Living in a tourist-trap like Oxford isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

There’s pros and cons to living anywhere, but this is especially true when you live in a place like Oxford. Love it or hate it, it’s a popular place that people from far and wide want to come see. And that can be pretty fucking annoying.

Tourists (obviously)

I mean yeah, it goes without saying.

Why do you have to walk so slowly? Why do you have to stop right in the middle of the pavement to take your photo? Why do you want your photo taken with me while I’m at work?

So many questions, I pretty sure similar things could be said for most cities and their tourists, but I’d say some of the most annoying tourists we get here are the groups of exchange students who loiter around in the most awkward places and take ages to get on the bus in their large groups. Also, I don’t mind answering some questions about Oxford, and I’m always up for having a chat, but the activity leaders need to think of more interesting games than trying trading worthless items with local businesses to keep their students occupied.

Open days

So prospective students and freshers can go in the same category as tourists in this instance. U1’s can be a rare sight as it is, so when you think one is finally turning up on time for you, only for it to drive past you without warning, you know it’s an open day.

There aren’t any decent sized supermarkets

I know it’s a small city, but it can make it difficult to find things in a pinch without the convenience of a massive chain supermarket. It also means the ones we do have get super crowded and what was meant to be a quick trip to Tesco becomes a human tough mudder challenge.

University dominates the town

By that I mean the University of, but there are still plenty of Brookes students around to liven things up too. That being said, most of the places worth seeing are owned by the university. Outside of that there are some cute places to eat and drink, punting, The Covered Market, nice parks, and museums and galleries to look in. Unfortunately, with Oxford being such a small city, after about a month you’ve probably seen and done all there is to see or do here.

As for shopping, there’s definitely a lack of variety here. We only got our first H&M two years ago, and that in itself was an event. Things may yet improve, but while the Westgate is under construction we’ll just have to settle with what decent shops we’ve got amongst the souvenir shops, eateries, and chain stores. If it weren’t so expensive here, we might have more cute independent shops to explore, but alas –

The cost of living is absurd

It’s no secret that Oxford is a stupidly expensive place to live, topping even London as the least affordable city in the UK, with house prices almost 11 times the average annual salary. Lack of choices when it comes to living spaces, and it’s pretty easy to get screwed over in terms of rent, especially if you’re a student. Lots of places take lodgers, but it feels less like home when you’re sharing a house with a whole other family or people you don’t really know.

Driving is impossible

It’s a royal pain in the ass, there’s nowhere to park and too much traffic on roads that just can’t handle it. Want some basic advice? Don’t bother owning a car in Oxford if you can get away with it.

Nightlife is terrible

There are a couple of decent student nights like Fuzzy Ducks, Go Eskimo and other Brookes’ nights which play cheesy music, and usually everyone is so drunk that you end up having a good time anyway, if that’s what you’re into. The costs of entry vary though, though the standard seems to be about £5, which for a ‘student’ night is a little  These are £5 entry for a ‘student’ night though which is a bit absurd.

The real problem about living in Oxford? Well, aside from the few things I’ve mentioned, not much. And really, though I do complain, it’s easy to forget the things that suck about living here. Plus you’d have to be the biggest brat in the world not to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you 24/7. If only the tourists would move out of the way so you could see it.