Leaving in a couple weeks, nervous.

but is temporarily living with a really close friend not allowed?

On a visitor's visa, you're meant to be visiting, not "living temporarily".  That is the issue you may have with the IO, regardless of whether you lie through your teeth or not.  To the IO, you will be coming in to the country to stay with someone you hardly know (as far as length of time that you knew her and time since you've last been in person), and that will likely raise a huge red flag to them.  Yes, presumably even if you do get bored you'll just come home early rather than use up more of your savings...but the IO has no way to know that, and could assume that you will seek employment instead.  (Or that you're coming to live with your friend purely to seek employment and stay/work in the country illegally.)

I don't have any advice on how to convince them that you're legit, but the burden is on you to convince them that your intentions are to stay within the law, not on them to just be nice and let you in.

If you're lucky, they'll wave you through without even asking questions beyond "business or vacation?" That's what always happened to me, and I went back and forth for a decade. But then, I'm pushing fifty (which seems to help).

If you're not lucky, you could be headed for a severe downer. Roll of the dice...

good info....i hope anyone could understand where im coming from, just nervous as anything really....im just the kind of guy something like this would happen to.

they need to have a way of keeping tabs on people if they are worried about someone like me coming there and looking for employment...this is absolutley not the case, but theres no way to prove this. I would register with the police if i could or if that were an option.

but maybe some of yall are right, im just going to look back and regret all the anxiety i put myself through for nothing....then again it could be the exact opposite. Wheres the fool-proof system, thats what i want so i no longer have to worry about all this.

The fool-proof system would have been to apply in advance for a visitor's visa so that you'd be guaranteed entry.  (You wouldn't be guaranteed to get approved for the visa, but at least once you were, it'd be clear sailing from there.)

(You wouldn't be guaranteed to get approved for the visa, but at least once you were, it'd be clear sailing from there.)

Not so, actually.  The IO still has discretion even when people have obtained prior entry clearance. 

It's really not so hard to plan things to do.  It's actually pretty fun, and if it's in your best interest anyway you might as well. 

Why not plan ahead for a weekend or week long trip to Ireland, or plan on going to Edinburgh for a few days, or going to one of the little islands anywhere along the coast?  If you have all this money set aside to essentially do nothing than you're really selling yourself short on this "experience" you're seeking. 

You have to make your experience.  It does make it a lot more fulfilling in the end, especially if you're planning on being there for 6 months.

Just make some plans.  It will be easier on you in the long run and you'll thank yourself after.

Just my 2 cents (pence?).  I'm partial because I love getting to be a tourist.

thats the plan though man.....when i said play it by ear i meant figuring everything out when i get into the UK. Be the stereotypical tourist and ask around, meet some people, etc. - thats half the fun.

i can assure you i wont be sitting around all day being bored.....ill be in a new place, simple stuff like walking around town would be eye-opening.

i want to actually get there before i go getting my hopes up and making plans.

I get it.  I backpacked around Europe for 2 months "playing it by ear".  But I went to 13 cities in 9 countries and it was abundantly clear I wasn't going to be staying anywhere for too long.

It's a tall order to ask to visit a country for 6 months with absolutely no proof of wanting to see the sights.

I'm just saying, book a week trip somewhere during one month, and then maybe have something else set up for the following month.  That way you give yourself some room to play it by ear, but you also give yourself the ability to prove you're truly visiting.  It will really make it a lot easier on yourself.

Oh, and may I suggest hostels.  You'll meet plenty of people that way, and they'll certainly give you ideas for other stuff to see.

Not so, actually.  The IO still has discretion even when people have obtained prior entry clearance. 

Oh, good to know!  Thanks for the info.

thank you cg, backpacking is a very appropriate word to use in this instance....even use it myself when telling ppl why im leaving the country. Ill look into booking a trip somewhere.

and to alot of others on here, my apologies if I struck a nerve in anyone, my intentions are clean and genuine I just got a little frustrated at points feeling as if i had already wasted money. So if this includes you, i am sorry.

Just in case you don't already know about these:

http://www.hostelworld.com/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

They're geared toward young, broke, traveling people.

These will be your best friends for the times you choose to go a good distance away from wherever your friend lives.

And I mentioned Ireland because if you go there you won't have to deal with an IO again when you return as opposed to if you were to go to the mainland. There is an agreement between the UK and the Republic. 

very nice, thank you.

should I make a print out or something and put it with my other documents to show the IO?

or would i need to make reservations and the like?

I would make at least a reservation or 2.  With hostelworld.com, if you book something you just pay 10% of the total fee (usually ends up being £20-£30 depending on the time of the year, where you're staying, and how long) and pay the rest upon checking-in.  So you're not spending all your money up front and making it look like you have none when you get questioned by the IO and you also have the confirmation from the bookings to show that you do intend to travel and spent the money on a deposit.

So really, it's worth the £100 or so in deposits to show one booking for each month you're there.  And you can always change them if you decide you want to go somewhere else or do something else.  Trust me, 6 months is a loooong time to travel.  You'll be happy to have something to look forward to.  And you'll be really really happy to prove to your IO that you're not going to be trying to settle in the UK.

edit to add:  If you have any other questions about backpacking, feel free to pm me.  I did my 2 months last summer, so my experience is very recent.

THANK YOU

i am going to do just that. I do intend on actually going to one of the hostels but you never know.

Just for the record, my advice was given so that you would actually go to these places, not as a means to deceive the IO.

edit:  Which is to say, that is exactly what you will be doing if you don't actually plan on going anywhere.  Not to mention you'll be exploiting my advice.  You won't be getting anymore from me.