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How to Settle in the UK: Read this before you Arrive!

Posted on 26th April 2013 by jon

If you want to settle in the UK, it may not be as straightforward as you think! Moving to a different country is a challenge. Never assume that any official procedures will be the same as in the country that you are from. The more research that you can do on how to settle in the UK, the better.

The cost of living is high in the UK, and it is a good idea to have enough money to last for at least 6 months. This amount will vary depending on where in the UK you want to live. The cost of living in some of the bigger cities such as London can be double, even triple the cost of living elsewhere in the UK. Everyone tends to think of London when they decide to settle in the UK. But cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool can be cheaper and may have just as many opportunities.

Manchester Town Hall
Photography by Iris Chase on Flickr (Creative Commons 2.0)

How to Settle in the UK: Accommodation

Accommodation can be expensive in the UK and you will need to be aware of the requirements for renting properties. If you can, come to the UK with photocopies of your ID and a written reference from a previous landlord. Also, expect to pay at least one month’s rent upfront and a deposit. For example, if the cost of the house or flat that you want to rent is £600.00 a month, landlords and agents in the UK would expect you to have £1200.00 upfront to secure that property. Having the correct paperwork and money upfront will help you to settle in the UK.

A great place to research UK properties online is www.rightmove.co.uk. You can find out properties available according to your search criteria such as location and price range. If you have a limited budget and want to have a house or flat share, you can search for these on www.gumtree.com.

How to Settle in the UK: Travel

Long distance train and coach journeys in the UK are often cheaper if booked in advance. If possible, arrange your journey from the airport around 4 weeks before you are due to travel. This will cut the cost significantly. You can book train journeys on The Trainline.

If you intend to hire a car, you need to make sure that you have the right driving licence. Even if you hold a driving licence in another country, it may not be valid in the UK. So you need to check with the DVLA and apply for a UK driving licence.

How to Settle in the UK: Banking

You will need to have a UK address and proof of that address to set up a UK bank account. It is not as easy as simply walking into a bank with your ID and walking out with an account! Banks often ask for utility bills and tax documents, which all need to be in your name.

Shop around for the best bank account for you. Some have monthly charges. Some banks allow you to withdraw money abroad. Some of the most popular banks for people coming from abroad are Barclays and HSBC.

Applying for your National Insurance Number

As soon as you can, apply for your National Insurance number. The number on this card will be what you need to give to employers for tax reasons. And also to claim certain state benefits. First of all, you will need to check your eligibility for the National Insurance card. This will depend on your Nationality and any visa that you need.

If you are eligible to apply for a National Insurance Card, you need to make an appointment at your local Job Centre Plus. They will arrange an ‘Evidence of Identity’ interview for you or send you a postal application. At the interview, you will be asked about your identity, background and reasons for needing the card. You are allowed to have an interpreter if you need one. Make sure that you take original documents to the interview, because copies may not be accepted. Take as many forms of ID as you have including ID card, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate and driving licence.

Job Hunting in the UK

Job hunting in the UK can be very difficult. Before you come to the UK, it is a good idea to take the IELTS exam to prove your level of English. Also, come to the UK with job references and examination certificates translated into English.

How to settle in the UK: Further Information

If you are moving to the UK, we would like to wish you all the best. There is further information on how to settle in the UK on www.ukresident.com.

Remember, if you need to call friends and family back home, you can make international calls with Pocketdial UK from just 1p a minute.

UK Visas – A Quick Guide to Entering the UK

Posted on 19th April 2013 by jon

If you are entering the UK from another country, you may need to apply for a visa. It can be overwhelming and confusing when faced with so much information, so we have put together this short guide to entering the UK to help you.

Please remember that this is a basic guide. We are not official representatives of the UK Border Agency or Home office and rules about visa can change frequently. Therefore, you will need to check this with the Government bodies of the UK and your country of origin.

London: Potography by TJ Morris on Flickr (Creative Commons 2.0)

London: Photography by TJ Morris on Flickr (Creative Commons 2.0)

Entering the UK – Do you Need a Visa?

Whether or not you need a visa to enter the UK will depend on many things, including your Nationality, reason for entering the UK and your current country of residence. The UK Border Agency have developed a quick questionnaire to help to determine whether you need a visa.

Entering the UK from the EEA as an EEA Country National

If you are entering the UK from another EEA country, as a national of that country, you will probably not need a visa. The UK Border Agency states that ‘Nationals of countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland have the right of free movement and residence in the UK’.

Entering the UK from other EU countries

If you live in another EU country and hold an EU passport, you may not need a UK visa. However, check first, as some new members of the EU are still in transitional stages, for example, Romania and Bulgaria. Free movement and residence in the UK is not coming into place for these countries until at least 2014. If you are unsure, it is always best to check.

Entering the UK – Different types of UK Visa

If you are entering the UK as a visitor, you will need to check whether you need a visa, as this is dependent upon your country of origin. If you enter as a visitor, this is usually for up to 6 months.

If you are entering the UK to study, depending on your nationality and country of origin, you may need to apply for a student visa. If you are entering the UK on a student visa, make sure that you check all of the visa rules and requirements. For example, there may be restrictions on how many hours you are allowed to work while studying in the UK. If you breech the terms of your visa, you could end up losing the right to study and stay in the UK.

If you are entering the UK for work, you may need a work visa. The type of work visa that you apply for or get awarded may be dependent upon the work that you do. For example, the UK Border Agency may distinguish between skilled workers and temporary workers. For more information on working in the UK, click here.

Contact Details for the UK Border Agency and Home Office

It is advisable to contact the UK Border Agency or Home Office directly to find out about your visa requirements or visa application. The work of the UK Border agency will soon be returning to the Home Office and will be split into two parts, focusing on the visa system and on immigration law enforcement.

The UK Border Agency or Home Office will always have the correct and most up to date information. You can apply online for most visas.

When you arrive in the UK

When you arrive in the UK, you will probably want to keep in touch with your family back home. Remember that with Pocketdial UK you can get cheap international calls from just 1p per minute.

The Nepali and Thai New Year: Bisket Jatra and Songkran

Posted on 12th April 2013 by jon

New year in many of the South East Asian calendars, such as the Thai New Year, fall around the beginning of springtime, around 10th – 15th April. The Nepali New year and Bisket Jatra celebrations also happen at this time. You will find many other celebrations going on in other parts of South Asia, such as in Tamil Nadu an Gujarat (India). In this blog, I will introduce you to the exciting celebrations of Thai and Nepali New Year.

The Water Festival

If you are lucky enough to spend April in Bangkok, you will be there for the Thai New Year festival of Songkran, the water festival. The water festival is also celebrated in many other South East Asian countries and is traditionally celebrated on the day of the full moon in the 11th month. The water festival is known by different names in different countries. In Burma it is called Thingyan and in Laos it is called Pi Mai Lao.

Thai New Year

In 2013 and 2014 the Thai New Year water festival celebrations will start on 13th April. It is known as Songkran. Traditionally, family members sprinkled water on each other as a sign of respect. Nowadays it can happen to random strangers and passers by, and it can turn into quite an exciting water fight. So if you are travelling through Thailand at this time, beware!

Nepali New Year

Nepali New Year celebrations will commence on 10th April in 2013 and 2014. New Year is celebrated all over Nepal, but if you can, visit Bhaktapur for the nine day celebration called Bisket Jatra – the celebration of the death of the serpents.

Legend has it that anyone who married the Princess of Bhaktapur would die on the night of their honeymoon, and so she remained single as men were too scared to marry her. Finally, a brave young Prince came along and married her, vowing to solve the mystery. On the first night of their honeymoon, he stayed awake and saw that two serpents appeared from her nostrils. The Prince took out his sword and chopped off their heads.

If you manage to get to Bhaktapur for Bisket Jatra, you will see a huge chariot with deities being paraded through the streets, with ribbons that represent the serpent. The chariot usually pauses for a game of tug-o-war between the East and the West sides of town. When the chariot ride has finished, they get to Khalna Tole, where a 25m high giant pole is erected. The following day, it is torn down in yet another Tug-O-War! This is certainly one of the best times of year to visit Nepal. To read more about the Bisket Jatra, click here.

Happy New Year from Pocketdial UK!

If you are celebrating Nepali or Thai New Year, Pocketdial UK would like to wish you a very happy new year! If you would like to call your relatives in Thailand over the Thai New Year, with Pocketdial UK, you can call Thailand from the UK for just 1p a minute.

International Dialling Codes for making International Calls

Posted on 5th April 2013 by jon

Making international calls to both landlines and mobiles can be confusing. With so many different international dialling codes, how do you know which ones you need? Don’t worry, Pocketdial UK is here to help. We have summarised the dialling codes that you will need when making an international call. We have also researched the most frequently used dialling codes.

Image Credit: iMorpheus on Flickr (creative commons 2.0)

What International Dialling Codes will I need?

If you are making an international call, you will need two international dialling codes. Firstly, you will need the exit dialling code for the country that you are in. Secondly, you will need the international dialling code for the country that you are calling to. For example, to call India from the UK, you would need the following international dialling codes…

UK exit dialling code: 00

India International dialling code: 91

Complete phone number: 00 + 91 + ### ####

Top Ten Most Popular International Dialling Codes

Destination	Exit code (dialling out)	International Dialling code (dialling to)
Australia	0011	61
Brazil	This will depend on the provider of your phone service in Brazil. 0014 (Brasil Telecom) 0012 (CTBC) 0021 (Embratel) 0025 (GVT) 0023 (Intelig) 0031 (Oi) 0015 (Telefonica), 0041 (TIM)	55
China	00	86
India	00	91
Pakistan	00	92
Philippines	00	63
Poland	00	48
Saudi Arabia	00	966
Syria	00	963
USA	011	1

How to find out International Dialling codes and Exit Codes

At Pocketdial UK, we recently found a great gadget on www.countrycallingcodes.com. This is a quick and easy way to find out exactly what international dialling codes you need to dial one country from another, mobiles included. You can simply enter the country that you are calling from and the country you are calling to. After one click, the exit calling codes will appear. It will also give you the international mobile dialling codes and city codes.

Don’t forget, if you are in the UK, you can make cheap international calls from a mobile using Pocketdial’s instant international call service.

Leave your comments on our blog!

Which country do you call most frequently? Do you find it easy or difficult to make an international call? Do leave your comments on our blog, we’d love to hear from you.

Happy Easter! Celebrating Easter Around the World

Posted on 28th March 2013 by jon

With all of the meals, chocolate and happy Easter celebrations, the commercialisation of Easter means that it is easy to forget what it is all about. Easter is the most important festival on the Christian calendar, probably even more important than Christmas, as it remembers the Resurrection – Jesus rising from the dead. In this blog, I explore the traditions and values behind Easter, and the amazing ways that people celebrate Easter around the world.

The Meaning of Easter: Good Friday

According to Christian tradition, Jesus as the Son of God died on the Cross so that the sins of mankind could be forgiven. Good Friday was the day on which Jesus was crucified at Golgotha (the place of the skull). Christians believe that Jesus took on the burden of the sins of man at the point that he was crucified, and that through his love for mankind, God will forgive.

Easter Sunday

Christianity teaches that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. The Bible tells the story of Mary Magdeline, a close friend of Jesus, going to anoint his body with spices. But when she got to the tomb, the stone had been rolled away and his body had gone. The resurrection was the ultimate miracle. Jesus had rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to be on the right hand side of God.

How is Easter Celebrated around the World?

In Europe, eggs are popular, signifying new life that follows the resurrection of Christ. In many parts of Europe, eggs are decorated beautifully and intricately. Small wooden crosses are often made and palm fronds to celebrate Palm Sunday.

In Africa and some parts of Asia, re-enactments of the stations of the cross are very popular. Easter processions are also popular in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. At Pocketdial UK, we were excited to find out the top 5 places to see Easter around the world.

Easter Around the World: Top 5 Places to visit at Easter

5. Alaska – In Alaska at Easter, you can see real multi-coloured chicks! Their eggs are injected with dye before they hatch. Don’t worry, the dye is harmless!

4. Spain – Visit the Spanish town of Malaga where you will see a Palm Sunday procession and a figure of Christ being paraded down the street on Holy Thursday.

3. Germany – Beautifully decorated Easter Eggs can be seen in Germany at Easter time. Volker Kraft decorates his tree in Saalfield with 10,000 decorated eggs, and has been doing so for 40 years!

2. Philippines – In the Philippines, it is traditional to re-enact the stations of the cross. Beware – some of these can be gruesomely realistic!

1. Italy – You just can’t beat Easter in Italy. Religious processions and festivals can be seen everywhere. Italians bake traditional Easter cake called Colomba di Pasqua – a cake shaped like a dove. Join the thousands who visit Vatican city to hear the Pope conduct Easter Mass on St. Peter’s square.

Homemade Colomba di Pasqua
Photography by ‘Nicola since 1972’ on Flickr.

How do you celebrate Easter around the world?

What do you do to celebrate Easter? Have you celebrated Easter around the world and have any special experiences to share with us? Do leave your comments on our blog.

Remember to contact your friends and family to say happy Easter. You can make international calls from just 1p a minute with Pocketdial UK.

Dialling UK Mobiles – How to call a UK mobile when it’s Abroad

Posted on 23rd March 2013 by jon

Dialling UK mobiles whilst they are abroad can be confusing. Where possible, its often much cheaper to use landlines for making international calls. However, there are a few tricks and suggestions that can help you.

Dialling UK landlines when abroad is often cheaper. It is better to call landline to mobile than mobile to mobile, especially when dialling internationally.

Avoid dialling UK mobiles whilst in a different country to another UK mobile. Roaming charges can be very expensive, and it is important to check out the charges and international tariffs before you go. To find out about using your mobile abroad, and for information on how to avoid a large phone bill when you travel, check out our article on how to avoid a large travel phone bill.

Dialling UK mobiles – How to Call a UK Mobile whilst it’s Abroad

Lets’ say your friend or relative is off on holiday in France and you want to give them a buzz from the UK on their UK mobile. How much will the call cost? Will you pay for an international call? Or is it them that pays?

Essentially if you are dialling UK mobiles, you are charged the usual cost of dialling UK irrespective of which country the mobile is in.

For your friend or relative in France, it is them that will be charged for the international portion of the call, not you. These charges are called ‘roaming charges’ and your friend or relative may want to think carefully about the roaming costs before answering your call. In these instance text messaging may work out a lot cheaper!

Image William Hook on Flickr (Creative Commons 2.0)

Making calls from UK Mobiles Whilst Abroad

So you are abroad on holiday and you need to book a local restaurant using your UK mobile. How much will it cost? Do you need to dial an international number?

As your phone will be connected to the domestic network of that country, all you should need to do is dial the full number for the restaurant, the same as you would if dialling from a local landline. In terms of cost, this is likely to be classed as a ‘roaming call’ and thus is probably going to be quite expensive. If you have some coins and are near a payphone, that is likely to be a cheaper option.

Another neat trick is to ask at a hotel reception or shop whether you can borrow their phone. In a lot of foreign countries, local calls from landlines are free so they won’t mind!

Dialling uk: What about if you want to make a call back to the UK or another international destination?

In these instances you need to dial an international exit code followed by an international prefix number.

In most countries, simply using ‘+’ will suffice for the exit code. These are the international prefix numbers or dialling codes for some popular destinations:

Country	Country Dialling Code (dialling to)	Exit Code (dialing from)
Australia	61	11
China	86	0
India	91	0
Poland	48	0
Syria	963	0
UK	44	0

These calls will be charged as ‘roaming calls’ and you should check the charges with your mobile provider.

Don’t forget about the Time Zones!

Remember the time difference when you are dialling UK from abroad. Australia, for example is 11 hours ahead of the UK. So if you are phoning the UK from Australia at 9am Australian time it will be 10pm UK time. If you want help with time zones and time differences, follow this link.

For more international dialling codes, follow this link.

If you have more up to date information, or would like to share your experiences of dialling UK mobiles abroad, do comment on our blog.

St. Patrick’s Day – How it is celebrated around the World?

Posted on 15th March 2013 by jon

What is St Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on the 17^th March each year. The day is named after Saint Patrick who is the most well-known patron saints of Ireland and the day itself commemorates different things depending on the religion. For Catholics, in the early 17^th century, St. Patrick’s Day became an official feast day. For Christians, it celebrates the arrival for Christianity in Ireland.

In the present day, however, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of Ireland and Irish culture. It is celebrated by Irish communities all over the world.

Why Is The Colour Green Associated With St Patrick’s Day?

Since the beginning of the 17^th century, the colour green has been worn for celebration of St Patrick’s Day. Interestingly, the colour that was originally associated with St. Patrick was blue. This appeared to change when St. Patrick used a shamrock – a green three leaved plant – to explain the Holy Trinity to the Pagan Irish.

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in America

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t an official holiday in North America but that doesn’t stop some of the major cities from celebrating the day.

In Chicago, the Irish are one of the biggest communities so of course celebrations are extravagant. Every year, thousands of people gather at the banks of the Chicago River as they watch a boat release dye into the water turning the river a wonderful green colour as it makes its way through the city. A parade takes place as well however this is more of a celebration for the people who have Irish heritage, but that doesn’t mean others can’t join in!

If the day itself wasn’t enough, Chicago American Football team, Chicago White Sox, are well known for their September celebration of ‘Halfway to St Patrick’s Day’ celebrations. Instead of wearing their traditional colour of black, they wear white jerseys with green pinstripes.

New York City holds the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world. It is a five hour long procession on a 1.5 mile route. Approximately 150,000 people participate in the parade which includes bands, fire fighters, police officers, and cultural clubs. Two million people line the streets to watch. This St. Patrick’s Day parade is the oldest civilian parade in the world.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ohio 2013 – photography by Jack W. Pearce of Flickr (Creative Commons 2.0)

Celebrating St. Patrick‘s Day in New Zealand and Australia

The Irish have a large presence in New Zealand and Australia due to large numbers of immigration or convicts who were sent there in the 19^th century. St. Patrick’s Day in Australia and New Zealand is seen to celebrate links with Ireland.

Although it’s not taken quite as seriously as some of the cities in America, many people still wear green items of clothing and there are many drinking activities that start in the early afternoon and carry on into the early morning of the next day.

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the United Kingdom

St Patrick’s Day is very popular with students in the UK. Many university’s student unions put on special events throughout the day and club events on at night.

There are numerous St. Patrick’s Day parades that take place throughout England during the day and even in the run up to it. Manchester holds a festival that starts two weeks prior to the event itself. There is a large parade and cultural activities during this time.

Like Australia and New Zealand, Glasgow has a large Irish population due to immigration in the 19^th century, so of course there are many celebrations within the city. They began an annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival in 2007.

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Have you got anything planned for St. Patrick’s Day? Where in the world are you celebrating? Let us know in the comments box below!

And don’t forget, you can call Ireland for just 1p/min in an instant with Pocketdial!

How to Avoid a Large Phone Bill when you Travel

Posted on 4th March 2013 by jon

Avoiding a large phone bill when you travel

Have you ever had that gut-wrenching feeling when you open your first phone bill after travelling abroad? Making the mistake of not checking your roaming charges with your service provider can end up leading to unnecessary expenses.

In this Pocketdial UK guide to avoiding a large phone bill when you travel, you will find advice on what you can do before and during your trip to keep the cost of your phone bill down.

Before you Travel

It is important that you contact your mobile service provider to set up international roaming and familiarise yourself with the call and text charges for your travel destination. There may also be charges to receive a call, so check that too, otherwise you could end up with a very large phone bill. In some countries, depending on your network, it can even cost up to £2.00 just to receive a call. Receiving a text is often free, so it makes much more sense to ask your friends to text you rather than to call you.

Also, check that your phone is compatible with the foreign networks in the country that you will be travelling to. Find out if your phone is dual band, tri-band or quad band from your manufacturers website. If it is a quad band phone, it will work everywhere. If it is dual or tri-band, it may not work on some networks, so it is important that you find this out.

Data Roaming can lead to a large Phone Bill

Data roaming whilst abroad can also lead to a very large phone bill. If possible, avoid using the internet on your phone. If you need to use the internet on your phone, you could connect to local Wi-fi, instead of using 3G. This will be much cheaper. In fact, many Wi-fi hotspots abroad are free. For more information on data roaming, visit www.moneysavingexpert.com.

Phone Bill saving methods from your Operator

Many UK operators have international tariffs that you should research and set up. At the time of writing this article, here are the deals with UK phone operators that we found for roaming (mobile use while travelling abroad) to keep the cost of your phone bill down.

We found that O2 offers a data abroad bolt on to help you to reduce your phone bill when travelling. If you have an O2 phone and would like to find out more about international tarrifs for calling abroad, click here.

Orange offer an application to help you to control your phone bill when you are travelling abroad. If you have a Blackberry, Android or iPhone you can download the roaming Angel App to help keep track of your roaming costs while you are abroad. It tells you how much you have spent so that you avoid running up a large phone bill.

Click here to reduce your phone bill with the Orange Roaming Angel

If you are on Orange and travelling in the EU, the Orange weekly EU bundle. For £19 a week, you can get 30MB of data, 50 minutes of calls and 100 texts, giving you a saving of almost £25.00 on your phone bill.

If you are a Vodaphone user, Vodaphone offer the Euro Traveller. This allows you to take your price plan with you anywhere in the Europe zone for just £3.00 per day.

T Mobile offer Flexible Boosters which can be used to reduce your phone bill when roaming. They also offer a World Class Tariff which allows you to make calls for 55p a minute in 25 different countries.

Call Cards and International SIM Cards

Buying international call cards and SIM cards can make phoning from abroad on your mobile much cheaper. It also means that you are fully in control of your spending. You can use a travel SIM card and encourage friends and family to call you on your foreign SIM using Pocketdial UK. If you are looking for an international SIM card to reduce your phone bill, click here.

VOIP Service providers

However, why use your mobile when you can use a VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) for free instead? Using a VOIP service provider is the best way to reduce your phone bill whilst travelling abroad.

Skype to Skype calls are free when you are both logged into Skype via your internet connection. If you already have a Yahoo, Google + or Facebook account, you can log in and begin a free video conference through these facilities.

Another option is Jajah, which doesn’t require you to download any software. You can make calls direct from your web-browser on your smartphone, which is easy and handy if you are travelling without a laptop.

And Finally…

Wherever you are travelling in the world, have a fabulous trip. If you find out any new tips on reducing your phone bill when travelling, please leave your comments on our blog.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday in the UK

Posted on 4th March 2013 by jon

What is Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is celebrated all over the world on different days throughout the year, depending on the country. Across the world, it is mainly celebrated throughout March, April and May. Mother’s Day as it is known today was first celebrated in America. In some countries it is linked to older religious traditions. However, in America it’s a more commercial holiday. On Mother’s Day, it is common for each person to give a gift to their mother to show appreciation for everything they do.

Religious Links/Traditions of Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is linked to different religious and historical events as it is adopted by more countries. Celebrations of Mother’s Day can vary a lot from country to country. In the UK, historians believe that Mother’s Day was originally where everybody, especially young people or children who were working as servants, was given the day off to visit family or their ‘mother’ church. Many mothers would be reunited with their children. Everyone came together which resulted in it being known as ‘Mothering Sunday’.

Mother’s Day in the USA

Mother’s Day in America is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. The holiday as it is today was first initiated by Anna Jarvis in 1908. Her mother’s dream was to have a holiday that celebrated mothers for their hard work. The idea didn’t take off at first. She then enlisted the help of a wealthy merchant and heavily promoted the idea. President Woodrow Wilson made the holiday official in 1914.

Mother’s Day became incredibly successful. However, along with this came the highly commercialised side of it, which Anna Jarvis hated. When she died in 1948 she regretted starting up the holiday.

Mother’s Day is now one of the biggest celebrated holidays in the USA. Sales of flowers and greetings cards really benefit from the holiday and without their support for the holiday over the years it is quite possible that Mother’s Day may not be what it is today.

Mother’s Day in the UK

Unlike many European countries, where it’s celebrated on the second Sunday of May, Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom is always celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Traditionally, it was never related to the American celebration. Churches still celebrate it as the original religious celebration. However, due to globalisation and commercialism, much of the religious aspect has now been forgotten.

US soldiers who came over to the UK for World War II brought with them their own traditions of Mother’s Day, and it became merged with the more Christian holiday of Mothering Sunday. Many people are not aware that the two holidays used to be separate. Like in America, florists and greetings cards companies enjoy a higher demand during this holiday. Many families see it as a day to do something together. Many go out for the day or to restaurants in the evening.

Mother’s Day Around the World

The American version of Mother’s Day has been widely adopted in many other countries; they have just changed the date of it to suit their calendar. This means it is not always celebrated on the second Sunday in May, but it is essentially the same holiday.

Remember to thank your mum this Mother’s Day, for everything that she has done for you! If you are far away from your mum, do remember to give her a call. Pocketdial UK can help you to reduce the cost of your internatinal calls.

What are your plans for Mother’s Day this year? Please share in the comments below!

Jet Lag – Tips on how to avoid Jet Lag when Flying to and from the UK

Posted on 22nd February 2013 by jon

What is Jet Lag?

Jet lag is the tiredness and lethargy experienced following a long haul flight, when the body’s natural rhythm or sleeping pattern is thrown out by crossing different time zones. Anyone can get jet lag, but it is more common, and the symptoms are more profound, in the over 60’s.

There are 24 different time zones in the world and when you cross these it can disrupt your body clock. For example, if you were flying from London to Bangkok, Bangkok is seven hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). If the flight left London at 9am, and the flight time was roughly 11 hours, the arrival time would be 8pm UK time, but 3am Bangkok time. You can see that thinking it is the evening when it is actually the morning will certainly throw out your body’s natural rhythm!

Jet lag cannot be completely avoided, but the symptoms can be reduced, and there are things that you can do to help your body clock adjust as soon as possible.

Image by Kossy@FINEDAYS on Flickr (Creative Commons)

Preparing for Jet Lag – Before the Flight

It is a good idea to research the time differences from the UK, and start to change your sleep routine a few days before your flight departure. www.jetlagprevention.com gives you a personal plan to help you to prepare for the journey and reduce the effects of jet lag. You simply enter your flight times and destinations. It will then provide you with a plan of what to eat, when to eat and when to go to bed, so that you can be fully prepared for that all important long haul journey.

Do go to bed early and get plenty of sleep before your flight. You may also want to consider an online check-in, which is offered by most airlines these days. This will make check in quick and easy, reducing stress before the flight.

Reducing the effects of Jet Lag – During the flight

When you board the plane, or even before boarding, it is a good idea to adjust your watch to the time of your destination. It is easy to become dehydrated during a long haul flight, so drink lots of water. Avoid alcohol and caffine if possible, as they can contribute to the effects of jet lag. Ear plugs and an eye mask might help you to get more sleep during a flight – sleep as much as you can whilst on the plane. But do remember to take a walk around the cabin from time to time, and stretch your arms and legs whilst seated, to avoid Deep Vain Thrombosis (DVT).

Reducing the Effects of Jet Lag – When you Arrive at your Destination

When you arrive at your destination and experience jet lag, try to avoid napping as soon as you get there. Establish a new routine as soon as possible. It is a good idea to spend time outdoors, as the natural light will help your body to adjust.

Wherever you are travelling in the world, have a fantastic trip. Remember, you can always keep in touch with your friends abroad through PocketDial UK.