15 Things You Need to Know Before You Go to the UK
The UK is one of the most visited countries in the world… and it’s not hard to see why. Bustling cities, historic market towns, beautiful countryside, rolling hills… I could go on forever! BUT, there are probably a lot of things you don’t know about traveling to the UK, so here are 15 things you NEED to know before you go to the UK.
Know Before You Go to the UK
Carry cash on you
First things first. The currency in the UK is the sterling pound. The change is called “pence”, there are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, and 50p coins AND £1 and £2 coins (no £1 notes!), and the notes feel like plastic (£5, £10, £20, £50). The pound is stronger than the dollar.
I definitely recommend exchanging some cash before you enter the country and then you can use an ATM at one of the many banks in the UK once you’ve acclimated to your surroundings.
You will be surprised by how often you need cash. A lot of parking lots only take change, you’ll need some change for the bathrooms, little tips here and there, if you want a drink at the local pub, or if you see that cute homemade gift at the local market… you’ll need cash.
Trains are expensive
This is one of the things that shocked me most since Europe is supposed to be super into train travel! You need to book your ticket AT LEAST a month in advance to get any kind of deal on it. If you’re booking a last-minute ticket (within 2 weeks or the day of travel), then you’re looking at triple the price.
I always use TRAINLINE to book all my tickets. You can see all the train times, which is the cheapest ticket, decide which is the fastest train, and if you’re buying a super off-peak or on-peak ticket.
Top Tip: If you buy your tickets online you can print your e-ticket and or keep it on your phone… just make sure you don’t lose it or your phone doesn’t die because you will have to buy a new ticket! If you choose to pick it up at the station, you will need the confirmation number and the card you used to make the purchase.
London is expensive
This shouldn’t be a shock, but some people assume Europe is super cheap, so I’m throwing this one in here. Hotels around the tourist attractions are expensive, tourist attractions are expensive, food is expensive, drinks are expensive, souvenirs are expensive… just plan on dishing out a couple of hundred dollars every day in London.
For example: a one-day hop-on hop-off bus tour is £35 per person, the Tower of London is £25.00 per adult, £27.00 for the London Eye and that’s already $115.00 right there… and you haven’t even eaten yet!! Want that famous afternoon tea? You’re looking at £30.00 per person AT LEAST!
You can travel to London on a budget and it’s fairly easy, you just have to be picky with what you see, what you do and where you eat. (Sky Garden is one of my favorite views and it’s FREE)!
There’s more to the UK than London
Everyone thinks they have seen the country once they get to London. WRONG! There’s so much more than London. I love the city and I think it’s great to spend a couple of days there, but you don’t need to spend 10 days in London.. go out and explore the country.
It’s easy to take the train (remember, if you plan ahead, your train ticket is cheaper) and do a day trip from London. You can explore Oxford or Bristol or go up north and check out York or Chester.
Have a base in the south and a base in the north
So you’ve decided you want to explore the country more, but you don’t want to drive on the wrong side of the road… now what? Give yourself a base in the south… London, Oxford, Bristol and then give yourself a base in the north… York, Manchester, Leeds. Just make sure it’s accessible so you can take your day trips.
I highly recommend choosing York as your base since the city is filled with culture and history and there are so many day trips you can take from York!
Drive on the LEFT side of the road
If you plan on road-tripping around the country (which is quite possible.. it’s a small country), you need to know that the British drive on the left side of the road in the UK.
There are also a ton of roundabouts. They are everywhere! They seem easy enough if you’re a passenger, but then you drive during rush hour around a city’s ring road and come to a busy roundabout, so you panic and stall the car four times before getting it going, only to run over a curb as you try to hide your face from the world… true story guys!
Oh, and don’t forget to request an automatic for your rental car… even if you can drive a manual, do yourself a favor and get an automatic! Everyone using the same roundabout as you will thank you!
Eating and drinking in a pub
Grab a table, look through the menu, take note of your table number, and give it to the bartender when you order your food and drinks. You’ll pay right away.. no bar tabs in the UK!
It’s not just pubs, there are a lot of restaurants that use this system too. What’s the best way to tell if you need to order at the bar? If there’s a number written on your table, you will most likely have to order at the bar… OR you could just ask, they won’t judge you.
If you are having a “night on the piss” AKA going bar hopping, pub crawling (whatever you want to call it)… then take some cash with you.
Since there are no tabs, you’ll pay for your drinks as you go. In most pubs, you can tap your card, but there are still quite a few pubs out there that will only accept cash, so be prepared!
There are only two sizes of drinks… pint and half pint. When you order a drink, you’ll say “I’ll have a pint of… or a half pint of…”.
And if you are with a group of people, order all at once and call it a round. It’s the culture over here. Everyone takes turns paying for a round, easier for the bartender and easier for you.
Tipping at restaurants and bars
Tipping is not a thing in the UK. Don’t tip your bartender… I’ve seen Americans leave their extra cash on the bar for the bartender and it’s sat there untouched because the bartender doesn’t assume it’s theirs.
If you have a server and you have a really great meal and they are running around and going above and beyond, then you can leave them some cash when you give them the bill. You don’t have to go crazy with the tip, just 5-10% is good enough.
Another good reason to carry cash on you… there’s no “tip” section on your check. It’s not required or expected, but it’s appreciated.
Tax is included in the price you see
Tax is already included in the UK so what you see is what you pay for. It’s soooo much better than trying to figure out sales tax when you’re traveling from state to state in the US.
So if you’re at the grocery store and buying a pack of water that’s marked £2.00, you will pay £2.00 at the counter… if you’re eating dinner and your entree is £11.50 on the menu then that’s how much you will pay at the register… so much easier!
You have to pay for public restrooms EVERYWHERE
Remember when I said you need to carry cash on you… this is a big reason why! There are quite a few public restrooms around, HOWEVER, they come at a cost! At least 20 pence… if you need a public restroom in London then you’re looking at 50 pence every time!
Also, don’t expect them to be spotless because you pay for them… they are just like any other public restroom you’ve been to.
It can be cold in the summer
But I thought summer was supposed to be hot? ME TOO! When I first moved to England, it was during the summer of 2018 which was a heat wave and it hadn’t rained in 60 days… it was HOT (and no A/C btw)! Summer 2019 was NOT all sunshine.. there were days when I wore a jacket in June! I could easily wear jeans and not be super toasty all day.
Weird.
Just make sure you check the weather frequently and be prepared. I’m not saying you need a winter coat, but you might need to bring a pair of jeans and a light jacket or sweater just in case!
And on that note, never trust the weather forecast! Just look at it and get a rough idea of what to expect.
A lot of places have WiFi
A lot of people feel like they have to get a SIM card to stay connected in the UK, but you’ll be surprised by how many businesses offer free WiFi! Wayyyyyy more than the US! Seriously, I just went back recently and I no longer have an American phone plan and it was SO HARD to find easily accessible WiFi!
Some cities and towns have their own WiFi so you can walk around the streets and be connected. If you are driving around and don’t get a SAT NAV in your car then it’s worth it for a SIM card OR you could download Google Maps and save an offline map for your journey!
Don’t forget about Wales!
So many people visit England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but Wales somehow gets overlooked. It’s just as accessible as anywhere else in the country… so why does it get skipped?!
Maybe people don’t realize how beautiful it is?!
There’s fun in the sun for the beach bunnies in Pembrokeshire in southwest Wales and then expansive mountains and great hikes for the adventurous in the north in Snowdonia. One of my favorite places in Snowdonia is a cute Italian-style town called Portmeirion and I LOVE taking the steam train on the Ffestiniog Railway!
Everyone speaks English English
Que the flashback to Goldmember when Austin Powers and his father start speaking “English English”! It’s not THAT extreme, but some words and phrases could be confusing…. so here are some common words you might come across walking around or written on a menu.
- Toilets are restrooms
- Coriander is cilantro
- Biscuit is a cookie
- Bun is a muffin or cupcake
- Aubergine is eggplant
- Chips are fries
- Crisps are chips
- Cheers is used for thanks and bye
- Alright is a basic greeting like what’s up
- Pub is a bar
- Queue is a line that you wait in
- Football is soccer (and DON’T call it soccer)
- Holiday is a vacation
- Rubbish is trash
- Bin is a trash can
- Lift is the elevator
- the First floor is the second floor (so if your room is on level 1, you’ll have to take the elevator to the second floor)
- Pavement is the sidewalk
Purchasing advance attraction tickets can save you money
Most of the time (not all of the time!) you’ll get a discount for purchasing your tickets online! That includes major London attractions, stately homes and castles around the country, and everything in between.
It’s worth looking into so you can save yourself some extra cash.
Some attractions require timed entry tickets (The Making of Harry Potter studio tour and Windsor Castle for example) and you might miss out if you haven’t already purchased a ticket!
Just make sure you buy your tickets before your trip because some places require you to print out a copy of your tickets!
Anything I missed from this list? Anything else you want to know before you go to the UK?! Lemme know in the comments below!
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