An American couple who has visited the United Kingdom a lot has revealed the 10 things that surprised them most about the country.
And the list contains some entries that may also surprise the native British population. It turns out that they should be very proud, for example, of the standard of their public toilets.
Cara Atwell and Jeremy Davis, currently in Portland, Oregon, posted a video on their YouTube channel ‘Magic Geekdom’ in which they list the 10 surprising things in order from least to most surprising. So far, the video has garnered more than 300,000 views.
Read on for the full ranking and vote in our poll for whichever item on the list you think is the worst aspect of Britain.
10. Not needing a car
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Cara says in the video: ‘I assumed you needed a car in the UK. And that is not the case. You can get around much easier with public transportation in the UK than in the US. You don’t need a car; We learned it the second time. We didn’t rent a car and it was wonderful to travel everywhere by train.’
9. Narrow streets and parking.
‘They can be a little scary and intimidating,’ says Cara, ‘compared to our big, wide roads in America. I was also surprised at how difficult it can be to park.’
Jeremy added: “There’s not a lot of free parking.”
Americans Cara Atwell and Jeremy Davis (above) posted a video on their ‘Magic Geekdom’ YouTube channel listing the 10 things that surprised them most about the UK.
8. Many people only go to London
Jeremy says: ‘Most international travelers only go to London. We love London, but there is so much more to see. Some of our favorite places are smaller cities, towns and villages.’
Cara adds: “And we’ve had people in the UK tell us we’ve been places they’ve never been before.”
7. Trails
Cara and Jeremy loved Britain’s network of public footpaths. Above: Doghouse Hill near Seatown in Dorset
Cara says: ‘British trails are an extensive network… allowing you to walk on private land and enjoy all different types of landscape. One of my favorite memories…I treasure the fact that we got to walk through a field of cows in Dorset. “It was so amazing.”
The site was very interesting to the couple as it features dinosaur footprints embedded in an area of rock.
6. Be treated well as Americans
Jeremy says, “People told us that in certain cities people wouldn’t be friendly to Americans, but I think we had a pretty positive experience everywhere we went.”
Cara adds: ‘Yes, Americans traveling abroad can be a precarious thing. We are not very loved in many places.
5. Hot and cold water taps
Cara admits that when she first experienced hot and cold faucets, she wasn’t sure how to use them and wondered if she should “quickly run my hands back and forth”
The couple reveals that they have rarely come across separate hot and cold water faucets in the United States. Cara admits that when she first experienced hot and cold faucets, she wasn’t sure how to use them and wondered if she should “quickly run my hands back and forth” or “just use the hot water and hope it doesn’t.” make”. get too hot’.
4. Service levels and invoice request
Jeremy reveals that the first time they went to a non-fast food restaurant in the UK they were taken aback by the fact that the bill wasn’t automatically presented to them.
He says, ‘We finished what we ordered and we were waiting and waiting…’
Adds Cara: “It was alarmingly strange. It was like, ‘Where is everyone?’ Where did our server go?” We spent 30 or 40 minutes sitting there, waiting for the bill to come. Because that’s what they do in America.
3. Serving sizes
Jeremy says: “Portion sizes in the UK can be drastically different to the US, in a healthier way.”
Cara adds: “When we arrived in the UK, it was a bit surprising to see a normal portion of food. And not have this huge plate of food that you don’t really need to eat. It was quite a shock at first.”
2. Efficiency
Cara explains that the UK has “little things” that “make me feel as an American like we’re behind the rest of the world.”
An example is contactless payment; another, the trains. Cara was impressed at how you can just hop on and “nothing happens.”
And he adds: “In the United States we have to complicate things more than necessary.”
1. Public bathrooms/toilets
Cara and Jeremy were impressed by the standard of public toilets in the UK. Above: Victorian public toilets on Hampstead Heath, London
America’s public bathrooms are labeled as dreary and “flimsy,” says Cara, and have doors that you can often see through.
He adds: “I mean, you can watch someone going about their business if you want and I don’t think I’ve experienced that once in the UK.”
Cara told MailOnline Travel: ‘The public toilets were the most shocking thing from the moment we arrived in the UK. After spending most of our lives using flimsy, exposed dividers that are common in the US, it was very comforting to experience a greater level of privacy.’
Is there anything in the UK that you would like to see in the US?
Cara said: ‘I would like to see America have better public transport and walkability, reducing the need for cars, especially in cities.
‘I also wish we could implement contactless payment in more places. It is very common in the United States to give employees their credit cards in restaurants and many other situations. “I would love to see that ending.”
And are there areas where the UK can improve?
Cara said: ‘The main thing I found difficult to get used to was the restaurant’s service style and having to ask for the bill. At first it seemed strange compared to more attentive American-style service. But over time, we came to appreciate that the UK approach allowed for more relaxed, pressure-free dining.’
Cara and Jeremy post on social media as The Magic Geekdom. Can be found in www.instagram.com/themagicgeekdom; twitter.com/magicgeekdom; www.tiktok.com/@themagicgeekdom; wwww.youtube.com/@TheMagicGeekdom and www.facebook.com/themagicgeekdom.