Latest / UK Travel Planning / 14 Things to know before visiting England for the first time

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14 Things to know before visiting England for the first time · UK Travel Planning

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to UK Adult Cody Podcast.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I speak color websites.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: I speak tests, I see artists, Apple Text, and I can do the ideas.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to great ages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: Hi and welcome to episode number seven of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: Today I thought I would talk about some of the questions that get asked quite often in our Facebook group and through emails and quite often just questions about visiting the UK and etiquette and kind of rules and um how to not make any faux power when you're in England.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm actually gonna talk specifically about England today because I am English.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm born I was born in the northeast of England.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I felt it was probably better if I talked about this from an English perspective because uh we are different from the Welsh and the Scottish and um the Northern Irish, so I I thought this was the best way to approach the subject.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna talk through kind of 14 things things that I think it's useful to know when you're visiting England for the first time, and hopefully I'll answer quite a few of those kind of questions that you probably have at the back of your mind.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so number one is don't push in or invade personal space.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I I don't queue jump.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: So we line up, we queue very readily in in England.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um I don't know if we're trained to do that from birth, but I know that it's something that we feel quite strongly about.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: We also like our personal space, so it's really important to not push into that bubble.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: So if you need to squeeze past someone, we will always say excuse me as we pass.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um and that's a polite way of just asking for permission before you attempt to move through.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: You'll actually find, to be honest, if you bump into an English person, they'll probably say sorry, even if it was you that bumped into them.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think again, something that we're just conditioned to do.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: This strong cue culture, or I think it's line lineups in America you call it.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: We just like to form cues and wait for our turn patiently.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: We're just not really fans of kind of pushy people and pushing in.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and if you um push in accidentally, um, you'll probably find that you're gonna get lots and lots of tuts and lots and lots of stares at you directed by the people who you've actually jumped in front of.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: We tend not to really say anything, so you probably won't get anybody saying something to you directly, but what you will get are a lot of stares and a lot of tuting.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, so that's my number one tip to think about when you're in the UK.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: Following on from that, I would gonna give you tip number two, which actually uh applies particularly for those of you who will be in London and traveling on the London Underground system or the tube, is not to stand on the left-hand side on escalators.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Always keep to the right.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: You will see signs that will say keep right.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: If you find on if you do stand on the left, you'll find a lot of unimpressed people who will actually be trying to get past you because the left-hand side is used for people to get up and down the escalators quite quickly.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: Also, we just recommend that um you avoid traveling during rush hour periods, definitely before 9:30 a.m.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: and after 4 p.m.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: on weekdays if you can, because it will be busier at that point on the tube.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: There are other ways to get around London, so um, you know, if you're going underground, it's fantastic and it's a really good system.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: But you are underground, so you're not going to see as much.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we would recommend trying out some of the other methods of transport when you're in London, including walk-in, um, because it is quite a walkable city.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we will be talking in a future podcast about uh how to get around London on public transport, so do keep an eye out for that.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: But basically, the main point is, I guess, with one and two, is that just to kind of be aware of what's happening around you.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, as I say, like if you see a cue, join the back of it.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you're in London and you're on an escalator, you know, keep to the right.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: Look at the signs, because that's what you'll see, and you'll see everybody else will be queuing up on the right hand side as well.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Tip number three is to please learn the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: It is a useful thing to know.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: So basically, Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: The United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: England is not the same as Britain.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Scotland is not England.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: In Scotland, the people are Scots or Scottish, and Wales the people are Welsh.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: In England, the people are English, but you can call us Brits too.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Bit complicated, isn't it?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: But actually it's a really useful thing to know, and it's uh I think it's when people talk about Great Britain, the British, the English, the UK, it can get really complicated.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: But if you basically know Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales, but the United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland, and then you'll be on the right track.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: But definitely do not call Scottish people English because they're not, do not call Welsh people Scottish because they're not or English.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: They are Scottish, they are Welsh, we are English, or we are or British.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that clears things up.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, tip number four is that we don't all speak like the Queen.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um which you can probably tell from my accent because I don't sound like the Queen.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Each region of England has their own accent, and you may hear many accents as you travel around.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: You will hear many accents as you travel around England.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: Some are easier to understand than others, and some are easier on the ear as well, shall we say?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Do not expect many people to speak like the Queen.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: She speaks a form of English called received pronunciation, which is considered very posh by us commoners.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's also an indication of someone from the upper classes who probably attended boarding school and was raised by nannies.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm from the north, so you could probably hear that my vowel sounds are I say bath, uh, whereas people from down south will say bath.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: So we pronounce our vowels very differently.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: So if you they're gonna be you're gonna meet lots of different people from around the UK when you when you're visiting.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're traveling around England, you don't have to go very far to hear a different accent.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Especially if you're obviously if you're getting outside of London, you're gonna hear lots of different accents.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So so I'm a Geordie uh because I'm from the Northeast.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: So that kind of applies to Tyneside and Northumberland, but even in that area there's quite a difference in accents.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: A Mackim is somebody who's also from the Northeast, but from Sunderland and surrounding areas.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then I can't do these accents.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: I know there are some very talented people out here out there who can do them, but I can't.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: So Escousa is from Liverpool and surrounding areas.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: So think about Paul McCartney and his accent.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um Mancunian is from Manchester, Cockney is from the east end of London, and uh Brummy is from Birmingham, but that's just a kind of few examples of the different accents that you might hear.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I have to admit that some the older generation speak with stronger accents.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: I know unfortunately my grandfather passed away a number of years ago, but I had a friend who joined me, came to visit from Liverpool, and she couldn't understand what my grandfather was saying because his accent was very strong.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: But I had actually the same when we went to Liverpool, and I struggled a couple of times over in a cafe to understand what somebody was saying.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: So it's regional variations and differences are very interesting.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, as I say, just don't be surprised by it.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure if you've watched lots of television programs, I mean there's great TV programs, and you'll have heard lots of different accents anyway.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: But we're all very proud of our accents as well and try to keep them alive.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so enjoy though, enjoy them, but just don't try and copy us, please, because it's not easy.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I know I can't do I could try and do a Liverpool in accent or a London accent, but I can't.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and there are some really good comedians that do good jobs of it.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, so just enjoy listening out on for the and also we use different words as well.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: So you might get different words used in different parts of the country to describe similar things, but again, that's just that kind of regional, regional variations.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, uh enjoy that when you're when you're there.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the thing is um if you do spend enough time in England, you will learn to recognise the different accents, that's for sure.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I kind of I guess the next point is probably a little bit related to that, is that some English place names are not pronounced the way you may expect.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and it can be very interesting.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: Even myself has fallen foul to this on more than one occasion where I've totally pronounced the place completely incorrectly.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: One very famous place in the UK is Lofborough, um, who which is often pronounced as Lugebruger by people who do not know how to uh pronounce it correctly.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Even from my area of the world where I come from, uh which is uh place near Anik, is it which is spelled A-L-N, W-I-C-K.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: So you would pronounce it would be kind of Alm Wick.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's actually Anik, you don't pronounce the W.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we have lots and lots of fun words like that.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Berick, again, we don't pronounce the W.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then I guess my personal favourite, and this I guess comes from been spending some time in Australia, where is Leicester, which is L-E-I, C-E-S-T-E-R, which is pronounced Leicester, um, and I've actually heard that pronounced as Ly Sester.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: But again, just have a go.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: As I say, I've done exactly the same.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: I've mispronounced places.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: I I remember um there's a place in the northeast which is it's spelt C-A-M-B-O-I-S, and I pronounced it cambois, much to my my mum's hysterical laughter, um, because it's actually pronounced Camus.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Of course it is.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so tip number six and actually deals with tipping, which again is is one of the most common questions that I'm asked.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, especially if you come from a culture uh where tipping is expected, such as um America, um you might be surprised to know that actually tipping's not expected in England.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's always appreciated, but it's not expected.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if you want to tip for good service in a restaurant, um a 10 to 15% tip is generally what would recommend.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um but do check that in case the service charge has already been added, which which generally can, well, which can be the case.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: So if that has been just you know, there's no expectation to tip.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, if you're ordering a bar, um there's again no expectation to tip.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: But if you're in a restaurant and served by a waitress, yeah, sure, add you know, 10% to the bill and give them the tip.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: If you take the London cab, for example, round it up to the nearest pound, we'd recommend that.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have a baggage porter um who takes your baggage to your room, um, you know, a two-pound tip is absolutely uh acceptable.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that's not a problem.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: But as I say, it's not a huge expectation that you're gonna tip.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's not you won't have somebody, you know.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: I I know we when we travelled around America, we we yeah, we had a few occasions where the expectation of the tip was um I don't know how to put this, but it was was uh very strongly suggested.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um so you won't find that in in England at all.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: As I say, if you had good service, it is a good thing to tip.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: But again, as I say, it's not an expectation.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: So tip number seven, what do you do when you need to spend a penny?
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: If you're out and about in England and eat the loo, you may be wondering how to find a public toilet.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: So you'll find that there are public toilets in shopping centres, department stores, train stations, and of course there's always McDonald's if um you'll always find a McDonald's.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um there are some great apps available which you can use to find the location of the nearest public toilet.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: So, and I've got actually uh an article on my website about different apps that are useful to have when you travel in the UK, and I will link to that in the show notes.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, so if you need the toilet, you'll find that most of them are free as well, although some will charge, but you know, on most occasions we would head for um the Shopman Centre department store or McDonald's or and train stations recently have stopped charging to use the toilets, um, so you shouldn't need any change for that.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: But again, that you'll find that there are kind of plenty of toilets around.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so don't worry, especially if you're in one of the cities.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, if you're out in the countryside, that might be slightly more difficult.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, I would I would recommend sort of downloading an app if that's something that you're you know you're gonna feel that you're gonna be conscious of that you will need the toilet.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's probably your best way forward.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: So tip number eight is to enjoy England with all its quirks, you know, embrace, expect it to be different to where you come from.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, don't go looking for the familiar, but actually embrace the food, the culture, and the opportunities that you have to explore the country.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: This is one of the reasons I I highly recommend that you don't spend your entire holiday in London because you you won't really get to experience England.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: So get out and about, see attractions in other parts of the country because there's so many amazing places to visit in England.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we've got you know areas of outstanding natural beauty, such as the Lake District, the Cotswold, the Peak District.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um England's also filled with places of interest, the history booths, there's like quite a few castles I've heard, um, quite a few stately homes, historic cities such as Bath, which is also at INESCO World Heritage Site, York, Seaside Towns, beautiful um and very quaint little villages in the Cotswolds, for example.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: As you explore, don't forget to add some unique English experiences into your travels, such as, you know, enjoy a pint in an English pub, have a hike through the countryside, you know, go to an English football match, um, you know, probably if you can't get tickets, which I know are really difficult, then then enjoy it from a uh from a pub.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, enjoy a fish and chip supper, you know, and enjoy the random opportunities uh and places to visit as you travel.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I love London, I really do, and I understand why people want to see, you know, famous sites and the landmarks like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: But a few days in London does not mean that you have experienced England.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: So if you can, um even if you're planning a week in London and that's all you've got, try and have do a day trip.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: Try and get out, go to Bath for the day, you know, go to down to Brighton to the coast, go to Canterbury.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: There's lots and lots of places that you can visit from uh London for the day.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, in this previous podcast, we spoke to John England from John England Tours and he takes some absolutely fantastic tours for those of you who are interested in history, to Heaver Castle, Dover Castle, go and see the White Cliffs.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um there's lots and lots of amazing places to visit outside of London.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, take the opportunity while you're there to actually go and and explore.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you'll obviously meet lots of different people as well when you're when you're out and about, which will be um is always great.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's one of the my favorite things about traveling is actually, yes, I enjoy seeing the the places and learning about you know the different landmarks and attractions, but it's actually meeting the people and and just kind of learning how our people in England live would be really great to do.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: So as I say, you know, pop into a pub, um go and have a have a uh Sunday roast, um, you know, have a have a stroll through on there's lots of places to walk, so have a little bit of a walk through some of the parks or um you know go down as I say, there's lots and lots of places you can visit.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: So um yeah, just enjoy the experience of actually being in England.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: So the next one is probably one of our favourite topics for the English is the weather.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I get asked a lot again, I get caught a lot of uh emails and messages about what to pack.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um and you know what?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: The English weather is the main thing I can say about it is to actually expect the unexpected because really it's so unpredictable.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I kind of expect to become as obsessed as we are about it.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know, really you'll need a coat, jacket, whatever time of year.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, layering is is what I absolutely say to people, you know, put wear layers, and if it does get warm, you can take them off.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: If it gets colder, you can put more on.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if you're visiting in the winter, you may see snow, and that's definitely more likely the further north that you go.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: So though I know the last few years, sort of February's been kind of the snow month, you know, don't discount visiting the UK in winter.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: It is low season outside of Christmas and New Year, anyway, and so places are quieter.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, England's not the sunniest country in the world, um, so it's not somewhere that you're gonna go to for the sunshine, that's for sure.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and compared to many countries, we do have a relatively short summer, and again, even in summer, the weather is unpredictable.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: So you really need to keep an eye on local forecasts and news bulletins, make sure you've got plenty of jumpers and cardigans, a pair of comfortable walking shoes, uh waterproof.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: So in London, I would not use an umbrella because it's just not practical.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: And again, I guess it can be windy, so you've got an umbrella, even if you're outside of outside of London, it can, you know, if it's windy, you're not gonna be able to use an umbrella anyway.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you can take a Packamax, something like that.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't particularly personally I don't like wearing them because I find them too hot.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but they are probably your best bet, and then you can keep that in your bag, and then if it starts raining, you can pop that on.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, or just have a small travel umbrella.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: But again, as I say, not not I wouldn't recommend that in London.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and just something like invest in something that can keep you uh a bit you know dry if it does rain.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because yes, we do get a lot of rain, but I think we do get a bit of bad press for that in terms of people just think it rains every single day.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: So just the main thing really is to not to overpack when you're putting stuff in, you know, taking putting your packing together really is to think in layers.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: So for example, I'll take t-shirts and then I've got kind of long sleeve tops, and then jumpers, and then a few sort of different um thicknesses of jackets.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, in the winter, if you go, and then I've got things like you know, socks and boots and um hat and scarf and gloves, and sometimes I've bought some of those little hand warmers as well, but that was particularly when we were in Scotland, because it does get colder the the further north that you go, so that's worth bearing in mind.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I think the main thing is just to think expect the unexpected because it you literally can't predict it.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: We could have an absolutely glorious summer this year, or it could be a complete washout.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the only thing that I do kind of I think is typical is that the schools break up for the summer holidays on about the third week in July, and guaranteed, usually the first the weeks before that are beautiful sunny weather, and the minute the schools break up and the kids are out for the summer holidays, which are six weeks in in England, it starts to rain.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: So hopefully that won't be the case this year, but um just bear that in mind um again that you just pack for every eventuality, um, you know, pack a few coloured things and then maybe add some accessories.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe just kind of go in your you know, black, greys, navy blues, and then you know, add a few accessories in for some colour.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And again, yeah, just I've got a packing list, so I will link to that in the show notes so you can have a have a look at the sort of things that I recommend that you take.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, we're we're quite uh I should say light packers.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: We take as little as possible with us.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um I just find it a lot easier.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: So again, it's kind of mixing and matching, you know, and and taking taking the minimum that you think that you're gonna need.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: There's always shops that you can go and buy clothes in if you if you you know find that there's something that you need anyway.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: So, number 10 thing to know before you go to England is don't underestimate the English love of tea.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I personally don't drink coffee.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: I absolutely adore tea.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure that it actually runs through my veins.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, a lot of people are coffee lovers in the UK, that's for sure, and in England definitely.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's just not something that I've ever really enjoyed.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: If you order tea, expect it to come with milk and sugar, uh, which you can add.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: So the sugar won't be added to it, but you can add it in a Porsche establishment.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're playing an afternoon tea in London, for example, expect a teapot, tea leaves, and a strainer, and a large choice of different teas, um, because of course there's lots and lots of different teas available.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, from what I've heard, and uh from fellow Brits and um particularly Australians have told me that um the coffee isn't brilliant in the UK, which I think is probably a bit of an exaggeration.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: But I know you'll definitely get a decent cup of tea.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: I can't promise you that you'll get a decent cup of coffee.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, next thing to know is don't talk too loudly in restaurants or on public transport.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't really stress this enough because actually the English aren't really loud, and we're quite aware, or very aware actually, of being respectful to others around us.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: So we tend not to talk very loudly, or in fact, possibly at all, um, on things like the tube or buses.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: So if you do, if you are quite, and I've got a very loud voice, so I have to be my husband's always telling me.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I have to be conscious of this myself is just to be conscious of the loudness of your voice because nobody wants to sit in a restaurant and hear kind of the people at the next table or on a train and hear the the people further down the compartment um talking.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: It actually is considered quite rude and so again a bit like the pushing in a queue you'll find that you might get quite a lot of stairs a la Paddington Bear.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you know Paddington Bear stairs well that's what you will get.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: And tutz especially if you on the train for example or you're in it designated quiet zones because trains do have designated quiet zones so there's no expectation there there's going to be any music or loud talking.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah you'll we'll find that you'll probably um not be appreciated by the other people in the compartment with you.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then the next the next tip the next thing to know is that don't say that we drive on the wrong side of the road because actually you do.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: Ha no only kid um okay so you just need to remember that in the UK we drive on the left we don't drive on the right we drive on the left it's easy when you're driving and you're if you're used to driving on the right hand side which obviously you know in Europe uh mainland Europe they drive on the right but in I'll try to think what other places that drive on the right hand side America Canada I'm sure there's quite a few places in the world that do but there's also quite a few places that drive on the left for example Australia New Zealand Hong Kong and obviously all over the UK we drive on the left.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: So and I know that's quite a daunting prospect for if you're used to driving on the right the thought of then all of a sudden I'm going to be driving on the the other side of the road rather than the wrong side of the road but you will get used to it because you have to remember that when you get into your higher car that the seat's on the other side the driver's seat is on the other side and believe me there's been so many times when when we've hired a car in France for example and we're getting the wrong side and I know actually quite a lot I know some of the cars will actually will will have a little sign to just to remind you to drive on the left um you know and also there's a lot of cars crammed on England's road so don't be surprised at just how busy they are or how narrow the roads are.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: Compared to the wide streets I've driven on in Australia or North America English roads are very narrow and we will talk in another podcast actually about how to get around the UK including talking about driving because there are obviously you know different rules and things to know.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: We have lots more roundabouts for example than other countries and we actually have got a guide if you are thinking about renting a car on our website and I will link to that in the show notes.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: Also it's a good thing to know actually if you're used to driving on the wrong side of the sorry to the right um you will instinctively look the wrong way when you attempt to cross the street.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's just it's just what you're used to doing.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that's really important to remember to actually look both ways and then double check before you actually cross the road.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: In fact use a traffic lights or a uh a crossing would be far safer but you know that's something you really need to be conscious of particularly in busy cities that if you are used to driving on the right you are actually gonna look the opposite direction when you go to cross the road um and I know that's something that quite a few of my American friends have have mentioned.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well the next thing to note is actually quite quite funny actually I always find it quite funny is um that you'll find when you go to um your sink if if you're in a hotel and bathroom that you'll find two taps for some reason.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: No idea you'll find that water rarely comes out of one central tap in England in fact most of the UK so you'll get cold water very cold water out of the cold tap if it's winter and hot water out of the hot tap.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: So prepare to be scalded.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's a bit weird but anyway there are a few historical reasons for it but I just thought I'd mention it because I think it is quite surprising if you're used to having like most people in the world one tap so you can get the temperature no there's you either have cold and hot and then you've got to put them in the sink because you're gonna have to mix it to a temperature that is not going to either freeze you to death or going to burn you.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's worth knowing.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: Another thing to know is um don't expect to try and see everything in one visit because you can't.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: You know we we are going to be in uh the UK for 12 weeks.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: So whether May, June and July this year uh and we will be primarily in England and Scotland.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully we'll get into Wales as well and that's in 12 weeks and we are struggling to fit in as much as we want to see so you know you're just you're just not going to be able to do it.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah it is tempting to try and do put as much into your schedule as you can um but obviously you know you'll just end up exhausted and you probably won't as enjoy it as much as you would have done if you kind of think carefully when you plan it.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean I know putting together an itinerary especially you know visiting someone like the UK which has got there's just so much to see.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: And you know we're talking England we've got England we've got Scotland we've got Wales got Northern Ireland where'd you go what do you see um and that again that's something that's quite often mentioned to me.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're feeling overwhelmed with that process we do have um the five-step itinerary planning challenge uh which again I'll link to in the show notes this is free it's basically videos I take you through videos to take you through each of those steps um and there's a little booklet which you can work through as well just to try and help you focus and choose those places that for you are kind of your you know your must-do's and also you know your nice to-dos but then we can build an itinerary around that and we also offer if you know if you've done that and you're still feeling a bit overwhelmed and you're not sure we also do offer an itinerary review service where we spend some time on Zoom we go through your itinerary um and then give you kind of um a detailed PDF document afterwards with with everything that we've talked about.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: Because you know you you want to make the most of your time in England when you're visiting um so we totally understand you know trying to prioritize what it is that you want to fit in and the best ways to get around so that you don't find that you go back after two weeks and you're just absolutely exhausted and you know you spent 10 minutes at Heaver Castle and you spent you know 15 minutes at Stonehenge and you you sort of glimpse bath as you drove past it in the coach or or whatever you know will help you be able to kind of get the most out of your trip um and your priorities.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: So there you have it.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: Those are my kind of 14 things to know um before you visit England.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that's helped um if you've got any questions you know do join our Facebook group um because it's a great place there to to ask questions of people who've been on the travels to the UK and returned or you know people who are also planning their trips.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know you can book an itinerary review with us as well if it's something that you want to go through and also if you just want to have a chat because you know we're both we're both English.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: Doug's from the Midlands I'm from the north of England.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah so these are all kind of useful tips and useful things to know I think just to keep in the back of your mind and kind of you know I know certainly questions about tipping is one of those ones that comes up really often and again what to pack and what to expect from things like the weather and honestly if I could predict the weather in England I'd be a a multimillionaire by now I think because it's unpredictable.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah so everything I've talked about uh will be in the show notes for today's episode um with the links to everything as well that of the places that I've mentioned and those services that we offer do listen out for future podcasts where we're going to be talking about how to get around London on public transport and actually how the best ways to get around England Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland with Doug.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: So he'll be talking specifically about train travel because that's his area of expertise but we'll also be talking about how to you know driving tips, buses, coaches and also talking actually a little bit about the language that we use how we describe those uh different ways of getting around and what the difference between a bus and a coach and you know we use the the term underground and tube but it's the same thing.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know so we can talk through all of those uh issues and and those areas too so do pop in you know listen to us via your favorite podcast app so please do subscribe also if you're enjoying our podcast please leave a a review that would be absolutely fantastic we'd love that until next time I'd like to say happy UK travel planning and speak soon