Lani lived there about 6 months and she told me she was glad she developed a British accent because she fit right in.
Dont tell anyone youre American, thats for sure.
Or if you must, be the sweetest, kindnest and most understanding american that ever lived. :D

I'm pretty polite when interacting with people that I am unfamiliar with, so I think I can represent my countrymen, well. At the very least, I'll do my best. ^_^

My girl is all grown up and visiting the UK! My Native American (and trans) friend  tonyasong visited there recently, and she enjoyed her visit (it was for a con she told me). I’d recommend contacting her for some pointers (I primarily talk to her on Discord).

Oh, awesome! Thanks!

*waves* yes, British resident here!

It's a shame you're only here for 5 days, there's a heck of a lot to explore! But my main suggestions really are:

There's more to England than just London. If you can, plan time to explore cities like Bristol, Southampton or even hop into Wales to Cardiff for a day to explore an entirely different country and culture! (No passport needed to get between England and Wales just to put your mind at ease). Cardiff is around 2hrs from London Paddington by rail so can be easily visited within a day. Same with Scotland, you can do Edinburgh in 4hrs train travel from Kings Cross so you could make the most of a day out there too.

Kensington will be quite expensive (very up market area, most houses worth in excess of £1m). If you're not planning to be in a fixed location for the whole week, travel lodge and premier inn hotels are quite cheap and in most major cities. If you're planning to stick mainly around London and want to see the more tourist side of stuff, farringdon, clerkenwell and covent garden are well placed. But also, if you stick to a hotel location with easy access of a tube stop, you can get almost anywhere in London within an hour or so of travel. Get a 7 day travelcard for the underground and it can also be used on most buses, trams, the overground railway, underground railway, elizabeth line and national rail.

In the UK, you don't need to tip servers in restaurants. We do to be polite but if you've had bad service, you can leave no tip. The servers will be paid a minimum wage anyway. If you do want to tip, try to do it in cash. If you tip on the card, the servers have to pay tax on it.

In terms of not being a fish out of water, the main things to fit in I'd say are:

Don't compare everything to the USA
Be prepared to be apologised to by everyone. It's a Brits way out of awkward scenarios!
Don't try to copy or mimic a british accent. There are a lot of different accents across the UK.

Also if you do manage to annoy a brit, they won't tell you that you have annoyed them. We're very non-confrontational so if something happens, just quietly remove yourself from the situation with an apology if one is required.

We're a friendly bunch though so you should have a good time regardless!

Oh, thanks so much for the help! Let's see:

5 days is too short? How many days would you recommend?

I did want to visit Scotland while I am there and am super happy to know that I can get there by rail...which was something else that I wanted to do! I really want to take a train on a long ride throughout the country to see different areas that you can't see by foot or car, but that can be accessed by train. Do I get a ticket in advance, or is it like the subway where you just get a ticket when you get there? Also, should that be the last place that I visit so that when I leave, I can go straight to the airport back to the U.S., or will there be enough time to go there for a little while and then return to the hotel? I also REALLY want to visit the zoo! Of course I want to do the normal touristy things, like seeing Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, etc, but even more than that, I really want to see the zoo. But, is it an all-day trip, or is it something I can see all of in just a few hours?

I had only planned on staying at one hotel, but I'm wondering now if hotel hopping would be better...

You mentioned a lot of railways up there. I'm from New York, so we have about 4: MTA Subway, NJ Transit, Metro-North, and Amtrak. The subway is for everyday use through the entirety of New York City (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island). NJ Transit is for transportation between New York and New Jersey. Metro-North is for transportation between New York and Connecticut. And Amtrak is for cross-country travel throughout all of the continental United States. What are the railways like in England, or can you refer me to a site that has the information on these trains, please?

I'm glad you mentioned what to do about tipping. I remembered that tipping is not something that's really practiced over there the way it is often mandatory over here. But, I CAN still tip if the service is really good?

^_^ I heard that you guys are very polite about avoiding confrontations. The one thing I am unsure of, I am also the person that apologizes for bumping into people or doing something wrong in general. If someone apologizes to me, my natural reaction is to also apologize or to say something like, "No worries, you're fine!" Will that be alright, or is there a response that would be better?

^_^; I know you guys don't like it when folks try to imitate your assorted accents, but I am curious as to why that is? Is it just because it's annoying, or are people just really bad at it, or is there something else?

Also, a few more things:
Is it better to say "excuse me" or "pardon me"? I ALWAYS get that one confused.
Are there any foods that I must try? Shepherd's pie sounds like the BEST comfort food ever, so I can't wait to try it.
I don't drink alcohol, but I do want to visit a pub, just so I can see what it's like. Is that okay? Can I order just a non-alcoholic drink and hang out for a little while, or should I just skip it?
I hear that it's usually a little chilly, but I keep checking the weather for London and it looks like it's hotter over there than it is over here. I also don't see it raining as much as people say, but maybe the weather I'm seeing isn't accurate. Walking about, what do you recommend for clothing?

Wow! That was very informative. Thanks for the tips and sorry for the numerous follow-up questions. I think I will have a good time, too. I've been looking forward to this for...I don't even know how long. I know there's going to be a lot to see, so I need to prioritize what I do on this trip. I also know that I'll be functioning on a 5 hour time delay, but I think I can power through that. But, I am super excited!! ^_^

Hey no worries, happy to be helping out!

In terms of timing, an American friend I had over last year said they would have needed 2 weeks to have a proper exploration. 5 days will be tight to pack everything in, 7-10 days would allow you to get most done.

So for trains, we have two systems that operate. London runs it's own thing through London Transport:

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-informati.....isitors-to-pay

This will help you with deciding the best options but a visitor oyster card will be the best bet for all London based travel. As soon as you leave London, you will need to deal with a different operator for trains and buses.

For UK wide rail travel, you can use https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/. You can either buy tickets on the day at the station or you can book tickets in advance through National Rail however there are pros and cons to watch out for:

Day tickets:
Pros - Flexible tickets that can be used on any train, the return tickets are 'open return' so you can make the return journey within 30 days of purchase
Cons - They are more expensive than the advanced tickets, no seat reservations

Advance tickets:
Pros - quite a bit cheaper than the advance tickets and on most services, will reserve you a seat for the journey
Cons - Only for set booked trains meaning if you miss the train, you'll need to buy an 'on the day' ticket to get on the next train

For your trip to Edinburgh, you might also want to look into the Caledonian Sleeper service (https://www.sleeper.scot/). The train runs at a slower pace so you can get on the train at London Euston railway station, go to sleep, get a good night's sleep in, then wake up in Edinburgh! You get a private cabin for the journey as well and it runs both ways so you can sleep on the way up to Edinburgh, have a nice long day out, then get back to the station, back to sleep and wake up bright and early already in London for the day ahead :) Also saves on hotels for two nights! This will need booking in advance though as it's a very busy service.

For local bus services, you'd need to check what the services offer in the cities you are visiting. Most bus services are card only payment now and some (like Bristol's Metrobus) require you to buy the ticket from a machine at the bus stop before you board the bus. They are usually quite cheap and 'Day Rover' options exist that allow you unlimited travel within the majority of that city for that day.

Zoo wise, London Zoo is alright but it is quite small. I've heard good things about Edinburgh zoo though. Bristol's Wild Place project is really really good and the UK's best zoo is chester zoo. Some of the smaller zoos can be done in a morning (such as Wild Place, London Zoo etc) but the bigger ones like Chester Zoo will be a whole day out.

In regard to tipping, yes you can still tip if the service is good. The UK average is 5-10% of the bill so leaving say a £3 tip on a £30 meal is acceptable.

For the etiquette, the example you gave if bumped into and saying 'no worries', that would be perfectly fine.

In regard to the accents, us brits impersonate other's accents as a way of mocking someone so to a brit, someone impersonating the accent comes off as though they are being rude! So that's just something to bear in mind

Excuse me is the better of the two but if you're using it to get someone's attention, add a little 'hi' in front so 'Hi, excuse me, can you help me please' or 'Hi excuse me, sorry, can I just squeeze through to there'.

Food wise, Shepherds pie is a great one to try! It's really good, especially if the weather is a bit colder and damp out. Just make sure it's a real shepherds pie and not a cottage pie. The difference is that shepherds pie has lamb as the primary ingredient, cottage pie has beef. Other foods to try:
• proper British battered cod and chips from a local chip shop
• a Sunday Roast which are usually advertised as 'carvery' on Sundays
• Full English Breakfast (Most hotels will serve these)
• Anything from the bakers outlet Greggs (might I recommend the sausage rolls!)
• Whilst out and about, sample the different chocolate bars as I'm told UK chocolate is superior to US chocolate by most of my US friends that have tried it!
• Bangers and Mash - old british staple food, sausages with mashed potatoes with gravy and normally served with garden peas
• Toad in the hole - sausages cooked in a Yorkshire pudding, usually served with gravy, some vegetables and potatoes

Oh also, just worth mentioning:
US chips = UK Crisps - We have Lays here but they are called Walkers
US fries = UK French Fries
UK chips = potato cooked like french fries but much chunkier. Not sure what the US term is for them.

That one always confuses people!

You can absolutely visit a pub and order a non-alcoholic drink and just soak up the atmosphere. Most pubs serve a selection of soft drinks and cordials and some also usually offer zero alcohol beers and ciders. My favourite is an alcohol free Rekorderlig cider, summer fruits or strawberry and lime. You won't be disappointed!

And finally, a Brit's favourite subject. The weather XD

So we're in summer which means it will likely be warmer. Temps on average between 60f and 100f aren't uncommon and it can change every day. When packing to visit the UK, make sure you bring things to keep you dry anyway and keep a close eye on forecasts leading up to the visit. If the forecast is sun, it likely will stay sunny so light clothes and plenty of sun lotion. I've known days where I've experienced almost all 4 seasons in the same day so it does change and can sometimes be quite rapid. We don't get particularly severe weather here so no need to listen out for tornado warnings etc. The only real risk this time of year is being caught in a torrential thunderstorm which can sometimes affect train travel etc so worth paying attention to what is going on weather wise. The forecasts should show a risk of storms though. I'd recommend https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ to keep a close eye on things.

If it helps, I use Telegram so if you wanted someone to keep in contact with on your visit, I can be reached on jasperfoxx if you need some help during your visit! :)

Oh also sorry, should have added:

London Main Railway station guide:

London Euston - For services to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and the Caledonian Sleeper

London St Pancras - For services to the south coast (Brighton) and alternative routes to the north of England if Kings Cross is having issues

London King's Cross - For services to the north so York, Non-sleeper services to Edinburgh, Durham, Newcastle as well as Cambridge.

London Liverpool street - For services to Eastern England and Essex so Chingford, Norwich, Ipswich, Southend etc

Charing Cross - For services to the extreme south east england so Tunbridge Wells, Dover, Hastings, Ramsgate, Margate

London Victoria - For services to Central southern England so Dover, Brighton, Southampton and Gatwick Airport (Not sure if you're coming in to Heathrow or Gatwick?)

London Paddington - For services to South West England and Wales (Bath, Bristol, Devon, Cornwall, South wales) and also has the airport service for Heathrow Airport.

Marylebone - For services to the Midlands so Birmingham, Aylesbury, Warwick, Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon

London Waterloo - Also coveres central southern England so Southampton, Portsmouth, Weymouth, Guildford and beyond

These are mostly all connected to the London Underground Tube network so you should be able to reach all of these quite easily :)

Thank you so much for all of this! …and sorry for the late reply. I’m actually en route to Anthrocon right now, so the last few days were a little hectic.

So, after everything you told me, I think I’m going to push back my trip to August. Clearly, I need to plan a little bit more. ^_^; I definitely want to do the sleeper train to Edinburg. I LOVE trains like that so I can’t wait to go on one. I also want to do the Chester Zoo. Since that’s an all day event and the train is 2, I’m going to have to plan for a longer trip. I also want to go down to Cornwall. It looks relaxing and very picturesque. So, I need to figure out my hotel situation.

Thank you for explaining the accent mimicking. I never understood why that was, especially since so many of us Americans love the sound of English accents in their varying forms. But, now I get it. In America, we generally mimic an accent for fun or to see if we can do it accurately. Spoiler alert: …it’s an acquired skill that not everyone has acquired. ^_^;

Oh! Speaking of; I noticed you refer to your people as, “Brits”. In America, we generally say, “British” or specifically, “English” and “Scottish”. Which is better for a foreigner to say, or do we just say, “Brits” as well?

I think UK Fries might be potato wedges here. They’re thick French fries that aren’t served often, but they are delicious.

Hmm…the weather is going to be tricky. I guess I’ll just bring a few options and hope the forecast is accurate. I heard somewhere (I don’t remember where) that adults don’t wear raincoats and rain boots across the pond. Is that true, or can I buy a cute pair of rain boots if the forecast predicts rain. Actually…I need an umbrella, too. The wind ruined my last one, but I would like to get one when I come to visit. I’m guessing you guys make a better umbrella (and rain gear in general) than we do.

Again, thanks so much for your help. I’m excited to come and look forward to seeing everything! I don’t know if you’ll be in the London area, but if you are, I’d love to treat you to lunch sometime. ^_^

Echoing Jasper's comment, I recommend a side trip to York. Medieval walled city with a huge cathedral and a pub with the remains of a Roman bath in the basement.

Within London, get tickets to The Mousetrap if you can. It's a mystery play that has run continuously (aside from during Covid shutdowns) since 1952.

Oh, those both sound really interesting! I really need to plan out this trip a little more carefully. Thanks, D!

Not from England unfortunately. I live further east-southeast. But I hope you enjoy your trip to Europe regardless. *hugs*

Thank you so much!

Travel safe and have fun in Merrie Olde England.

Thanks! I'll do my best to be safe. ^_^

From the Netherlands, but I've been to England yearly for Confuzzled with my friend  Rorschfox who lives there. I usually arrive in Bristol, and the zoo there is definitely a recommendation. For the rest, I don't actually know of very many tourist-y things because I was only there for the convention so it was from Bristol to Birmingham for the con, and then back again and fly home from Bristol airport, hee! Apart from one year when we visited his homestead as well since he lives in the very tourist-y Torquey (also home of the famous Fawlty Towers hotel which unfortunately is not there anymore), but that is waaay down south so I don't think you'd be making it there.

Either way, I hope you will have a lovely time there! And I know you're a very friendly and polite person, so I really don't think you'll have any trouble >^_^<

Thank you! I REALLY want to check out that zoo! I also want to check out that convention one day, too. Which one did you go to?

Any time, dear! And yes, the convention is definitely worth checking out too! It's called Confuzzled, started real small but it grew immensely over the past few years! *chuckles* If you're interested in going there one year, don't hesitate to get in touch with  Rorschfox about it because he'd happily help you arrange that, get into the hotel and in the Dealer's Den and whatnot >^_^<
(oh, also, the convention has its own website at confuzzled.org if you want to check it out, as far as I know it's up year-round with info and pictures and such from previous years)

Sounds good! Thank you. ^_^

Yep, me!

Whereabouts in the UK are you coming to? Since you mentioned Kensington I'm guessing you're going to London but are you going anywhere outside of London?

Also, the best way to check out etiquette as a US American coming to England will probably be Youtube videos on the subject. I think they'll be more comprehensive than I can be, off the top of my head.

Hey there!

Well, I was planning on going to London and see the normal touristy things (Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, etc), but I also want to explore other areas of interest that you guys recommend. And I REALLY want to visit the zoo. ^_^ I'm not set on Kensington, that's just where Expedia recommends. There are other places that are listed, but for some reason, Kensington is listed at the top. That's why I need a good recommendation from you guys, because you actually live there. ^_^

Oh, I didn't even think to look up YouTube videos about etiquette! Thanks, I'll do that.

No worries! And I'd say the Natural History Museum's a good bet! That's where I had my first date with my partner, and it's the most beautiful old building, and the geology room upstairs is just... monastic, and then there's the blue whale room! Best thing is, payment for entry is optional so you get all of that for free!

There is a bag search though, so just to let you know of that.

That sounds amazing! I'll add it to the list of must see places! Thanks.