Curious to hear what we LOVE about the UK? Then watch these videos! 🔴 Top 5 Things Americans LOVE About the UK ua-cam.com/video/AF0ZpoTEYKc/v-deo.html 🔴 5 More Things We Love About the UK ua-cam.com/video/SqvL3a1Tg7I/v-deo.html
8 things I hate about the UK. 1,We let liberals in. 2, We let liberals in. 3, We let liberals in. 4, We let liberals in. 5, We let liberals in. 6, We let liberals in. 7, We let liberals in. 8, We let liberals in. *#MAGA*
@@havoc6_1_6 8 things I hate about the USA, The vote was rigged. The US people didn’t get their day in court. It was a protest not a riot. This Libertarian Englishman stands with my US brothers and sisters. Good luck. You have more friends than you realise. America was always great, stuff the CCP, I lived in HK for 5 years. They are my people. I don’t have 8.
@@superted6960 Er yes... The advent of privatisation has had an obvious effect on the price of train fares in this country. They are more expensive even with regulation. Drivers wages are completely irrelevant to the discussion.
@@jonwilliams6996 How the cost of any staff wages, together with all the other costs (maintenance, rolling stock, signalling etc etc) can be " irrelevant" to the level of fares beats me. Somebody has to pay. Farebox or taxpayer. If you're suggesting the TOCs are ripping off the passenger then you need to do more research.
@@jonwilliams6996 as someone who has used UK trains for the last 40 years, not only are they now a lot cleaner, but more punctual and faster than there were when run totally by the government. Also a lot more of them. For example there used to be about 8 trains a day to Birmingham, now one every half an hour. It’s not perfect. But certainly better
The reason UK trains are so expensive is due to the fact we're one of the few countries in Europe that have privatised our rail network. And the companies that own and run our trains are more often than not owned by other European country's governments 😅 so off the top of my head I know the French, German, and Dutch government all own or part own companies that run the train networks here so we get charged an insane amount meaning that they can provide their own rail services in their home countries incredibly cheaply in comparison. Most British people want the rail services renationalised.
This is all very true, but I think it's more to do with the fact that the Tory, right wing leaning UK government made a conscious decision to force the price of playing for real travel onto the traveller and from the public purse, hence why it was privatised in the 90s and continued until today, but the biggest rises have been since they came to power in 2010. The fact that companies in large parts owner by public transport providers in Europe, and even beyond, are making money out of this is just a baffling almost contradictory product. They have to put in a bid to the government to run a franchise, and will put in cheaper his bids, and then increase the fares to make a profit for shareholders. If they didn't do it someone else would - Virgin used to run one of the biggest franchises and had no experience and I think initially weren't owned or in partnership with a nationally owned foreign train company. There is very little competition so if you want to get from a to b there's often very little choice but to pay the required fare - you might be able to if going from say London to Birmingham, or if you go in a very roundabout way, which often isn't cheaper for obvious reasons, though I have done this not going too far out of my way). Lastly fares are still regulated so the government can still stop fares going up, but choose not to, which emphasizes my point.
@@corrigenda70 Whilst I agree that this is the biggest reason behind it when you have private companies whose raison d'etre is to make money for their shareholders then this won't help. I don't think the government should be running the real network from Whitehall, but that the system should be nationally run by not for profit operators in a regional franchise way, as we have at present. This kind of system can still be abused - big payouts to CEOs and upper management, but performance should be monitored and anyone failing should be immediately replaced.
@@WanderingRavens if you go to posh towns and villages you pay posh prices... Go to working towns and you pay sensible prices... If the butcher wears a straw boater that's a posh town...if he wears a D.A.its a working town..
Let’s be fair, you always had to when they were first built by the Victorians.. hence the euphemism ‘spend a penny’. Allowing for inflation, 20p is a lot cheaper
To add on to this and explain it further, it's the same because its based on WHO is going, like an adult ticket and a child tickets are normally the same price no matter where you go on the tube. Also, to add the tube and a tram are two different things and some places don't have both. Fun fact for you. Like Manchester, we have trams but not a tube system.
A friend of ours married a lady from Uganda, when she heard me insult her husband (as a good friend) she was visibly shocked. She is used to it now. Especially after being on a night out with myself and my girlfriends.
As an American I can answer your question (from 3 months ago!). American women really do not insult each other. Very fragile we are. No, that's not it. We aren't fragile, but we do offend easily. American women are very complimentary to each other, including strange women. Case in point, I recently volunteered at my daughter's school track meet, specifically the High Jump. The ages were 12-14 yr-old boy teams & girl teams. The girls from one team routinely complimented the jump or form of a competitor girl. Not odd at all. I learned early not to be insulting in my sarcasm. It doesn't go over well with women. Men? Much more insulting to each other--just friends, of course.
Why? Because it’s the internet. If someone says they like puppies there will be one guy calling you a racist fascist Hannibal Lecter clone. “We share your despair” Shows you are a beans on toast a phobe. Check your privilege. ;)
@@METALFREAK03 “interaction”, Obviously a sign of the patriarchal domination of the modern stamp collecting community. You sir, should be ashamed of yourself.
Most public toilets are closed due to covid at the moment, but you will find them in any cafe, restaurant, most churches etc. You just need to ask normally.
@@benk9397 i wouldn't necessarily say it means that, to me it's a polite way of saying 'beat someone up' maybe there are regional differences in the meaning.
I would say the high cost of living, when comparing say restaurants at least, is because we pay our workers a living wage, so the meals/drinks are slightly more expensive to afford a living wage for them, also we don't tip, your meals are cheaper as you expect people to tip and make up the workers wage. It all goes hand in hand
To be fair, I’ve been to half the states in the US and the food over there is soooo much more expensive than London. Especially, when you have to tip. A breakfast would cost around $20/35 in a cheap chain restaurant. That’s the same as breakfast at a fancy restaurant in London. 😅
As someone who smokes I have to say that I hate people who smoke in your face or right outside entrances to public places. If I'm smoking I'll always hold in my smoke if I'm passing close to someone or blow it in a direction I know is not gonna end up in their face, and if I'm outside somewhere I stand off to the side were people don't have to be confronted with the smoke.
If I'm smoking and I want to sit on a park bench and there's someone already sitting there, I'll check the wind direction - if it's blowing from me to them, I'll ask if they'd mind changing places so that they don't get my smoke; never had one refuse. And if I'm smoking at a bus stop, I'll never stand inside the shelter while doing so
Many years ago there were public toilets everywhere and the Councils started to close them to save money. There are still some but nowhere near as many as there used to be. Most people go to a cafe, pub or department store if they need to.
If you need a public toilet/restroom outside of lockdown find nearest M&S where you will find them in the restaurant, Just walk through restaurant with confidence and no need to buy anything
Your comment about the dearth of public toilets - or as they used to be called in my youth: "conveniences" - is certainly valid and worth endorsing. Their existence was a very visible feature of another era and they were so impressive in their tiled and polished magnificence. Their demise is a disgraceful reflection of the neglect of local councils to serve the public who pay their taxes in modern times.
Yes, the town I live in, Shipley, West Yorkshire, there are no public toilets in the town centre, the library has closed their toilets to the public, the nearest toilets are in a local cafe, and a nearby supermarket. Now we have a Labour M.P. and have been promised new toilets, but when? I have a bladder problem. I am surprised that you couldn't find the toilets in a shopping centre in Leeds. I would say that shopping centres, shops and pubs are the best places to find toilets. You don't have to buy anything. Also why are trying to stop the cat from getting out of the window? British cats are used to wandering around outside. There are no predators that will kill them and they are very used to fending for themselves. The poor cat was probably missing his usual patrol.
Love your videos, you two will always do well in the UK because you have a sense of humour and don’t take yourselves too seriously. I hope you get the visa situation sorted.
Good luck in France or Germany, they have their own sets of respective lunacies too, it depends on your pain thresholds for different types of awfulness they might inflict on incomers or residents.
I would second that I am sure that anywhere serving food or drinks has to ha e a toilet. All large trains rates have toilets, and a lot or smaller ones do but the signage is appalling
That is something that came to my mind aswell. Yes public transport is expensive here and they re other European countrys that do it better. but compared with usa you can get pretty much to and from anywhere in the country without a car.
@@zarasamuels9377 thats true but you have to remember its not only comparing it to the US, since they have been all over europe and asia it seems. UK transport is just expensive. As for the freelancer thing, i assume its something about keeping out "bullshitters". yeh i work freelance, look these funds were from my freelance work *stamp*. I could be wrong I just think its probably to do with needing 100% concrete proof of income and necessity of ur job being based in england
@@Auron710 yeah I agree with the freelance thing, being about preventing people trying to gain the system. though I do think rules here might need a little updating. as they are a little old now, and freelance work is more common place.
@@stretfordender11 : Under the 1986 Public Order Act it is an offence to urinate in a public place...however it's okay to have a dump. Don't you just love British law 🤣
I am originally from Spain, I have been living in the UK for nearly for 3 years and I can say here in the NorthWest life is cheaper than in Spain (North) comparing to rent, bills... living here is more affordable. Love your channel!!
I live in between two major US cities here in the US. (Chicago and Milwaukee) So i'm familiar with train travel in the US. Particularly with the "Chicago to Kenosha Wisconsin" Metra line, and the "Hiawatha" Amtrak line, that connects both cities and their suburbs in between them. So on Metra for a regular "one way" ticket from Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, to the end of the line in Kenosha Wisconsin 60 miles away, it costs $9.50 during the weekday. ($19.00 round trip including tax, for a 120 mile turn.) However a monthly pass is $275.50 which can make it easier for repeated trips. Also for weekends, there is a $10.00 weekend pass that gives you unlimited rides on any Metra line all weekend long. (One weekend I did 360 miles for just $10.00 in total, including tax.) On Amtrak from downtown Chicago to downtown Milwaukee, it's $25.00 one way. And $50.00 round trip including sales tax. (A distance of 92 miles one way and 184 miles round trip!) A Ten ride ticket costs $192 dollars and a monthly pass is $416.00 including tax. I wonder how that compares to trains in the UK for a similar distance? 🤔 (£1.00 = $1.36 USD)
The lack of public loos is an issue- there used to be a lot more (at least here in Bristol), before the council had to stop funding them due to austerity - now the toilet options are hotels, cafés, bars and shopping centres - chances are you won't find one in a station unless it's past the ticket barriers
I used to hate taking the train to school with all the cigar smoking businessmen 🤢 also because my parents smoked having to sit in smoking on a plane or in a restaurant 🤢🤢🤢
Yeah it's changed really fast! I remember first going out drinking in the '90s; smoke everywhere. Quite surprised to hear them say that it still seemed prevalent.
Yeah, I think that smoking complaint in the video is mainly a US millennial generation issue as they have no experience how really bad things were before smoking bans were introduced
What a nice couple. Few would be clever enough to state the criticisms so watchably and tactfully. Btw as a Brit I think you’ve nailed most of those, particularly the transport pricing, a hangover from the ‘greed is good’ Thatcher era when these services were sold out of public ownership largely on the grounds that some fictional ‘market competition’ would keep standards up. It didn’t, all we get is the rotten system you encountered. Another example of people thinking things could work in the UK like they do in the US, which often they don’t/can’t.
All stations like bus, train and any public transport hubs used to have toilets, and you would see toilet block just scattered around towns all over the place, but due to cutbacks and vandalism, most have been removed and no alternatives were made available. In my home town, we had voted 'the best toilet in the UK' (Nuneaton) but even that got shut down and now there are problems with people piddling in the street or shop doorways etc.
Did you guys know that if you use a debit card or oyster card to swipe and pay for the tube (as long as you consistently use the same card) the cost of monthly travel is capped at £30? Although I haven’t commuted in London for a couple of years, it may have changed, but i found that made it relatively cheap 🙂
I hope you actually wanted some answers :D 1. Yes. This is true and strangely high. Part of it is that most systems encourage travel card systems so paying in cash for one journey will be more expensive, for example zone 1 adult single journey in cash £4.90, zone 1 adult single journey oyster/card £2.40. They will also be set up to encourage multiple journeys rather than one short one. The tube for instance will cost a lot for the first journey even if it’s one stop but then max out at a travel card if you are using oyster for a contactless debit or credit card. 2. Privatisation. The trains used to be nationalised, the European trains are still nationalised. The trains are the same often exactly the same make and model. The idea if that it’s not a monopoly because there are multiple train companies but since they don’t run on the same lines in practice you have no choice about company so they can charge what they like. Unless you own a car but then petrol price comes in (UK $5.12 per gallon, US $2.50 per gallon) along with high costs for the car extra. 3. Racism? I’m not sure, our government at the moment loves money but also with Brexit racism seems to be at an all time high. The government are also very backwards (in the Brexit deal there was mention of Netscape as a modern browser) so maybe they just haven’t realised you can make money from the internet yet. 4. Yeah. We never had, they would be a good idea, we probably should get them. They were just never put in before, and now we still don’t expect them. It would be useful to stop my cat getting out. 5. Population density and the desires of rich people/home owners. The UK has a population density of 279.95 people per km2, the US has 34 people per km2 which is tiny. This means farming land to people is much better (usually that population density would be found in mountainous, desert and or sub arctic countries like Sweden (22.97), Faroe islands (34.48) or Kyrgystan (31.56). More farmland to people means cheaper food and land prices, meaning more money for other things like blenders, dollar store toys and cars. The rich land owners also don’t want the pound to drop as is they have land they want it to stay as valuable as possible when making international trades. It does help with importing food and goods but it encourages foreign investors to buy UK property. There is a housing shortage in the UK which drives up the prices, encouraging the foreign investors. A drop in the value of the pound would help exports but discourage foreign investors buying housing which would drop house prices. 4b. We understand the American use of “Bummer” 😊 We are born with American TV making up 50% of our programs. However pants are still pants and not trousers. Also the English use of “Bummer” is rightly dying out, I can explain why if it isn’t already obvious. 6. There used to be more but they fell into disrepair during the 80’s and become hotspots for drug use. There was never any new investment. 7. This used to be MUCH worse. A night out used to end with your clothes stinking of smoke. We now have an inside smoking ban since 2007 (you used to be able to smoke everywhere) and levels of smoking have dropped drastically but I suppose old habits die hard. There is still an entitlement to older smokers but this is slowly getting better. 8. Sorry? We often don’t want to be rude but this meets the balance with not encouraging things we don’t want. It’s always a balance.
Manned bus/rail stations (at least in Suffolk) tend to have public toilets, however, unmanned stations don't and if a station is manned during the day but unmanned early morning or late afternoon they often lock the toilets, not helpful if you have an hours wait for a train and need the loo, but I kind of agree about the lack of those facilities, they tend not to be well advertised and again often close somewhat earlier than you may like, so it's a case of getting lucky and finding one unless you know the area, and in a lot of cases they are not externally accessible, e.g. some rail stations you have to purchase a ticket and go through some barriers to get to the toilets, public toilets can be inside shops cinemas and other buildings, a few years back one of the main shopping centers in the area was gutted and rebuilt, it took me about 10 minutes to discover where they had hidden the new toilets, and in another case a shopping centre was built just off a town centre, I had probably gone through it 100+ times over the space of about 10 years before realizing there were public toilets, sure there was an arrow pointing to WC but I had assumed that was pointing to the cinema, about a 5-minute walk past shopping center which did indeed have publicly accessible (without even purchasing a ticket) toilets. Smoking in public buildings was banned relatively recently, probably about 15-20 years ago, as far as I am aware there is no law about smoking in proximity to a building entrance, it can be a bit annoying to wake up with the smell of cigarette smoke in my bedroom because I usually leave the window open (due to often overheating at night) and my downstairs neighbour is a smoker, this does not happen regularly, maybe once a month but is non the less irritating when it does happen.
1. Completely with you 2. Ditto 3. Screens, nah, you can’t see out 4. High cost of living. Agree. rip off Britain 5. Public loos, agree. Have to use pubs
@@ianprince1698 Best thing to do (and any younglings in house, take notes) get a job for a company IN london BUT remote work OUTSIDE London. You be laughing as you get paid London wages, whilst living somewhere where their houses cost a fiver for five bedrooms!
Tube costs London, single journeys are quite expensive, but if you use an oyster card (prepaid) for multiple journies in same day and they are off peak (after 9:30 Monday to Friday or anytime weekend) they become OK.
Not got through them all yet, but so far, you have nothing to worry about, as I'd imagine the majority of the UK feel exactly the same. Let's just say, from my experience, the British (especially English), collectively, have something a little like 'the Stockholm syndrome' when it comes to opting for economic, and consequently political alternatives to the current way we do things over here. I say this not out of dislike for my fellow country people, I think most of us are actually decent people, but more out of frustration. Also, regarding toilets, I'm 38, but in my teens there used to be lots if public toilets (rest rooms), but they had suffered years of underfunding, people didn't feel safe in them, and they all got shut. Well, that was the case for where I live anyway, which is South Yorkshire. Thanks for your videos! I enjoy them
@@WanderingRavens Also want to say, you would be able to get a work visa for 3 years. You then can take a test? or you just apply to live. Once you have lived for 5 or 7 years you can apply for citzenship. I am pretty sure long as you work here and pay taxes on the place (Council Tax) and NI Tax, you be fine. The income tax would be the problem though, maybe that is why they don't allow it? My friend is freelance though and they are from Italy, maybe it's because it's an EU country they allowed them to stay here? Then again, I know plenty from Asian/Oceania areas that have come to live here as freelance, but maybe it's that they were working for British or International companies that have HQs in UK.
I agree with everything you said. The train prices are expensive when they were nationalised (state owned) there weren't too bad but since privatisation they've gone up big time. Companies say it's due to lack of funding from previous governments and we have the oldest infrastructure for trains in the world. They were invented here.
Those who look back with favour on the nationalised rail system must have very heavily rose-tinted spectacles or simply not have been regular rail users. My memory of pre-privatisation British Rail is of hugely overcrowded, dirty, ancient trains running to no apparent schedule. Having spent too many long journeys sitting on my kitbag travelling to and from my RAF bases my memories are not particularly happy. The only positive was that the bar (assuming the there was a buffet car) was always open, whatever the hour.
@@MrPaulMorris I am old enough to remember, but was not regular rail user. I probably used them more after privatisation, but not daily or weekly. I seem to remember it as being better in the past. I haven't been on the train since I became disabled, or a bus, so for over 10yrs.
Idk how it is in the underground. But the trick to trains here is that if you get on without a ticket you will at least get to the next stop. Cuz once your on they cant kick you off till the next stop.
As someone that lives in SE England, I totally agree with you. I live in Brighton, which used to be referred to (probably not so much now) as London by the sea and the cost of living here must be almost as bad, if not as bad as London prices!
I am a Yank who spends (pre-COVID) a lot of time in the U.K. and have never had a problem with finding a toilet. Then again, it could be because I embrace Pub culture and there is always a toilet in the pub. As I recall from previous videos, you are both non-drinkers, no judgement here, just an observation. In the AM time frame I always find a toilet available in Costa or Cafe Nero.
With the exception of window screens and cultural differences, I would say the points raised are hated equally by most Brits, especially the ones concerning public transport
Lets be honest, if you want screens, you can fit them - commercial catering premises all have them (or are meant to) we just don’t really find them necessary (and to be fair, the ones we had fitted to the kitchens where I worked fell apart every five minutes)
1. This is a shock for quite a lot of us actually. I completely agree. Transportation is a bit of a gamble and can get very expensive very quickly. 2. We all hate the charges of trains. It's because they are not state owned. They are privately owned (Arriva, FirstGroup) apart from Northern Rail and London North Eastern, which are still what we call franchise trains, but are companies owned by the Department for Transport. 3. I did not know this. This is actually shocking. It seems odd because you guys clearly have something to offer. 4. I cannot tell you how much I HATE this too. I stay up late, and sometimes I look up in the summer and see what looks like an upside down ant colony! I actually bought a velcro net to stick over my window... 5. It depends where you are. You can kind of negotiate yourself to a lower cost if you live outside of London, shop in the right places and have the right utility companies. 5.5. We totally love our lingo. But if you say 'bummer', we will know what you mean :P 6. There are public bathrooms around, but I agree there's really not enough of them. I see what you mean though. When I'm in another city, I can't find anything. Train stations almost always have them though? 7. URGHHHHHH I completely agree. Cigarette smoke is bloody everywhere! It's completely in your face. Outside almost every building! You're right. There are no laws about smoking near entrances. 8. Totally agree. British people are very proper. I miss being in Canada where people just actually communicated...
*Trains* 🚆 In the UK, we have both some of the most expensive train fares, and some of the cheapest. If you're able to book well in advance and be flexible about when you travel then you an get some good deals - looking a few weeks ahead, you can do the 200 mile trip from London to Leeds for £18, which is not bad at all. But yes, if you want to make a long journey at short notice, it's bloody expensive. In London, the tube isn't such bad value if you're using it a lot, but the fares are designed to put passengers off from making short journeys where it would probably be quicker to walk or get a bus. It's also cheaper if you use Oyster/contactless, a single journey in zone 1 is £2.40, compared with £5.50 if you buy a paper ticket. *Toilets* 🚽 A lot of bigger stations _do_ have toilets, but they are often reserved for train passengers, so they're either behind the ticket gates or they are locked and you need to get the key from the ticket office. In a bigger town or city, your best bet is often in a shopping centre. But yes, provision of public toilets is often very poor, it's one of those things that councils cut back on to save money, and because it's not usually the locals who need to use them (not as much as visitors) they don't complain. *Smoking* 🚬 I'm with you on this one, second-hand smoke is foul. But just be glad it isn't 15 years ago when people could still smoke in pubs and restaurants. You would always come back from any night out smelling like an ashtray. So things have improved, but there's still a way to go.
Because theyre ridiculously puritanical over things like this yet still sell guns in shopping malls and shoot electricity into those convicted of murder!
Maybe dont be offended just move to france also lets have a protest to get everyone in the uk to move abroad as its seems to already be opular in young ppl and it may solve the issues, then let russia invade the uk so uk no longer exists as a gift to them to stop fighting with Ukraine. That is how id go about it russia would be able to help the uk out i say put the land to a better use build some comy blocks and bring industry which is greatly needed in uk.
Trains are this expensive because the Tory government privatised the railways in the 1980s. Since then companies that win the franchise contracts can legally increase prices by a certain % above inflation. And they do... every year. It serves as a lesson to others that you should never nationalise an industry that will result in a monopoly/oligopoly. The crazy thing is the U.K. taxpayer still pays billions a year to the rail industry as the infrastructure is still owned by the government Edit:privatised from nationalised.
I think you mean denationalise / privatise. British Rail was a nationalised service until the tories broke it up and franchised the services provided so that they could pay dividends to ever greedier shareholders / tories.
@@pratosaurusrex1128 While you're in the business updating... the railways were privatised in 1990s. 1994 to 1997 is when it happened, something to remember if you ever go on The Chase.
Sadly, yield management on trains is now used widely across Europe in many countries too. It irritates me intensely too. When I lived in Sweden, it simply stopped me from travelling as I had a limited income.
In the town where I live we used to have two public toilets but one was constantly being used to shoot drugs or meet to obtain drugs. So the council changed it to a drug counselling centre. So now we only have one public toilet. Not that anyone needs it unless they are homeless as no-one has any reason to go into town as all the shops have gone out of business due to lockdown.
We had a lovely kitten for eight months...then a car ran it over....223,000 cats die every year in the uk like that....if you live near a dangerous road don’t have a cat....the grief is awful..
There's an element of truth there. I moved to France 5 years ago and now find myself greeting women in the UK with a double kiss to the cheeks. Facial cheeks that is..
Yes I agree. Don't feel awkward making negative comments about the U.K No place is perfect. While you're right about cost of living when you move to France you might get a shock with the tax you have to pay, depending of course on income etc.
Yup, the privatised trains are day light robbery. But tbh, if someone can't be arsed to walk the half mile that would be 2 stops on the tube in central London, they deserve to be taxed. The public toilet thing? We've plenty here in Bath, some are state of the art, free and very trendy. But doesn't everyone just use Starbucks or The Pub? Wetherspoons bogs are always really nice.
Great interesting video. In regards to restrooms most UK train stations have them, and you'd expect them in all indoor shopping centres. Pubs are another option. It is true that intercity train routes hike their prices as the travel date approaches but local train travel is fixed annually. Inter city airplane flights can be far cheaper! It is never advisable to just travel the London tube for a couple of stops on one day as will be expensive. Either max out the daily cost cap by doing loads of tube travels or use a London bus instead which is ridiculously cheap. Cheers!
For window screens, a lot of windows don't have them in old houses because they can't attach them to window without doing damage. In some new houses they have air conditioning. However the only places that really need screens is a few places that have mosquitoes. And Scotland. And in most of Europe, the majority of cats are what Americans would call indoor outdoor cats.
Hiya. You DO know, when Brits let their cats out, the cats come back? Many doors to the outside even have cat-flaps, so the cats can come and go as they please. I do pity House Cats, somewhat. Will your cat NEVER experience the outside world? Stay safe. All the best to you.
A more serious problem is in America its common place to have you cats declawed, a barbaric process they can result in a jail sentence in the U.K. In the U.K. we made all of our top predators extinct, where as in most of America, they cats tend to get eaten if let outside. Also cats are much better climbing up trees, than they are at getting back down (for anatomical reasons) so the fire brigade in the UK spend a lot of time rescuing cats from trees when they get stuck.
I have three cats in the UK who have a cat flap. When I tried to keep one of them in by locking the cat flap (because she had a sore foot), they actually broke out of the house by hurling themselves at the cat flap until it broke.
My cat is an indoor cat. She was abused at her previous "home" by being hit in the face and swung around by her tail, so she's now 100% a house cat as she has the tendency to freak at the outside world. But yeah, in the UK cats do come and go as they please!
I’m with you with the things you dislike about the UK. The difference being I can’t go and live in France to escape easily like you can. Smoking has reduced dramatically in public areas in modern times. My eyes used to sting when going to discotheques 50 or so years ago. I never smoked, but many of my friends did. The modern day Vaping however appears to be on an increase, unfortunately.
I love public transport, but hardly EVER use it because of the price (it's mainly due to the governments privatisation of the train companies). I usually drive to university in Aberystwyth which takes me 4.5 hours, and uses less than a tank of fuel (so under £40). One time, my car broke down so I decided to get the train home....£160, 4 changes, and 7.5 hours later, I FINALLY got back to my local station...which is still 30 minutes from my parents house!
I don't know where in the U.K.you were living but live in south Devon and my windows are always open on nice days in the summer months , with the exception of the odd fly ----- nothing .
price gouging: they do it because they can; when a resource is in short supply, the supplier can pretty much get away with charging whatever they want, and if the customer HAS to have that resource, they're stuck with it. I'm not a fan of it - no one is except the supplier - but if they have something that you have to have ... Sort of allied to that is the way that prices change on different days: the same plane taking the same flight between the same two cities doesn't charge the same fares - on one day it can be almost double the fare charged on another day. No surprise, the higher prices are for when people travel most often, so they have to pay the highest prices It's like holiday venues hiking up the prices during school holidays, when they know that the parents can't take their kids out of school to get cheaper prices. [] window screens: this is why I have net curtains on all my windows, even the bathroom which isn't overlooked. I can have the windows open with minimal entry for insects. I also have long net curtains on my front and back doors for the same reason. [] Public toilets: there used to be lots. but they got phased out, no idea why. There was a phase of "automatic toilets" but they seem to have vanished too. The other objection is the cost: this is where we get the phrase "spend a penny" but it can be anything up to 30p in train stations. Interestingly, the first public toilet for women wasn't opened in the UK until the 1880s, and it was only done then because they realised that if women didn't have to cut their shopping trips short, they'd stay longer and spend more money. Shopping centres have public toilets, but of course they're not available when the centre is closed. I can't find any reference to the first disabled-access public toilet, but I'm betting it wasn't until relatively recently.
As the reciprocal of you guys, ie a Brit living in the USA, my first reaction to arriving was one of astonishment. The screens on the windows are fantastic, why don't we have them. My reaction to the bit about public transport being expensive, it is more a matter of "well at least we have public transport." But I have to agree that the cost of the Tube is ridiculous. The UK used to have public toilets - conveniences- everywhere, but due to the sliding standards in society, most of them were closed. The public facilities in the States - or at least Minnesota- always seem to be clean and well looked after. The exact opposite of those in the UK. Vandalism and littering in the UK is a National Disgrace. I'm not sure I agree with you on the cost of living, but it's been a while since I grocery shopped in the UK. In the US, we are spending about $100/Person in Groceries, but where the USA beats the UK hands down is in energy cost. Gas/Petrol is still around $2.00 for 1 gal (US Gal = 8pt * 16 Fl oz, UK = 8pt * 20 Fluid oz) which works out to 5.63 GB Pounds / Gal, or when converted to dollars, about $7.49. Slightly less due to the 16/20 thing with a pint. Heating and Electricity are also considerably higher from memory. Americans don't get my humour - or spelling - and I don't get theirs, so I agree totally about that difference. Although not terribly relevant due to COVID, the UK did at least have really low cost airfares to Europe, whereas the USA doesn't compare with low cost. It can cost nearly as much to cross the continent as to cross the Atlantic.
With respect to your experience on the London Underground, the charge for any single journey between two stations in Zones 1 and 2 is £2.40. Providing you use the same contactless or Oyster card throughout the day, the daily cap is £7.20 for multiple journeys within those zones. You must each use a separate card (ie. both of you cannot tap in on the same card) and you must remember to tap out at the destination. If you don't tap out, you will be charged the maximum fare across all zones, which will certainly be £4+.
As a Brit that's lived and worked in the USA, and several other countries, I would say that I completely agree with most of your points. Transportation in the UK is outrageously expensive (just like Japan). The cost of living is one area where I'd disagree. It's not actually that bad, especially when you consider that you have to add sales taxes to most prices in the USA, and in most bars and restaurants tipping is expected. I'd also tend to disagree with you about public toilets. Every shopping centre and station will have them, although they do often close at awkward times!
Instead of leaving you're country like a coward make a change your the reason it has so many issues same with the politicians they treat this like a side hobby a part time entertainment stand up comedy show in parliament. Ive seen many brits online living in foreign countries and working there. 85% of working Americans work and live in their home country whereas the uk is only 60% and Germany is 90% Its very sad to me we send all industry abroad and have throughout history, We barely manufacture anything for example steel,wood,glass and cars,tools and nearly everything. There is no mining industry of any true scale and farming is limited to mainly sheep grazing feilds. Therefore the industry from the ground up the primary sector lacks which means the country cant prosper localy meaning the country imports everything and people are forced to work for foreign companies and in foreign countries, in turn selling all its wealth and intelligence to work abroad to help countries abroad. The uk is very similar to japan and both countries have similar faults but I've been to japan and it is incomparable to the uk also. It is much better in many ways with public toilets being much more prominent, subway system of tokyo is much better than londons tube and so on and I'm not even a fan of japan which could also be a result of there sincerity and joyfulness compared to the stubborn movie villain brit who only exist because they exist and automatically feels they have rights over foreign countries which has been show throughout history with the empire and colonisation of the world thank the lord India became independent, Thank the lord Australia, united states. I have never classed the uk as part of europe such an old nation prehistoric but so primitive and pathetic and every part of there culture based on the selfishness on others above putting god first with henry the eighth and so on just so typical of the uk to claim the most ridiculous ideas such as of the church of england which no other county has because it makes changes and doesn't let the past define its incompetence but adapts to new environments. I could write a while book on this but ill end here.
Train travel here is ridiculously expensive because it was privatised and the various companies only care about profit. The service gets worse but the prices just keep going up. Oh wow I’ve just got to the part where you said you were in Leeds. Yay that’s where I am 💕👍🏻
Regarding screens, most houses in the UK also don’t have air conditioning. If it’s really hot (not so far this year!) then it’s best to keep the windows closed. Alternatively, if you feel it’s a problem, you could try “net curtains” ( also called Voiles) - very thin mesh-like fabric (usually white) which you can see through but which will also keep out flying insects. In reality the UK doesn’t really have a problem with bugs compared to most other countries. This feels like a rather contrived issue.
Public restrooms - they exist, and are more common than you seem to suggest. But generally they /are/ limited to highly trafficed public areas, or areas where food is consumed. So for example often they are in public shopping malls near the cafe's and resturants, and near public parks, and beaches, and places of historical significance (like castles etc). Also most petrol stations have publicly available toilets. Beyond that you are limited to using a restroom in an establishment like a pub or a resturant, but personally i've never had a problem just nipping into the first pub I see. (Obviously during covid this is less convenient).
In the UK it’s actually against the law to smoke in indoor spaces such like pubs, college buildings, bus shelters (yes they are technically indoor spaces) & extra. The only way you can around those areas is to go to a allowed smoking point location which is usually has a sign that says you can smoke here while for places like bus shelters you will need to stand outside. The biggest problem however is that we don’t have a law about force passive smoking (which for people don’t know what that means it just means someone that isn’t actually smoking but is inhaling the actual smoke coming from the smoker. It’s not classified as smoking so anyone that even goes passed someone that is smoking and of course breaths the air around them that would still be classified as passive smoking) even though the law about not allowing to smoke in indoor places is meant to stop the likelihood of that but the actual of forceful passive smoking is still not against the law so in a lot of peoples mind as long I’m not smoking inside the actual building I should be safe to smoke (even just outside the entrance of a building they are still technically outside so they are not breaking any laws even though the likelihood of passive smoking is still quite a high likelihood to accrue). The only way to get in trouble for doing so is if the actual building has a no smoking sign up (which means you cannot smoking away near the building), or you are actually blocking someone’s way to get in or out of the building and not bothering to move out of the way (this one doesn’t even have anything to to with smoking itself but that’s one of only few ways a smoker can get into trouble in smoking just outside a entrance to a building). Without certain conditions that the actual owners of the building have set anyone can pretty much can smoke anywhere as long it’s not inside a actual building or in a non-smoking zone.
A two stop journey on "the tube" usually equals a 10 to 20 minute walk (sometimes as little as 5 minutes), certainly in zone 1. Obviously out on the far reaches of the Metropolitan Line this wouldn't be the case but the point still stands. But yeah, unless you're buying a day or week pass and getting plenty of journeys out of it public transport is mile for mile expensive.
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8 things I hate about the UK.
1,We let liberals in.
2, We let liberals in.
3, We let liberals in.
4, We let liberals in.
5, We let liberals in.
6, We let liberals in.
7, We let liberals in.
8, We let liberals in.
*#MAGA*
My cat goes out, has a shit, comes back. She stays out longer in summer.
Transport in London is ridiculous, 100% agree!!!
@@havoc6_1_6 8 things I hate about the USA,
The vote was rigged.
The US people didn’t get their day in court.
It was a protest not a riot.
This Libertarian Englishman stands with my US brothers and sisters.
Good luck. You have more friends than you realise.
America was always great, stuff the CCP,
I lived in HK for 5 years. They are my people.
I don’t have 8.
I was suprised you didn't mention the weather.
I think every Brit would agree with your points except window mesh.
Can't smoke near a shop entrance in america, but carrying a loaded gun is fine?
Shhhhhhh leave our cognitive dissonance alone! 😂
@@WanderingRavens that should be your new national anthem title
Hey, pssst........don’t argue with the guys that hold the guns :) lol
@@benk9397 tell that to Afghanistan 🇦🇫 how long have they been fighting the farmers and goat herders there for now?
Yep. Totally fine. When seconds count the police are only minutes away.
The difference between U.S sarcasm and U.K sarcasm is that in the U.K, we do it properly.😉
Really?
You're not wrong!
You don't say ;-)
I thought the difference was that in the US it has to be explained and in the UK everyone gets it or ignores it.
@@geraldmcmullon2465 Yes. Americans just don't get it the way Australians, Dutch,Irish, and Scandinavians do! Theyre painfully literal minded !
A two stop journey on the tube = a walk.
What if you can't walk? The disabled are being victimised. I'm chaining myself to a phone box
@@lastfirst5689 umm what
@@Lilscattz1 Relax. I was having a joke
Depends on the stops but yeah in most cases you can probably walk it.
@@lastfirst5689 although it's a joke I'm pretty sure they can get discounts anyway with railcards
"Why are trains so expensive in the UK". In a word, privatisation.
er, no. Most train fares in the UK (admittedly not all) are regulated by the Govt. Google how much train drivers get paid.
@@superted6960 Er yes... The advent of privatisation has had an obvious effect on the price of train fares in this country. They are more expensive even with regulation. Drivers wages are completely irrelevant to the discussion.
@@jonwilliams6996 the parliamentary far of 1d per mile no longer exists (or its equivalen!)
@@jonwilliams6996 How the cost of any staff wages, together with all the other costs (maintenance, rolling stock, signalling etc etc) can be " irrelevant" to the level of fares beats me. Somebody has to pay. Farebox or taxpayer. If you're suggesting the TOCs are ripping off the passenger then you need to do more research.
@@jonwilliams6996 as someone who has used UK trains for the last 40 years, not only are they now a lot cleaner, but more punctual and faster than there were when run totally by the government. Also a lot more of them. For example there used to be about 8 trains a day to Birmingham, now one every half an hour. It’s not perfect. But certainly better
The reason UK trains are so expensive is due to the fact we're one of the few countries in Europe that have privatised our rail network. And the companies that own and run our trains are more often than not owned by other European country's governments 😅 so off the top of my head I know the French, German, and Dutch government all own or part own companies that run the train networks here so we get charged an insane amount meaning that they can provide their own rail services in their home countries incredibly cheaply in comparison. Most British people want the rail services renationalised.
This is all very true, but I think it's more to do with the fact that the Tory, right wing leaning UK government made a conscious decision to force the price of playing for real travel onto the traveller and from the public purse, hence why it was privatised in the 90s and continued until today, but the biggest rises have been since they came to power in 2010.
The fact that companies in large parts owner by public transport providers in Europe, and even beyond, are making money out of this is just a baffling almost contradictory product. They have to put in a bid to the government to run a franchise, and will put in cheaper his bids, and then increase the fares to make a profit for shareholders. If they didn't do it someone else would - Virgin used to run one of the biggest franchises and had no experience and I think initially weren't owned or in partnership with a nationally owned foreign train company.
There is very little competition so if you want to get from a to b there's often very little choice but to pay the required fare - you might be able to if going from say London to Birmingham, or if you go in a very roundabout way, which often isn't cheaper for obvious reasons, though I have done this not going too far out of my way). Lastly fares are still regulated so the government can still stop fares going up, but choose not to, which emphasizes my point.
Nationalise them all
It is not caused by privatisation it is simply that the government subsidy of the rail network is lower than in other countries.
@@corrigenda70 Whilst I agree that this is the biggest reason behind it when you have private companies whose raison d'etre is to make money for their shareholders then this won't help. I don't think the government should be running the real network from Whitehall, but that the system should be nationally run by not for profit operators in a regional franchise way, as we have at present. This kind of system can still be abused - big payouts to CEOs and upper management, but performance should be monitored and anyone failing should be immediately replaced.
Yep - this is why. It’s awful. I suspect most people would support re-nationalising the railways.
It's cheaper to live in the UK in the north....the South is expensive..correction...London is mega bucks..
This is true! The north is very cheap!
I agree, just came to write this point haha
@@WanderingRavens compare the price of Scarborough to Maryport..to Bournemouth...
@@WanderingRavens if you go to posh towns and villages you pay posh prices...
Go to working towns and you pay sensible prices...
If the butcher wears a straw boater that's a posh town...if he wears a D.A.its a working town..
@@david-lt9wj lucky to have a butcher nowadays all taken up by German supermarts or John J Sainsburys
Regarding public toilets in the UK, most have been shut by local councils over the years - at least where I live.
Blame the Tories.
@@AnimeKnight76 we used to have toilets with an attendant. Not cheap but nor is having to buy a drink to use the toilet.
In my town we have pay to use toilets now it's 20p per person
Let’s be fair, you always had to when they were first built by the Victorians.. hence the euphemism ‘spend a penny’. Allowing for inflation, 20p is a lot cheaper
Blame the Labour Party as public toilets started to disappear around the same time as when Tony Blair and Gordon brown were in power
The tube is the same price no matter how far you go (in the same zone) If you’re only going 2 stops I’d just walk 😂
To add on to this and explain it further, it's the same because its based on WHO is going, like an adult ticket and a child tickets are normally the same price no matter where you go on the tube. Also, to add the tube and a tram are two different things and some places don't have both. Fun fact for you. Like Manchester, we have trams but not a tube system.
Plus you have a daily cap within each zone as well.
1: Two stops on the tube? Just walk.
Depends on where you are and what line. Further out you go the longer it takes.
Just walk from debden to epping :p
as a brit i’d like to know whether americans insult their friends very often? cos we brits (jokingly) insult each other all the time
Too true! It tends to start at introducing your friend. "This is Dave, my best friend... he is a bit of a twat..."
most definitely, but like a lot of the times it doesn't feel like a joke more like a personal attack
A friend of ours married a lady from Uganda, when she heard me insult her husband (as a good friend) she was visibly shocked. She is used to it now. Especially after being on a night out with myself and my girlfriends.
As an American I can answer your question (from 3 months ago!).
American women really do not insult each other. Very fragile we are.
No, that's not it. We aren't fragile, but we do offend easily.
American women are very complimentary to each other, including strange women. Case in point, I recently volunteered at my daughter's school track meet, specifically the High Jump. The ages were 12-14 yr-old boy teams & girl teams. The girls from one team routinely complimented the jump or form of a competitor girl. Not odd at all.
I learned early not to be insulting in my sarcasm. It doesn't go over well with women.
Men? Much more insulting to each other--just friends, of course.
Close friends yes, acquaintances no.
Why are you apologising? We share your despair!
😂😂
Why? Because it’s the internet.
If someone says they like puppies there will be one guy calling you a racist fascist Hannibal Lecter clone.
“We share your despair” Shows you are a beans on toast a phobe.
Check your privilege.
;)
I do apologise for saying "sorry" in our last interaction, it will not happen again.
Very sorry again,
Frank
@@METALFREAK03 “interaction”,
Obviously a sign of the patriarchal domination of the modern stamp collecting community.
You sir, should be ashamed of yourself.
Brits are fine with being criticised or laughed at, where as yanks take offense
Most public toilets are closed due to covid at the moment, but you will find them in any cafe, restaurant, most churches etc. You just need to ask normally.
Toilets in a church???!!!! Are you planning to use the font?
There are public toilets around the uk
Well I think we got out of that quite lightly 😏
Ehhh, didn't want to rough you up too bad ;D
@@WanderingRavens just checking you know that means 'to beat someone up' ie to physically beat someone.
@@sheenamaclean8324 yeah but just checking you know it’s meant in fun like brothers play fighting.....obviously :)
@@benk9397 i wouldn't necessarily say it means that, to me it's a polite way of saying 'beat someone up' maybe there are regional differences in the meaning.
@@sheenamaclean8324 agreed buts its all about the context :)
The US requires you to have a job with a US company to get a work visa, too. And yes, EVERYONE hates train pricing.
Exactly!
And only allows tourist visas for half the time...
I would say the high cost of living, when comparing say restaurants at least, is because we pay our workers a living wage, so the meals/drinks are slightly more expensive to afford a living wage for them, also we don't tip, your meals are cheaper as you expect people to tip and make up the workers wage. It all goes hand in hand
To be fair, I’ve been to half the states in the US and the food over there is soooo much more expensive than London. Especially, when you have to tip.
A breakfast would cost around $20/35 in a cheap chain restaurant. That’s the same as breakfast at a fancy restaurant in London. 😅
As someone who smokes I have to say that I hate people who smoke in your face or right outside entrances to public places. If I'm smoking I'll always hold in my smoke if I'm passing close to someone or blow it in a direction I know is not gonna end up in their face, and if I'm outside somewhere I stand off to the side were people don't have to be confronted with the smoke.
i do the same mate
Nah fuck em
Same here. Even as a smoker, I hate people who just walk around the middle of the street blowing smoke in the direction of non smokers
I find most smokers are like this maybe the wandering ravens have had some bad experiences.
If I'm smoking and I want to sit on a park bench and there's someone already sitting there, I'll check the wind direction - if it's blowing from me to them, I'll ask if they'd mind changing places so that they don't get my smoke; never had one refuse. And if I'm smoking at a bus stop, I'll never stand inside the shelter while doing so
Normally, Britons take a bath at home so have no reason to seek out bathrooms at railway stations.
I usually do my resting at home, too!
I just have a shower
This thread 🤣🤣🤣
The a bog at my train station York
So you only go to railway stations to visit some guy named Lou?
Many years ago there were public toilets everywhere and the Councils started to close them to save money. There are still some but nowhere near as many as there used to be. Most people go to a cafe, pub or department store if they need to.
Try a Wetherspoons....They are everywhere. ... and stop for a drink and meal and repartee. ...
Also cottaging was a big issue in some places. They generally were filth ridden places
It wasn't so much to save money as to stop them being used for drugs and cottaging
Exactly. Imagine: "May I have the keys to your shop toilet, I need a really good dump"?
Public toilets? Jesus!
"This guy took a dump behind the dumpster..."
What???
"... in Leeds."
OK, yeah, that adds up tbh.
If you need a public toilet/restroom outside of lockdown find nearest M&S where you will find them in the restaurant, Just walk through restaurant with confidence and no need to buy anything
NYC, has the same problem. You're just forced to go into a cafe order a coffee just to use their bathroom. May cost you eight bucks.
Me *sees title and prepares to be annoyed*, Also me "Okay, that was pretty spot on to be honest!"
Your comment about the dearth of public toilets - or as they used to be called in my youth: "conveniences" -
is certainly valid and worth endorsing. Their existence was a very visible feature of another era and they
were so impressive in their tiled and polished magnificence. Their demise is a disgraceful reflection of
the neglect of local councils to serve the public who pay their taxes in modern times.
What I did find on holiday on the North Wales coast was good provision of usable public toilets. Maybe to be more tourist-friendly ?
Yes, the town I live in, Shipley, West Yorkshire, there are no public toilets in the town centre, the library has closed their toilets to the public, the nearest toilets are in a local cafe, and a nearby supermarket. Now we have a Labour M.P. and have been promised new toilets, but when? I have a bladder problem. I am surprised that you couldn't find the toilets in a shopping centre in Leeds. I would say that shopping centres, shops and pubs are the best places to find toilets. You don't have to buy anything. Also why are trying to stop the cat from getting out of the window? British cats are used to wandering around outside. There are no predators that will kill them and they are very used to fending for themselves. The poor cat was probably missing his usual patrol.
Love your videos, you two will always do well in the UK because you have a sense of humour and don’t take yourselves too seriously. I hope you get the visa situation sorted.
Thank you for the kind words! And we hope so too :D
Good luck in France or Germany, they have their own sets of respective lunacies too, it depends on your pain thresholds for different types of awfulness they might inflict on incomers or residents.
I was so confused when you said “screens in windows “ I thought you meant tv screens ? Why do you need a telly in you window
LOL 😆
I literally had to Google what a window screen looked like 😂
Korean state of the art trains don't need much maintenance. London Tubes were built in the 1800 s. They cost a lot to keep running
Most stations have public toilets also shopping malls. All fast food restaurants have them.
I'm pretty sure anywhere serving food or drink for consuming on the premises has to have toilets by law.
I often pop in for a McPiss, and occasionally a McDump.
I would second that I am sure that anywhere serving food or drinks has to ha e a toilet. All large trains rates have toilets, and a lot or smaller ones do but the signage is appalling
Yes true , they not well sign posted in a lot of places and often can be on the platforms in the train stations
I mean. I'm a Brit and there are things in America I prefer. But could you do a video on the American toilet doors? They're sooooo big!
Haha we hate the toilet doors too! And we've done a video on them before - can't remember which one though.
Just take the doors off. 🤔😄😲
You mean small, surely? I'm horrified that people would be able to see my undies around my ankles.
You mean the cubicle walls are so so small!
American toilet doors aren't big enough! The gaps round them are huge.
Public transportation in the United States, except for a few major cities, is extremely limited.
That is something that came to my mind aswell. Yes public transport is expensive here and they re other European countrys that do it better. but compared with usa you can get pretty much to and from anywhere in the country without a car.
@@zarasamuels9377 thats true but you have to remember its not only comparing it to the US, since they have been all over europe and asia it seems. UK transport is just expensive. As for the freelancer thing, i assume its something about keeping out "bullshitters". yeh i work freelance, look these funds were from my freelance work *stamp*. I could be wrong I just think its probably to do with needing 100% concrete proof of income and necessity of ur job being based in england
@@Auron710 yeah I agree with the freelance thing, being about preventing people trying to gain the system. though I do think rules here might need a little updating. as they are a little old now, and freelance work is more common place.
There are rules about smoking near the entrance to buildings, but they tend to be ignored.
I just go in a department store or cafe for the toilet
Toilets: You've got to know where to look. When i was in the States it was impossible to find a public loo.
If you know where to look, you don't need to look. You just need to find the right coins.. Or can you use credit cards these days..?
Supermarket, bus stations, train stations, public parks (mostly) and pubs.
Plus you can piss in most alleys in the UK hassle free. Its not even illegal as long as you are out of sight.
@@stretfordender11 : Under the 1986 Public Order Act it is an offence to urinate in a public place...however it's okay to have a dump. Don't you just love British law 🤣
And those there are have doors with huge gaps at the bottom !!!
Cottaging closed a lot of Public Toilets
you don't have to google cottaging, just be happy knowing it happened enough for public toilets to be closed
🤣🤣🤣 actually, since the 90s it been government cuts to councils that most public toilets were closed. There plenty in London just spaced out 👍
You don’t have to google it, I’m happy to answer any questions.
Cottaging. It sounds so quaint and innocent. However there is no tea and buttered crumpets involved.
@@gmf121266 for those involved its more lubed crumpet 🤣
@@gmf121266 Take a flask!
I am originally from Spain, I have been living in the UK for nearly for 3 years and I can say here in the NorthWest life is cheaper than in Spain (North) comparing to rent, bills... living here is more affordable.
Love your channel!!
I live in between two major US cities here in the US. (Chicago and Milwaukee) So i'm familiar with train travel in the US. Particularly with the "Chicago to Kenosha Wisconsin" Metra line, and the "Hiawatha" Amtrak line, that connects both cities and their suburbs in between them. So on Metra for a regular "one way" ticket from Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, to the end of the line in Kenosha Wisconsin 60 miles away, it costs $9.50 during the weekday. ($19.00 round trip including tax, for a 120 mile turn.)
However a monthly pass is $275.50 which can make it easier for repeated trips. Also for weekends, there is a $10.00 weekend pass that gives you unlimited rides on any Metra line all weekend long. (One weekend I did 360 miles for just $10.00 in total, including tax.)
On Amtrak from downtown Chicago to downtown Milwaukee, it's $25.00 one way. And $50.00 round trip including sales tax. (A distance of 92 miles one way and 184 miles round trip!) A Ten ride ticket costs $192 dollars and a monthly pass is $416.00 including tax.
I wonder how that compares to trains in the UK for a similar distance? 🤔 (£1.00 = $1.36 USD)
The lack of public loos is an issue- there used to be a lot more (at least here in Bristol), before the council had to stop funding them due to austerity - now the toilet options are hotels, cafés, bars and shopping centres - chances are you won't find one in a station unless it's past the ticket barriers
The smoking item is interesting as I find that there are far fewer people smoking on the street than there used to be in the UK
I used to hate taking the train to school with all the cigar smoking businessmen 🤢 also because my parents smoked having to sit in smoking on a plane or in a restaurant 🤢🤢🤢
Yeah it's changed really fast! I remember first going out drinking in the '90s; smoke everywhere. Quite surprised to hear them say that it still seemed prevalent.
As a child, waiting in anticipation in the cinema for the film to begin and watching the smoke rising in front of the projector. Yes' I'm that old.
@@Lily-Bravo Haha me too! I have an early vivid memory of watching 101 Dalmatians through wreaths of smoke.
Yeah, I think that smoking complaint in the video is mainly a US millennial generation issue as they have no experience how really bad things were before smoking bans were introduced
What a nice couple. Few would be clever enough to state the criticisms so watchably and tactfully. Btw as a Brit I think you’ve nailed most of those, particularly the transport pricing, a hangover from the ‘greed is good’ Thatcher era when these services were sold out of public ownership largely on the grounds that some fictional ‘market competition’ would keep standards up. It didn’t, all we get is the rotten system you encountered. Another example of people thinking things could work in the UK like they do in the US, which often they don’t/can’t.
Most stations have restrooms. Often kept locked, access upon request. (The rest of the points are pretty fair).
You can also find them at most cafe’s and bars.
Macdonalds is London's unoffical public restroom
Why would you take a bath in a subway?
All stations like bus, train and any public transport hubs used to have toilets, and you would see toilet block just scattered around towns all over the place, but due to cutbacks and vandalism, most have been removed and no alternatives were made available.
In my home town, we had voted 'the best toilet in the UK' (Nuneaton) but even that got shut down and now there are problems with people piddling in the street or shop doorways etc.
I love how Tess is so intently listening to you!
Did you guys know that if you use a debit card or oyster card to swipe and pay for the tube (as long as you consistently use the same card) the cost of monthly travel is capped at £30? Although I haven’t commuted in London for a couple of years, it may have changed, but i found that made it relatively cheap 🙂
Oh wow!! That's good to know! Thanks!
@@WanderingRavens ... i was about to mention this so im surprised you are not aware of this.
The cat in the background meowing while you guys where talking though 😂
I hope you actually wanted some answers :D
1. Yes. This is true and strangely high. Part of it is that most systems encourage travel card systems so paying in cash for one journey will be more expensive, for example zone 1 adult single journey in cash £4.90, zone 1 adult single journey oyster/card £2.40. They will also be set up to encourage multiple journeys rather than one short one. The tube for instance will cost a lot for the first journey even if it’s one stop but then max out at a travel card if you are using oyster for a contactless debit or credit card.
2. Privatisation. The trains used to be nationalised, the European trains are still nationalised. The trains are the same often exactly the same make and model. The idea if that it’s not a monopoly because there are multiple train companies but since they don’t run on the same lines in practice you have no choice about company so they can charge what they like. Unless you own a car but then petrol price comes in (UK $5.12 per gallon, US $2.50 per gallon) along with high costs for the car extra.
3. Racism? I’m not sure, our government at the moment loves money but also with Brexit racism seems to be at an all time high. The government are also very backwards (in the Brexit deal there was mention of Netscape as a modern browser) so maybe they just haven’t realised you can make money from the internet yet.
4. Yeah. We never had, they would be a good idea, we probably should get them. They were just never put in before, and now we still don’t expect them. It would be useful to stop my cat getting out.
5. Population density and the desires of rich people/home owners. The UK has a population density of 279.95 people per km2, the US has 34 people per km2 which is tiny. This means farming land to people is much better (usually that population density would be found in mountainous, desert and or sub arctic countries like Sweden (22.97), Faroe islands (34.48) or Kyrgystan (31.56). More farmland to people means cheaper food and land prices, meaning more money for other things like blenders, dollar store toys and cars.
The rich land owners also don’t want the pound to drop as is they have land they want it to stay as valuable as possible when making international trades. It does help with importing food and goods but it encourages foreign investors to buy UK property. There is a housing shortage in the UK which drives up the prices, encouraging the foreign investors. A drop in the value of the pound would help exports but discourage foreign investors buying housing which would drop house prices.
4b. We understand the American use of “Bummer” 😊 We are born with American TV making up 50% of our programs. However pants are still pants and not trousers. Also the English use of “Bummer” is rightly dying out, I can explain why if it isn’t already obvious.
6. There used to be more but they fell into disrepair during the 80’s and become hotspots for drug use. There was never any new investment.
7. This used to be MUCH worse. A night out used to end with your clothes stinking of smoke. We now have an inside smoking ban since 2007 (you used to be able to smoke everywhere) and levels of smoking have dropped drastically but I suppose old habits die hard. There is still an entitlement to older smokers but this is slowly getting better.
8. Sorry? We often don’t want to be rude but this meets the balance with not encouraging things we don’t want. It’s always a balance.
Manned bus/rail stations (at least in Suffolk) tend to have public toilets, however, unmanned stations don't and if a station is manned during the day but unmanned early morning or late afternoon they often lock the toilets, not helpful if you have an hours wait for a train and need the loo, but I kind of agree about the lack of those facilities, they tend not to be well advertised and again often close somewhat earlier than you may like, so it's a case of getting lucky and finding one unless you know the area, and in a lot of cases they are not externally accessible, e.g. some rail stations you have to purchase a ticket and go through some barriers to get to the toilets, public toilets can be inside shops cinemas and other buildings, a few years back one of the main shopping centers in the area was gutted and rebuilt, it took me about 10 minutes to discover where they had hidden the new toilets, and in another case a shopping centre was built just off a town centre, I had probably gone through it 100+ times over the space of about 10 years before realizing there were public toilets, sure there was an arrow pointing to WC but I had assumed that was pointing to the cinema, about a 5-minute walk past shopping center which did indeed have publicly accessible (without even purchasing a ticket) toilets.
Smoking in public buildings was banned relatively recently, probably about 15-20 years ago, as far as I am aware there is no law about smoking in proximity to a building entrance, it can be a bit annoying to wake up with the smell of cigarette smoke in my bedroom because I usually leave the window open (due to often overheating at night) and my downstairs neighbour is a smoker, this does not happen regularly, maybe once a month but is non the less irritating when it does happen.
1. Completely with you
2. Ditto
3. Screens, nah, you can’t see out
4. High cost of living. Agree. rip off Britain
5. Public loos, agree. Have to use pubs
Have to use pubs, are you inferring that's a bad thing ;)
@@benkernow280 not at all. A great excuse to get in and sink a few 😜
the pound loses. value the closer to London you get. when I worked in London we had London pay to help cover the cost
Agree with all of your points.
@@ianprince1698 Best thing to do (and any younglings in house, take notes) get a job for a company IN london BUT remote work OUTSIDE London.
You be laughing as you get paid London wages, whilst living somewhere where their houses cost a fiver for five bedrooms!
When I was younger you could smoke in a McDonald's and on public transport and in cinemas 😳
I love hearing what people in other countries both love and hate about the uk, I think it is an interesting learning experience
Tube costs London, single journeys are quite expensive, but if you use an oyster card (prepaid) for multiple journies in same day and they are off peak (after 9:30 Monday to Friday or anytime weekend) they become OK.
Not got through them all yet, but so far, you have nothing to worry about, as I'd imagine the majority of the UK feel exactly the same. Let's just say, from my experience, the British (especially English), collectively, have something a little like 'the Stockholm syndrome' when it comes to opting for economic, and consequently political alternatives to the current way we do things over here. I say this not out of dislike for my fellow country people, I think most of us are actually decent people, but more out of frustration. Also, regarding toilets, I'm 38, but in my teens there used to be lots if public toilets (rest rooms), but they had suffered years of underfunding, people didn't feel safe in them, and they all got shut. Well, that was the case for where I live anyway, which is South Yorkshire. Thanks for your videos! I enjoy them
What? bummer means “a shame” like it’s annoying. What does it mean for you guys? I’m from Northern Ireland.
Yeah, I use it in Northern England pretty often too.
@Violet In the south of England "bummer" has the same meaning.
Its the homosexual meaning of the word I think they are implying.
It also means someone who does anual sex, most specifically a guy man. It's used insultinly
bummer is a person who enjoys anal sex although I think most UK people will know the americans use it in a different way and will make allowances!
Other you tubers have moved to the uk, you just need to work for a company for a year or so to get sponsored first.
Good to know!
Yeah I believe Evan Edinger is one of them. Having worked for multiple startups. However he also came here on a student visa before that.
@@WanderingRavens Also want to say, you would be able to get a work visa for 3 years. You then can take a test? or you just apply to live.
Once you have lived for 5 or 7 years you can apply for citzenship.
I am pretty sure long as you work here and pay taxes on the place (Council Tax) and NI Tax, you be fine. The income tax would be the problem though, maybe that is why they don't allow it?
My friend is freelance though and they are from Italy, maybe it's because it's an EU country they allowed them to stay here? Then again, I know plenty from Asian/Oceania areas that have come to live here as freelance, but maybe it's that they were working for British or International companies that have HQs in UK.
@Violet Yes, I noticed. Oooh what a giveaway!
Yep, @evanedinger is one! He lives in london and is going for his citizenship :)
I agree with everything you said. The train prices are expensive when they were nationalised (state owned) there weren't too bad but since privatisation they've gone up big time. Companies say it's due to lack of funding from previous governments and we have the oldest infrastructure for trains in the world. They were invented here.
Those who look back with favour on the nationalised rail system must have very heavily rose-tinted spectacles or simply not have been regular rail users. My memory of pre-privatisation British Rail is of hugely overcrowded, dirty, ancient trains running to no apparent schedule. Having spent too many long journeys sitting on my kitbag travelling to and from my RAF bases my memories are not particularly happy. The only positive was that the bar (assuming the there was a buffet car) was always open, whatever the hour.
That's not actually true, but don't let political prejudice get in the way of a good UA-cam comment. 😀
I think they have got worse in many ways, and the prices continue to climb. The same seems to be true of the postal service.
@@MrPaulMorris I am old enough to remember, but was not regular rail user. I probably used them more after privatisation, but not daily or weekly. I seem to remember it as being better in the past. I haven't been on the train since I became disabled, or a bus, so for over 10yrs.
Idk how it is in the underground. But the trick to trains here is that if you get on without a ticket you will at least get to the next stop. Cuz once your on they cant kick you off till the next stop.
As someone that lives in SE England, I totally agree with you. I live in Brighton, which used to be referred to (probably not so much now) as London by the sea and the cost of living here must be almost as bad, if not as bad as London prices!
You could come to try ireland rather than france,since ireland is still in the EU i don't know about freelancing ,but its worth looking into
I am a Yank who spends (pre-COVID) a lot of time in the U.K. and have never had a problem with finding a toilet. Then again, it could be because I embrace Pub culture and there is always a toilet in the pub. As I recall from previous videos, you are both non-drinkers, no judgement here, just an observation. In the AM time frame I always find a toilet available in Costa or Cafe Nero.
With the exception of window screens and cultural differences, I would say the points raised are hated equally by most Brits, especially the ones concerning public transport
Lets be honest, if you want screens, you can fit them - commercial catering premises all have them (or are meant to) we just don’t really find them necessary (and to be fair, the ones we had fitted to the kitchens where I worked fell apart every five minutes)
1. This is a shock for quite a lot of us actually. I completely agree. Transportation is a bit of a gamble and can get very expensive very quickly.
2. We all hate the charges of trains. It's because they are not state owned. They are privately owned (Arriva, FirstGroup) apart from Northern Rail and London North Eastern, which are still what we call franchise trains, but are companies owned by the Department for Transport.
3. I did not know this. This is actually shocking. It seems odd because you guys clearly have something to offer.
4. I cannot tell you how much I HATE this too. I stay up late, and sometimes I look up in the summer and see what looks like an upside down ant colony! I actually bought a velcro net to stick over my window...
5. It depends where you are. You can kind of negotiate yourself to a lower cost if you live outside of London, shop in the right places and have the right utility companies.
5.5. We totally love our lingo. But if you say 'bummer', we will know what you mean :P
6. There are public bathrooms around, but I agree there's really not enough of them. I see what you mean though. When I'm in another city, I can't find anything. Train stations almost always have them though?
7. URGHHHHHH I completely agree. Cigarette smoke is bloody everywhere! It's completely in your face. Outside almost every building! You're right. There are no laws about smoking near entrances.
8. Totally agree. British people are very proper. I miss being in Canada where people just actually communicated...
*Trains* 🚆
In the UK, we have both some of the most expensive train fares, and some of the cheapest. If you're able to book well in advance and be flexible about when you travel then you an get some good deals - looking a few weeks ahead, you can do the 200 mile trip from London to Leeds for £18, which is not bad at all. But yes, if you want to make a long journey at short notice, it's bloody expensive. In London, the tube isn't such bad value if you're using it a lot, but the fares are designed to put passengers off from making short journeys where it would probably be quicker to walk or get a bus. It's also cheaper if you use Oyster/contactless, a single journey in zone 1 is £2.40, compared with £5.50 if you buy a paper ticket.
*Toilets* 🚽
A lot of bigger stations _do_ have toilets, but they are often reserved for train passengers, so they're either behind the ticket gates or they are locked and you need to get the key from the ticket office. In a bigger town or city, your best bet is often in a shopping centre. But yes, provision of public toilets is often very poor, it's one of those things that councils cut back on to save money, and because it's not usually the locals who need to use them (not as much as visitors) they don't complain.
*Smoking* 🚬
I'm with you on this one, second-hand smoke is foul. But just be glad it isn't 15 years ago when people could still smoke in pubs and restaurants. You would always come back from any night out smelling like an ashtray. So things have improved, but there's still a way to go.
It's a good job you're going to live in France then
Also, why don't Americans call a toilet a toilet, not a "restroom" or a "bathroom"??
Public bathrooms in the US...I've never found a bath in one yet 😂
@@Spiritof1955 I don't find many people having a rest in many either!!!
Because theyre ridiculously puritanical over things like this yet still sell guns in shopping malls and shoot electricity into those convicted of murder!
I work in a cinema and I hate it when British people ask for the Bathroom. I tell them that we don't have Bathrooms but the Toilets are over there.
@@matsamuel5655 why would a British person ask for a bathroom??
Worst thing you can say to Brits....
"We're moving to France"
Worst thing you could say to an English person perhaps, but not us Scots. #AuldAlliance
@@Kjærli_Lyst-hår I know 😂 I'd definitely rather live in France than England
Maybe dont be offended just move to france also lets have a protest to get everyone in the uk to move abroad as its seems to already be opular in young ppl and it may solve the issues, then let russia invade the uk so uk no longer exists as a gift to them to stop fighting with Ukraine. That is how id go about it russia would be able to help the uk out i say put the land to a better use build some comy blocks and bring industry which is greatly needed in uk.
Trains are this expensive because the Tory government privatised the railways in the 1980s. Since then companies that win the franchise contracts can legally increase prices by a certain % above inflation. And they do... every year.
It serves as a lesson to others that you should never nationalise an industry that will result in a monopoly/oligopoly. The crazy thing is the U.K. taxpayer still pays billions a year to the rail industry as the infrastructure is still owned by the government
Edit:privatised from nationalised.
The railways were privatised, the opposite of nationalised! Naturally the private companies gouge as much as they can.
I think you mean denationalise / privatise. British Rail was a nationalised service until the tories broke it up and franchised the services provided so that they could pay dividends to ever greedier shareholders / tories.
I think he meant de-nationalised the railways
Thanks guys. I meant Tories privatised. Now updated.
@@pratosaurusrex1128 While you're in the business updating... the railways were privatised in 1990s. 1994 to 1997 is when it happened, something to remember if you ever go on The Chase.
Sadly, yield management on trains is now used widely across Europe in many countries too. It irritates me intensely too. When I lived in Sweden, it simply stopped me from travelling as I had a limited income.
In the town where I live we used to have two public toilets but one was constantly being used to shoot drugs or meet to obtain drugs. So the council changed it to a drug counselling centre. So now we only have one public toilet. Not that anyone needs it unless they are homeless as no-one has any reason to go into town as all the shops have gone out of business due to lockdown.
I was just mesmerised by your cat staring at Eric the whole time, I need a cat so bad 😭😂
She's the best! Sadly, she's not ours, as we're just watching her for some friends 😭😭
@@WanderingRavens It looks more like sha's watching you :)
We had a lovely kitten for eight months...then a car ran it over....223,000 cats die every year in the uk like that....if you live near a dangerous road don’t have a cat....the grief is awful..
Don't move to France, In time you will become French!! and that is never a good move
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Oh god can you imagine I’d hate to become French
There's an element of truth there. I moved to France 5 years ago and now find myself greeting women in the UK with a double kiss to the cheeks. Facial cheeks that is..
@@sim5361 Fair enough. I wasn't given a choice in the matter. Were you?..
@@sim5361 each to their own.
Love this video! To be honest I agree with most of these points as a UK resident myself!
P.S loving Grace’s hair ❤️
Thank you!! And so glad to hear you agree!
Yes I agree. Don't feel awkward making negative comments about the U.K No place is perfect. While you're right about cost of living when you move to France you might get a shock with the tax you have to pay, depending of course on income etc.
Yup, the privatised trains are day light robbery. But tbh, if someone can't be arsed to walk the half mile that would be 2 stops on the tube in central London, they deserve to be taxed.
The public toilet thing? We've plenty here in Bath, some are state of the art, free and very trendy. But doesn't everyone just use Starbucks or The Pub? Wetherspoons bogs are always really nice.
Great interesting video. In regards to restrooms most UK train stations have them, and you'd expect them in all indoor shopping centres. Pubs are another option. It is true that intercity train routes hike their prices as the travel date approaches but local train travel is fixed annually. Inter city airplane flights can be far cheaper! It is never advisable to just travel the London tube for a couple of stops on one day as will be expensive. Either max out the daily cost cap by doing loads of tube travels or use a London bus instead which is ridiculously cheap. Cheers!
For window screens, a lot of windows don't have them in old houses because they can't attach them to window without doing damage. In some new houses they have air conditioning. However the only places that really need screens is a few places that have mosquitoes. And Scotland. And in most of Europe, the majority of cats are what Americans would call indoor outdoor cats.
Hiya. You DO know, when Brits let their cats out, the cats come back? Many doors to the outside even have cat-flaps, so the cats can come and go as they please. I do pity House Cats, somewhat. Will your cat NEVER experience the outside world? Stay safe. All the best to you.
A more serious problem is in America its common place to have you cats declawed, a barbaric process they can result in a jail sentence in the U.K. In the U.K. we made all of our top predators extinct, where as in most of America, they cats tend to get eaten if let outside. Also cats are much better climbing up trees, than they are at getting back down (for anatomical reasons) so the fire brigade in the UK spend a lot of time rescuing cats from trees when they get stuck.
In many countries its also now illegal to let pet cats outside unattended, as they can quickly kill local endangered species when they hunt.
I have three cats in the UK who have a cat flap. When I tried to keep one of them in by locking the cat flap (because she had a sore foot), they actually broke out of the house by hurling themselves at the cat flap until it broke.
My cat is an indoor cat. She was abused at her previous "home" by being hit in the face and swung around by her tail, so she's now 100% a house cat as she has the tendency to freak at the outside world. But yeah, in the UK cats do come and go as they please!
@@hannahaidastitcher8098 That's outrageous. How'd they find it if an ogre hit their face and swung them around? Some just have no sense.
I notice you wait till there is the safety of the Atlantic Ocean between you and your viewers before posting this one 😂
I hate smoking aswell especially with my asthma If I walk through smoke or smell it im coughing for hours 😫
I hate asthmatics, if I see one, I try to blow as much smoke in their face as possible (and I don't even smoke so I have to buy a pack in a hurry).
I’m with you with the things you dislike about the UK. The difference being I can’t go and live in France to escape easily like you can.
Smoking has reduced dramatically in public areas in modern times. My eyes used to sting when going to discotheques 50 or so years ago. I never smoked, but many of my friends did. The modern day Vaping however appears to be on an increase, unfortunately.
I love public transport, but hardly EVER use it because of the price (it's mainly due to the governments privatisation of the train companies). I usually drive to university in Aberystwyth which takes me 4.5 hours, and uses less than a tank of fuel (so under £40). One time, my car broke down so I decided to get the train home....£160, 4 changes, and 7.5 hours later, I FINALLY got back to my local station...which is still 30 minutes from my parents house!
You forgot the biggest one... the weather! 🤣
Well right back at you on the freelance thing! I could not live and work in the USA as a freelancer! Pot.....meet kettle!
I don't know where in the U.K.you were living but live in south Devon and my windows are always open on nice days in the summer months , with the exception of the odd fly ----- nothing .
In Notts, same here. Occasional bee, and that's it
price gouging: they do it because they can; when a resource is in short supply, the supplier can pretty much get away with charging whatever they want, and if the customer HAS to have that resource, they're stuck with it. I'm not a fan of it - no one is except the supplier - but if they have something that you have to have ...
Sort of allied to that is the way that prices change on different days: the same plane taking the same flight between the same two cities doesn't charge the same fares - on one day it can be almost double the fare charged on another day.
No surprise, the higher prices are for when people travel most often, so they have to pay the highest prices
It's like holiday venues hiking up the prices during school holidays, when they know that the parents can't take their kids out of school to get cheaper prices.
[] window screens: this is why I have net curtains on all my windows, even the bathroom which isn't overlooked. I can have the windows open with minimal entry for insects. I also have long net curtains on my front and back doors for the same reason.
[] Public toilets: there used to be lots. but they got phased out, no idea why. There was a phase of "automatic toilets" but they seem to have vanished too. The other objection is the cost: this is where we get the phrase "spend a penny" but it can be anything up to 30p in train stations.
Interestingly, the first public toilet for women wasn't opened in the UK until the 1880s, and it was only done then because they realised that if women didn't have to cut their shopping trips short, they'd stay longer and spend more money.
Shopping centres have public toilets, but of course they're not available when the centre is closed.
I can't find any reference to the first disabled-access public toilet, but I'm betting it wasn't until relatively recently.
As the reciprocal of you guys, ie a Brit living in the USA, my first reaction to arriving was one of astonishment. The screens on the windows are fantastic, why don't we have them. My reaction to the bit about public transport being expensive, it is more a matter of "well at least we have public transport." But I have to agree that the cost of the Tube is ridiculous.
The UK used to have public toilets - conveniences- everywhere, but due to the sliding standards in society, most of them were closed. The public facilities in the States - or at least Minnesota- always seem to be clean and well looked after. The exact opposite of those in the UK. Vandalism and littering in the UK is a National Disgrace.
I'm not sure I agree with you on the cost of living, but it's been a while since I grocery shopped in the UK. In the US, we are spending about $100/Person in Groceries, but where the USA beats the UK hands down is in energy cost. Gas/Petrol is still around $2.00 for 1 gal (US Gal = 8pt * 16 Fl oz, UK = 8pt * 20 Fluid oz) which works out to 5.63 GB Pounds / Gal, or when converted to dollars, about $7.49. Slightly less due to the 16/20 thing with a pint. Heating and Electricity are also considerably higher from memory.
Americans don't get my humour - or spelling - and I don't get theirs, so I agree totally about that difference.
Although not terribly relevant due to COVID, the UK did at least have really low cost airfares to Europe, whereas the USA doesn't compare with low cost. It can cost nearly as much to cross the continent as to cross the Atlantic.
There are usually loads of public bathrooms in Leeds slightly less so at the moment covid has changed alot
my god, that was tame. You are far too nice to really tell the truth, and that's why we love you.
Didn't want to ruffle you too much 😂😂 But thank you!! We appreciate you too! :D
It doesn’t sound like you had a great time in Leeds. I apologize on behalf of my home town. It’s a lot better when not in lockdown.
Despite our experience with Turd Alley, we actually had a pretty good time! Leeds is a gorgeous city with incredible architecture and so much to see!
With respect to your experience on the London Underground, the charge for any single journey between two stations in Zones 1 and 2 is £2.40. Providing you use the same contactless or Oyster card throughout the day, the daily cap is £7.20 for multiple journeys within those zones. You must each use a separate card (ie. both of you cannot tap in on the same card) and you must remember to tap out at the destination. If you don't tap out, you will be charged the maximum fare across all zones, which will certainly be £4+.
The comments are going to be fun
Can't wait 😂
Does it matter? Its only a tiny minority who leave their home state let alone , the USA!!!
Emailed you a possible way around the visa thing, and yes its legal.
Feels like their problems are only based in London 😂😂😂😂
As a Brit that's lived and worked in the USA, and several other countries, I would say that I completely agree with most of your points. Transportation in the UK is outrageously expensive (just like Japan).
The cost of living is one area where I'd disagree. It's not actually that bad, especially when you consider that you have to add sales taxes to most prices in the USA, and in most bars and restaurants tipping is expected. I'd also tend to disagree with you about public toilets. Every shopping centre and station will have them, although they do often close at awkward times!
Instead of leaving you're country like a coward make a change your the reason it has so many issues same with the politicians they treat this like a side hobby a part time entertainment stand up comedy show in parliament. Ive seen many brits online living in foreign countries and working there. 85% of working Americans work and live in their home country whereas the uk is only 60% and Germany is 90% Its very sad to me we send all industry abroad and have throughout history, We barely manufacture anything for example steel,wood,glass and cars,tools and nearly everything. There is no mining industry of any true scale and farming is limited to mainly sheep grazing feilds. Therefore the industry from the ground up the primary sector lacks which means the country cant prosper localy meaning the country imports everything and people are forced to work for foreign companies and in foreign countries, in turn selling all its wealth and intelligence to work abroad to help countries abroad. The uk is very similar to japan and both countries have similar faults but I've been to japan and it is incomparable to the uk also. It is much better in many ways with public toilets being much more prominent, subway system of tokyo is much better than londons tube and so on and I'm not even a fan of japan which could also be a result of there sincerity and joyfulness compared to the stubborn movie villain brit who only exist because they exist and automatically feels they have rights over foreign countries which has been show throughout history with the empire and colonisation of the world thank the lord India became independent, Thank the lord Australia, united states. I have never classed the uk as part of europe such an old nation prehistoric but so primitive and pathetic and every part of there culture based on the selfishness on others above putting god first with henry the eighth and so on just so typical of the uk to claim the most ridiculous ideas such as of the church of england which no other county has because it makes changes and doesn't let the past define its incompetence but adapts to new environments. I could write a while book on this but ill end here.
Train travel here is ridiculously expensive because it was privatised and the various companies only care about profit. The service gets worse but the prices just keep going up. Oh wow I’ve just got to the part where you said you were in Leeds. Yay that’s where I am 💕👍🏻
I think it depends where in the uk for high living costs because it’s lots cheaper up north
Rent and buying houses might be cheaper in the north but fuel,electric,gas and a pint of milk all cost the same no matter where you are.
it's still outrageously expensive
We use net curtains...Also good for twitching!
Instead of taking the tube for 2 stops in London you can walk it will cost nothing 😘
Regarding screens, most houses in the UK also don’t have air conditioning. If it’s really hot (not so far this year!) then it’s best to keep the windows closed. Alternatively, if you feel it’s a problem, you could try “net curtains” ( also called Voiles) - very thin mesh-like fabric (usually white) which you can see through but which will also keep out flying insects. In reality the UK doesn’t really have a problem with bugs compared to most other countries. This feels like a rather contrived issue.
Public restrooms - they exist, and are more common than you seem to suggest. But generally they /are/ limited to highly trafficed public areas, or areas where food is consumed. So for example often they are in public shopping malls near the cafe's and resturants, and near public parks, and beaches, and places of historical significance (like castles etc). Also most petrol stations have publicly available toilets. Beyond that you are limited to using a restroom in an establishment like a pub or a resturant, but personally i've never had a problem just nipping into the first pub I see. (Obviously during covid this is less convenient).
Hey look I’m binge watching now ahhh
Brits find a lot of Brits offensive too...
Whenever a British person opens their mouth to speak, another Brit will hate them for their accent.
There is a UA-cam series interviewing people on countries they hate and the UK video is mostly brits saying they hate brits.
@@ThisWontEndWell I hate it when you just give me an idea of which you tube you're talking about...
You must be a Brit..
If it was 2 stops on the tube you could have walked! I love you guys - Grace is so cute and Eric, you have a lovely voice .
Yes she is, and he does have a very good speaking voice, I just wish he'd keep his bloody hands still! LOL
must have been in zone 1
In the UK it’s actually against the law to smoke in indoor spaces such like pubs, college buildings, bus shelters (yes they are technically indoor spaces) & extra. The only way you can around those areas is to go to a allowed smoking point location which is usually has a sign that says you can smoke here while for places like bus shelters you will need to stand outside.
The biggest problem however is that we don’t have a law about force passive smoking (which for people don’t know what that means it just means someone that isn’t actually smoking but is inhaling the actual smoke coming from the smoker. It’s not classified as smoking so anyone that even goes passed someone that is smoking and of course breaths the air around them that would still be classified as passive smoking) even though the law about not allowing to smoke in indoor places is meant to stop the likelihood of that but the actual of forceful passive smoking is still not against the law so in a lot of peoples mind as long I’m not smoking inside the actual building I should be safe to smoke (even just outside the entrance of a building they are still technically outside so they are not breaking any laws even though the likelihood of passive smoking is still quite a high likelihood to accrue). The only way to get in trouble for doing so is if the actual building has a no smoking sign up (which means you cannot smoking away near the building), or you are actually blocking someone’s way to get in or out of the building and not bothering to move out of the way (this one doesn’t even have anything to to with smoking itself but that’s one of only few ways a smoker can get into trouble in smoking just outside a entrance to a building). Without certain conditions that the actual owners of the building have set anyone can pretty much can smoke anywhere as long it’s not inside a actual building or in a non-smoking zone.
A two stop journey on "the tube" usually equals a 10 to 20 minute walk (sometimes as little as 5 minutes), certainly in zone 1. Obviously out on the far reaches of the Metropolitan Line this wouldn't be the case but the point still stands.
But yeah, unless you're buying a day or week pass and getting plenty of journeys out of it public transport is mile for mile expensive.