Investigating Life Across the Pond: Oxford, England

Need to find your way to Oxford? Follow a kid in an Oxford University sweatshirt.

Jammed between four Brits and my American friend Alicia, the overbooked 50-minute train ride from London to Oxford indicated it was a popular destination. It seems old-fashioned to take a train, but it’s the best way to get around in the UK. Unless there is construction on the track, then it’s not so awesome.

About 25 minutes into the antiquated voyage we had to disembark because of upcoming construction and so we had to catch a bus to our final destination. Unsure of where to go once off the train, we spotted a kid totting an orange backpack in an Oxford University sweatshirt and followed him straight to the proper bus. The train cost about £17 one way and £19 return from Colchester (cheaper if you’re headed out from London). Try to book online if you know your schedule while in the UK. A bus from London to Oxford will run 100 minutes and with student discounts can be as cheap as £7 (of course, we learned this tip after we booked our train).

Once in Oxford, we walked from the train station to our hostel, a mere four minutes away by foot. The Central Backpackers was £16 a night for a female four bedroom, not the best hostel deal, but cheap for Oxford. It included a free breakfast (toast, cereal, and god awful “coffee”). Located at 9A Hythe Bridge Street by the Oxford Canal, it was easy to find from any angle in town.

A five minute walk landed us in a bustling area we deemed to be downtown. There’s more to Oxford than meets the eye as several of the best pubs, restaurants, and shops are down dark alleys. Venture down some if you’re feeling adventurous.

Day one in Oxford was devoted to exploring my future graduate school: Oxford Brookes University. (sidenote: yes, I finally made the decision. I’ll be headed to England for at least ten months to get an MA in publishing at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies.)

We took a Brookes bus, which services the entire city and costs £3.30 for a day pass (you can buy on board). It got us to the top of a scenic hill, the home of the Headington campus (Europe loves to spread out college campuses). The day was spent exploring the campus: a cup of decent coffee, a perusal of the bookstore, a student-led campus tour, lunch at the student union, a meeting with my department, and then a pint in one of the on-campus pubs. Needless to say, I fell in love and Oxford will soon be my home away from home.

You can’t help but feel the intellectual vibes while walking the cobbled streets near Oxford University. Yet, for some reason, with academics comes alcohol, books comes beer and learning comes liquor. So we explored some local pubs to get a feel for where I’ll be drowning sorrows or celebrating success next year!

O’Neills Irish Pub was on the to-do list from the beginning so I could indulge in Guinness Red, a new brew launched only in the UK. But the service was so terrible at the O’Neill’s in Oxford we didn’t even get the red and were out the door within an hour.

The next night had better luck as we got a tip from our campus tour guide; she suggested we visit The Purple Turtle, a hard name to forget. Down a dark alley off Cornmarket Street, the PT had pints for a pound between 5:30 and 8 p.m. In other words, “the best student happy hour in the world…ever.” After the pubs close, the PT is the popular spot among Oxford students with a DJ and club atmosphere until 3 a.m.

Afterward, we went to Old Orleans. It was busy with a late dinner crowd, but it was too expensive for such mediocre food. Stick with New Orleans. Other pubs worth visiting in the area with memorable names include: The Hobgoblin, The Head of the River, or the Three Goat Heads.

The next and final morning in Oxford we grabbed a Café Americano at The Coffee Republic for £1.89 and a copy of the Daily Mail for 45p. We sat in the corner window seat and watched the world go by and read about world events. There wasn’t the feeling of urgency to see all the sites, being I’ll return in September. See you soon, Oxford.

Tips for Trains

• Try to reserve a seat ahead of time.
  
• Keep your luggage on the racks at the end of each carriage, but stay in the same car and keep an eye on your bags.
  
• Bring food for long trips, the food services on the train is a step above airplane food.
• Your train ticket will often work in the London underground, so try them before you buy a tube ticket.

Tips for Hostels

• Ensure there isn’t a curfew.
  
• Pick the hostel with free or cheap lockers for storage.
  
• Most include breakfast, but make sure.
  
• See if internet is available—it won’t be free, but for a buck you can let your parents know you’re alive.
  
• Find pictures online (see Hostel World for a great source) – if the site only shows photos from the tourist spots in town and not the hostel itself, it’s bad news bears.
  
• Bring flip-flops for the shower. Europeans didn’t understand this, but anyone who has lived in a dorm should know the necessity of shower shoes.

Tips for Buses

• Get an all day pass instead of several single tickets.
  
• Rock the double deckers to see more of the town you're in if there’s enough room.
• Don’t fret if you miss a bus, chances are another will be along in a few minutes.

Here's a handy currency converter for when you're across the pond, or wherever your travels may take you, customized just for Prepare for Landing.