Visiting The UK – 30 Essential Things To Know Before You Go

It will come at no surprise that the UK is not all Downton Abbey and afternoon tea with the Queen. It has a rich, diverse history and some unique peculiarities which all combine to make it a fascinating place to visit. Well, obviously being British ourselves, we are slightly biased.

So, to help make your visit run smoothly and to stop you from ‘putting your foot in it‘ we’ve come up with, (in no particular order), 30 essential things to know before you go.

1. The UK Is Not Just England

The UK or to give its full title, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although British, each country has its own individual culture and identity, also their own language. This leads us on to…

2. Don’t Refer To Everyone As English

This won’t really be appreciated by anyone outside England. We may all speak English but we are not all English. Using ‘British’ should be a safer bet.

3. Don’t Expect To Understand All The Accents

It’s not as simple as Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English, there are variations between north and south. Even from one part of a city to another. Not many of us speak like the queen so you’ll probably need things repeated. Don’t worry, you’ll soon pick up the language.

4. The UK Is So Much More Than Just London

We love London, it’s a wonderfully diverse city. However, in the same way, New York is not typical of the rest of the USA, London is not the same as the rest of the UK. If you have the time, get out of London and explore some of the pretty villages, towns and cities and the UK’s varied landscapes.

5. We Use The Metric System (Most Of The Time)

In the shops, items are sold in grams and kilograms and for liquids, millilitres and litres. But in the pub, beer is still served in pints and on the roads, all distances are still measured in miles and speeds in miles per hour.

6. The Coins Are Actually Worth Something

We won’t waste too much time talking about the coppers, 1p and 2p but you will be given some coins which do have value. In particular, the 12 sided, bimetallic one pound coin and the larger round two pound coin.

7. Pub Culture

Don’t expect table service in a pub, drinks and food are usually ordered at the bar. Also, don’t expect the average pub barman to be able to make a cocktail. It’s a ‘pint for the fella and glass of white wine/fruit-based drink for the lady.’

8. You Can Get GOOD Food

Tourists still talk about fish and chips, scotch eggs and pork pies but there so much more to British food than the old classics. From simple takeaways to fine dining restaurants, the variety of food is amazing. You can still try the classic English breakfast or Sunday roast but you must try one of our favourites, a proper curry in a good Indian.

9. Don’t Complain In Restaurants

If you do have a terrible meal in a restaurant when the waiter comes over and asks, “How was everything?’. The correct British answer is ‘Very good, thanks’ and just continue to quietly moan to your friends.

10. Tipping Is Not A Major Thing

Yes, we do tip but it is not a major part of the culture as it is in the US. Generally, you tip 10% in restaurants although many larger restaurants do include a 12% service charge on the bill. If you choose not to tip for whatever reason you won’t get the waiter chasing you down the road. It is not usual to tip in bars or cafes.

11. The British Do Love Tea

There may be the dreaded hipster coffee shop opening up everywhere and the omnipresent Starbucks but tea is still the national drink. It’s mainly enjoyed in the house as the rise of the coffee shop has ruined drinking tea out, the price has increased to match coffee and their water is NEVER hot enough, the water must be boiling.

12. You Must Try Marmite

Dark brown, salty, yeasty and sticky, the spread that divides the nation. Try a thin scraping on your toast at breakfast and you decide. If you’re wondering, it is vegetarian.

13. Many Place Names Are Pronounced Nothing Like They Are Spelt

Leicester is pronounced ‘Lester‘, Gloucester is pronounced ‘Gloster‘ and Bournemouth is pronounced ‘Bornmuth‘. These are just a few, we won’t even start with some of the Welsh names like Llanelli or the old classic, Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. Yes, that is a place name and I didn’t just fall asleep on the keyboard.

14. Don’t Be Too Loud In Public

We do have our share of loudmouths in the UK but generally talking loudly in public, especially in restaurants is frowned upon. Not everyone is interested in your conversation so ‘Inside Voice, Please!”

15. Queuing Is A National Pastime

We love queuing and get quite distressed by people that do not. Never cut in line or let people in. If you do, you ‘ll probably be confronted with a quiet passive-aggressive mutter or if things get really bad, it could even be a loud ‘Excuse Me!’

16. UK Power Sockets Are A Masterclass in Design

They may be big but every detail makes for a perfect design, from the multitude of safety features to the fact it doesn’t fall out of the wall with the slightest pull.

17. The Price You See Is The Price You Pay

Unlike in the US, all displayed shop prices include tax (VAT). So there’s no fussing around with pennies and odd figures. If it says a pound you pay a pound.

18. Don’t Look For The Power Socket in The Bathroom, There Won’t Be One

Don’t bother looking for somewhere to plug your hairdryer in. Electrical sockets are not allowed in bathrooms or shower rooms (apart from shaver-supply units). Also, you’ll find the light switch outside the bathroom or a cord pull-switch in the bathroom but never a switch on the bathroom wall.

19. We Do Love To Talk About The Weather

Considering it will probably be overcast and raining we do like to talk about the weather. However, it is a ‘safe’ subject and ideal for mundane, non-personal, small talk. We don’t want to be too familiar.

20. Everything Stops If There Is Any Snow

Due to our location and the effects of the gulf stream, the weather is not that extreme. Generally, it is cold but not too cold in the winter and slightly warmer in the summer but usually wet. So when we do get snow, it is usually an extreme weather event. even a light dusting of snow can cause traffic to grind to a halt and the trains cancelled.

21. We Love Sarcasm And A Good ‘Put Down’

Sarcasm starts early in life and we love a good ‘put down’. There’s always someone willing to shout a well-timed cutting remark if you ever get too carried away with yourself. We also love the underdog and never, ever start ‘Whooping!” when excited.

22. Don’t Ask For The Bathroom Unless You Want A Bath

Yes, a bathroom is a room with a bath. Toilet, is not a dirty word in the UK.

23. Red Telephone Boxes Are Just For Photo Ops

Once on every street corner and often used as a makeshift toilet these iconic red boxes are now only used by Instagrammers visiting London. Most don’t even contain phones and that stale urine smell is just a distant memory.

24. Using A Car Horn Is The Last Resort

Basically, using a car horn to beep someone is extreme and used as the last resort before formally challenging someone to a duel at dawn. You’ll usually hear it as a goodbye when someone is dropped off or a hello as you drive past a mate, accompanied by a friendly shout of ‘ W****r”.

25. The Speed Limit On A Motorway Is 70mph

This is surprising to most visitors because as you drive down the motorway at this speed every other car on the road will be flying past you.

26. Most Cars Are Manual

This is important if you intend to rent a car. If you are not used to driving a manual transmission make sure you request an automatic, if you don’t, you will probably be given a manual. This, combined with sitting on the right and driving on the left maybe a little overwhelming for the first time driver in the UK.

27. Don’t Attempt To Understand Cricket

It can last for 5 days, the scoring can make no sense whatsoever and even after all this time it can still end in a draw. It even stops for tea! Like many sports, it was invented by the English but usually played better by all the other countries it was exported to.

28. Don’t Refer to Football As Soccer

There’s only one type of football and that’s football played with the round ball. If you really want to stand out as a tourist then use the word, soccer.

29. Bollocks

Simply speaking:
‘That’s a load of bollocks‘ means something is bad or rubbish.
‘That’s the dog’s bollocks‘ means something is exceptionally good.

30. The Bottom Floor Is The Ground Floor Not The First Floor

If your room is on the first floor you will need to take the stairs or lift (elevator). When you’re coming down in the lift, make sure you press G and not 1.

So that’s 30 things to know before visiting the UK and without a doubt, we’ve probably missed many other British quirks and foibles. Nevertheless, we’re sure you’ll have a great time when you visit the UK and if we had to highlight one tip it’s to get out of London and explore the rest of the country.

Visiting The UK – Pin For Later