literally next to each other, so no big deal. You can commute Nottingham to Birmingham in under an a hour.
As long as you don't go to Lincolnshire (the easternmost Midlands county and least densely populated one), you will be fine.

Hi garaps,

So i have been looking at flights from nottingham compared to flights from cardiff and it looks like cardiff is actually cheaper.

Nottingham to Amsterdam
http://www.skyscanner.net/gbp/flight...mber-2008.html

compared to Cardiff to Amsterdam

http://www.skyscanner.net/gbp/flight...2amscwl080908&

similar result with flying to Paris. But I don't really know the best flight guys in the UK yet so correct me if I am missing something here..

Thanks for your help!!

JB

I spent 6 months in Cardiff last year for work and found it a lovely city and growing. As for travel from London to Cardiff (don't pay the extra to fly into Cardiff) you can easily take the train - from LHR, take the Heathrow Express (or tube if you really want to save money and don't mind the time) to Paddington then hop on the train to Cardiff Central from there. The ride is about 2-2 1/2 hours. Weekends and off-peak hours are cheaper. Or, as the OP mentioned, coach travel is even cheaper and you may be able to catch something right from LHR. Bristol is right close by that offers many more flights than Cardiff.

If you like outdoors life, Cardiff is the place to be. The Brecon Beacons offer great hiking, as does the Pembrokeshire coast. The Gower offers surfing (wear a wet suit) and pretty beaches

For travel around the UK, you can use coach or train for bigger cities and locations. Car hire is the best for out of the way places. But remember that petrol is about 1GBP/litre

The working situation is more difficult. There are several agencies in Cardiff. I know there are 3 located right near the Castle at the top of St Mary's Street and on the corner of Queen St.

Be open-minded and try to explore to the best of your ability. I enjoy getting a local paper to see what's going on.

There's Birmingham, too...Luton's only an hour down the M1 and STN is under 2 hours' drive from Leicester.
The important thing is that you have a lot more choice, in terms of airlines, routes as well as prices.
Though I'd personally stick with KL/AF and try to get status with them. Not the absolute cheapest option, but a lot more civilised than low costs and you only need 30 segments for Gold (= lounge access).

Cardiff is also reasonably handy for Bristol and Swindon, neither of them particularly glamorous but good for employment as Cardiff isnt exactly known for its high employment prospects