Moved to Esher from Ohio two weeks ago

Hello all,

I finally made the move!  Can't believe it has been only two weeks, it seems like a few months with all the things we have done already.

Anyone else in the Esher area?

My 17 yo daughter will be attending ACS Cobham in a few weeks, anyone else have kids around the same age that will be starting there as well?

Thank you to everyone that has answered my questions prior to moving here and to my future questions as well.  It has been such a wealth of valuable information that has made my move here much smoother than if I had tried to do it on my own, so again THANK YOU!

Good to see you here on this side! Hope the move went well and you are all settling in nicely and getting used to everything being kind of the same, but yet way different!

I'm in Weybridge which isn't far from you, but my kids flew the nest quite a while ago. I'd be happy to try to answer questions on the local(ish) area. Good luck in your new location

Welcome to England! Where in Ohio are you from?

Thanks for the welcomes, and sorry for the delay in responding.  My daughter and I just got back from Belgium.

We were living in the Cincinnati area.

A few questions:

What store here is most like Wal-Mart in the US? I am looking to buy things that are fairly cheap and will only last 3-5 years as that is how long we will be living here.

I know we have to get a driver's license within a year of arriving, how/where do I need to go to get the first "preliminary or temp license", I believe I have to take a computer test first then sign up for the actual driving test which can take a few months just to get the appt.  And the next question would be does anyone have a name of a good driving instructor that will teach me "how to pass the test"?

When traveling to Europe what is the easier/cheaper way to get there?  We took a train into Waterloo, a taxi to St. Pancras station (I wasn't up to figuring out how to take two different tubes yet!) and then Eurostar to Brussels this time but am wondering if I book something in the future if there is a cheaper way to travel.  And do you travel out of London or Gatwick airport?

Those are the questions I have for now.

Thanks everyone!

Oh Belgium! That sounds lovely!

A few questions:

What store here is most like Wal-Mart in the US? I am looking to buy things that are fairly cheap and will only last 3-5 years as that is how long we will be living here

Oh how I wish there was a Walmart/Target/Kohls here! There isn't really a one stop shop to go to like Walmart.  You might try Asda or Tesco, or even Ikea for what you are looking for....

e have to get a driver's license within a year of arriving, how/where do I need to go to get the first "preliminary or temp license", I believe I have to take a computer test first then sign up for the actual driving test which can take a few months just to get the appt.  And the next question would be does anyone have a name of a good driving instructor that will teach me "how to pass the test"?

You are able to drive on your US license for 1 year to the date you arrived in the UK, so you have a bit of time yet!
You will need to take what is called a Theory Test before the Practical (driving) Test and yes, you really do need to study for it!
I got a "Theory Test Study Kit" from WH Smith's, with dvd's to study from and I also downloaded a couple app's for my phone to help me through it.  
You need to pass the written test and do the hazard perception, which is the video portion of the test.  
It can be scheduled through https://www.gov.uk/book-theory-test
 
Can't help you with a driving instructor, as I was supposed to take my practical last week and as it turned out, my instructor had me practicing in the wrong test center area and brought me to the wrong test site. It was not a good day at all  

When traveling to Europe what is the easier/cheaper way to get there?  We took a train into Waterloo, a taxi to St. Pancras station (I wasn't up to figuring out how to take two different tubes yet!) and then Eurostar to Brussels this time but am wondering if I book something in the future if there is a cheaper way to travel.  And do you travel out of London or Gatwick airport?

We flew to Germany last year using our air miles, but there are plenty of low cost airlines to Europe, have never taken the train over, but we have driven to Paris a couple of times.

In my experience, flying is cheaper than the trains.  I only do the train if my company is paying for it.  For your location, flying from Heathrow and Gatwick will be your best options.

Argos is okay for cheap stuff (catalogue, pick up from a counter like JCPenneys in the 80's).  Amazon is an option too.  If you are on Facebook, you'll get your best buys on local selling pages if you don't mind preowned. 

We will check out Asda and Argos, we have already been to Tescos. 

For flying which airlines do you typically travel on?  I have heard Ryanair is fairly cheap but they also keep adding on fees.  Do the prices changes if you fly from Heathrow or Gatwick or are they pretty much the same.

I am on Facebook, what are some of the local selling pages I should look at for preowned items?

Thanks

I have always found that when travelling specifically to Brussels or Paris (perhaps Amsterdam too now as they have extended services) that Eurostar is often as cheap as, and is a heck of a lot less trouble than budget airlines. About the same amount of time too.

I'd say that Tesco is going to be the closest you'll get to Walmart - groceries, bedding, electrical items etc, and they have a pretty good online presence too. I also do a lot of shopping online at Amazon.co.uk.

We fly Easyjet within Europe, or British Airways if Easyjet doesn't serve our destination. Rail travel can be reasonably priced within the UK depending on what offers you can find: www.trainline.com, or http://www.splityourticket.co.uk. I have found offers on Eurostar, but you have to be ready to book when you see a good deal. We also use drive on ferries to travel to France.

ASDA is owned by Walmart so they are probably closest in that respect (our local ASDA used to be an ASDA-Walmart Supercentre), although you won't necessarily find the same products there... But ASDA usually have a selection of US candy/chocolate and cookies .

For Facebook selling pages, in the search type in your city name and see if you see something like Esher Buy Sell Page.  You can list what you are after and your budget and people will send you pics of what they have.  It's brilliant.

For Facebook selling pages, in the search type in your city name and see if you see something like Esher Buy Sell Page.  You can list what you are after and your budget and people will send you pics of what they have.  It's brilliant.

I agree you can get some great deals this way!

Fellow Ohioan here!  I miss Target when I am in England.  I may be a bit overly attached to that store...

I haven't been on the Eurostar since in was still departing from Waterloo Station but I have flown on several budget airlines.  EasyJet and RyanAir are both good for flights to continental Europe.  If you want to fly to Ireland, Aer Lingus is decently priced and they also fly to the US via Dublin.  Heathrow is at the end of the line for the Tube while there are express trains (if I remember correctly) to Gatwick.  Don't forget about the small London airports- Stansted, Luton, Southend, and City (though this is mainly for business).  A lot of budget airlines fly out of these and they can be reached via train or bus (check out the National Express and Megabus- the journey may be longer but it may be direct and possibly less expensive).

Start using the Tube as soon as you can!  There is an app that you can download for a smartphone so that you will never be without a map.  It is one of the easier systems to understand (at least in my opinion)- just follow signs for the line you wish to take, head towards the eastbound or westbound platform (the stops for each are usually posted in the station), and hop on a train heading towards the terminal destination of that line.  Taxis can be expensive so your wallet may thank you.

Welcome to England!

Thanks!  I ordered a tv and toaster from ASDA on Sunday night and it showed up Monday afternoon!

I am going to check out the cheaper airlines for our next foray into Europe, probably Italy next!

I asked my relocation person to take my daughter into London at some point and give us a crash course on using the buses and tubes.  I figure that is the best way to get around and having someone that knows how to use them would be the best way to learn the ins and outs.

We got our sea shipment yesterday so we are feeling a little more at home.