Basingstoke
Smart Media is located in Basingstoke, RG24 8GT, United Kingdom.
Basingstoke is a town in Hampshire, South East England. There is plenty to see and do in and around Basingstoke. For more information, see the Discover Basingstoke page.
You can find out more about Basingstoke on the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council website, which is also available in French and German.
*You are expected to make you own accommodation and travel arrangements.
Finding accommodation
- How much does accommodation in Basingstoke cost?
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Costs vary depending on the location and standard of the accommodation.
- To rent a studio in Basingstoke, you should expect to pay at least £500 per month (excluding bills).
- Renting in a room is a shared house or flat is cheaper. In Basingstoke, you should expect to pay £60 per week minimum.
Looking at the advertisements in the Basingstoke Gazette will give you an idea of what is available and rent prices.
Useful accommodation links
Look at the property for rent advertisements in local newspapers or contact a letting agent in the area.
- Basingstoke Gazette: This is the website of the local newspaper. Under Property, you will find a section called Property for rent, which shows houses and rooms for rent in Basingstoke.
- Rightmove and Zoopla: Search for properties for rent and house/flat shares in Basingstoke on these property portal websites.
- Yellow Pages: Search for 'letting agents' in 'Basingstoke' and you will find a list of rental property contacts.
There are a number of websites where you can search for a room to rent in a shared house or flat. Here are just a few:
Transport and Travel
Comprehensive information on how to get to and around the UK is available on Visit Britain.
Airports & Flights
The international airports closest to Basingstoke include:
Information on all UK airports is available in The Airport Guides.
Bringing a car to the UK
If you are an EU national, it is possible to bring your car to the UK.
See Gov.uk: Temporarily importing a vehicle.
Trains
Rail travel in the UK is expensive. You can get discounts on train tickets with a Railcard.
Note: Trains from London can be more expensive than those going from Basingstoke direct to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
For train travel to the north, the operating company is Virgin.
e.g. A return Virgin train ticket from Basingstoke to Glasgow costs approximately £76 each way. This is reduced to around £50 each way with a 16-25 Railcard.
You can find train timetable and route information, and book tickets on thetrainline.com.
At weekends there tends to be a lot of maintenance on the rail network. It is worth checking for any delays or bus replacement services before you leave.
Eurostar connects London with Paris, Lille and Brussels.
Buses
- Stagecoach runs most local buses in Basingstoke.
- More information on local transport links is available on the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council website.
- There is a Centre Shuttle service between Basingstoke Leisure Park and the town centre.
- National Express provides coach transportation to major UK cities from the Churchill Way stop.
UK Public Holidays
England and Wales have 8 permanent public (bank) holidays.
Official public holiday dates for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland can be found on this page of the Gov website: UK bank holidays.
Half way break
Being in a foreign country can be daunting, and you will undoubtedly feel a little homesick. Half way through your internship we encourage you to take a long weekend (Friday and Monday off) to visit family and friends back home. We are telling you this now so you can plan ahead and book travel tickets in advance at the most favourable prices.
Opening a bank account in the UK
Opening a bank account can be difficult. You need to provide personal data and 'proof of' documents including a recent utility bill (electricity/gas/phone) with your exact name and UK address on it.
If you are planning to live in the UK for less than 6 months, you should carefully consider whether it is worth opening a UK bank account.