10 Things To Remember When Moving To A New Area

Moving to a new town or city can be a bit daunting. There are all the usual things to sort out like change of address and finding new accommodation, not to mention the packing process, finding a removal company and contacting the utility companies, but what else might you forget. Read on for our top 10 list of things to check out before moving to a new area.

1. Library – A geeky pleasure, when moving to a new area, is checking out and joining the new library. You start to feel like you belong in your new town if you have a library card in your wallet.

2. Public Transport – in order to check out the libraries, shops and local facilities, you are going to need to be able to get around. This may be under your own steam by bicycle or maybe your car or consider using the public transport network. You can pick up a timetable at your local library or bus depot and it will help with the cost of car parking.

3. Post office and post box – It’s handy to know where the closest post office and your nearest post box are. It’s also useful to work out where the head office is so that you can easily pick up parcels if you missed delivery.

4. Supermarkets – Fairly soon after you move in, you’re going to want to go and stock up on essentials so it’s good to know where your nearest supermarket of choice is.

5. Swimming Pool and Gym – Whether you’re a keep fit fanatic or you have children to entertain, it’s handy to know where the local leisure facilities are so you have something to keep them (or you) busy on rainy days.

6. Play parks – Essential for families with young children, is knowing where the local play parks are. In cities there are often many play parks of varying standards and facilities, so work out the one that you like best… and then work out where the nearest public toilets to the play park are!

7. Dentist – Often people move to a new area and do not consider contracting a new dentist. In fact around 1 in 10 people in the UK are not registered with a dentist. If you’re in the UK and having trouble finding your nearest dentist, then phone NHS 111 and they will help you.

8. Doctor – Take a little time finding the right doctor. Doctors’ surgeries differ in how they allow you to make appointments for example some will rarely give you an appointment on the day you have a health complaint and others will only make an appointment on the day for you, but you have to queue up outside the surgery first thing in the morning to make the appointment as they have their phones switched off until 11 am. Maybe you want to know if they have a female doctor. Pop in to the local doctors’ surgeries and ask the receptionist about the matters that are important to you.

9. Hospitals – it’s always good to know exactly where the local hospitals are and where the nearest Accident and Emergency unit is. You may need to know other information like where the nearest health clinic is.

10. Schools – If you have children of school age, one of your priorities will be to check the local schools. A good place to start is by checking their Ofsted report.