Life in the big city is not always as it seems. You can attest to this the very first time you go through a relocation and end up in the big city, where you are left wondering is this truly what was previously advertised. When moving house to a different city, you get all sorts of information about that city, yet you can never have the clear picture before you actually go there and start spending time in it. And after a few days, you will be very educated about the ways of the city and what is expected from you once you end up there. And what is it that you quickly learn when you go to London? Here is a list.

1. You spend a lot of time underground.
When you move to a big city, you need to be aware of the transport system. With a place with over 7 million people, not everything is within walking distance – sometimes if anything at all. So educate yourself about London’s transportation system, and especially the London Underground. Known also as “The Tube”, this will be your best friend when trying to reach other parts of London, literally miles and miles away from your location, even if you live in the Central part. And when you learn about the Tube, you will spend more time there than you actually thought – it is incredibly cheap and gets you to every part of London you want.

2. The prices are high.
Yes, London is a big city, and you expected it to be expensive. But you surely didn’t expect it to be this expensive. Housing in London can be daylight robbery unless you find a really good real estate agent, and that goes for rentable flats as well. Rents can make you feel very poor, and sometimes that is the cheapest thing in the city.

3. Your job is priceless.
Because of the aforementioned reason, you will learn to hold on to your job like a person drowning to a string of hair. Your job is priceless, because without it you could very well be left out on the street. Sure, the employment rate is high and there is always something to do, but not everything leaves you with a pocketful of money after bills and rent pass. So if your job pays well, you would be wise to not lose it.

4. Londoners are very talkative.
People keep up the theory that Londoners are the stiff-upper-lip type of people who are difficult to talk to because of their unemotional countenance and love of condescending silence. That is a wrongful perception given by people who spend too much time watching 80s movies of British aristocracy, sometimes made by everyone but the British. Once your moving company drops you off in London, try talking to somebody. Your query will, shockingly, be met with a straight response. And if you try to keep up the conversation, there will be reciprocation.

5. There is nothing beyond your reach.
Well, geographically-speaking, anyway. All of London’s districts are easily reachable once you learn the transport routes and links, and if you don’t know where something is, you can simply ask. Londoners will not hide their locations from you; they will always be helpful and will tell you how you can reach any certain place (provided they know, of course).

6. Manners are not the most important thing.
Talkative doesn’t always mean good-mannered. Whatever you perceive as good manners will be redefined once you arrive in London. They don’t mean bad, but you won’t see a Londoner thanking a bus driver, tipping a cabby or a waiter, holding the door for a lady or somebody carrying seventeen bags, or even apologising when bumping into you on the street. You will hear many words if you are a driver and make a mistake, though. And almost none of them will be an apology or a lesson, unless you count directions on how to get out of a person’s way. Mind your manners, they will tell you, but don’t be too absorbed in them.

And with this you should be prepared to face the brunt of the clash with Londoners. You should now make your moving checklist and prepare for the relocation in this wonderful and sometimes amusing city.