We will find you a flat in no time at all. Just as soon as you touch down at Heathrow, you’ll be whizzing round the city, signing leases and opening a bank account. It’s just a pity that you can’t use your London relocation services company as a tour guide on the tube during your first few weeks.

Learning how the tube works is all a part of getting settled in London, and the faster you “mind the gap” and catch a tube, the better. When you are moving you will be using public transport every day. It is vital that you familiarize yourself with the different forms of transport available to you. This is a massive city and most people do not have the budget to take a cab everywhere.

Zoned Out!

The first aspect of transportation that you will have to learn is that London is divided into different transport zones. The center of London is called Zone 1 and includes the City of Westminster, which is a suburb, and a few other small neighborhoods. Zone 2 is a concentric circle drawn around Zone 1, just a little further out. The transport zones continue to spread in circles until you reach Zone 6, which is on the very outskirts of London. You will also find Zone 7 – 9 in concentric circles covering the northwest of London.

Transport is the government body that manages all of the transpor. They are well represented in every tube and train station across the city and you can pick up a free map showing all of the zones and different transport areas.

The reason it is so important to understand the different transport zones is that you will more than likely be covering a number of different zones in your daily commute. Very few people live and work in the same zone.

The zones also denote the different prices that you will have to pay on a daily basis. The ticket prices can be a little confusing, and there is no doubt that transport will play a large part of your budget when you are planning your relocation. It may even affect where you chose to live more than any other aspect. Ask your relocation agents to help you with the basics of transport zones when you are looking for an apartment.