Worst tourist behaviours in the UK | as voted by Brits

Tourists in the UK.. stop being annoying! Here's everything that British people wish tourists in the UK would stop doing... As a Canadian living in the UK, I never dreamed that I would go from tourist-to-resident, but here we are! 8 years later, I can see how annoying I must have been when I first moved here lol
0:00 never thought I'd be a resident
0:56 get out of the way!!!
2:28 shhhh
3:37 london = the uk
4:55 so many photos... why??
6:11 pub etiquette
7:00 escalator drama
9:07 say no to "quaint"
9:39 don't be a prick
10:35 bit wet, innit?
11:09 europe time
11:55 wrong money
12:18 the biggest sin
12:40 what's this?
Please subscribe here! kzbin.info...
Want exclusive content? Join my YT membership community here:
/ @adventuresandnaps
Want more? Check out:
Can a foreigner find UK locations? | GeoGuessr challenge: • Can a foreigner find U...
UK vs USA: Who Does Breakfast Better?: • UK vs USA: Who Does Br...
FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE
Patreon: / adventuresandnaps
Livestreams: / adventuresandnaps
FB: / adventuresandnaps
IG: / adventures.and.naps
Newsletter: adventuresandnaps.com/newsletter
You can donate to my channel here: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Music by Epidemic Sound, get 60 days free: share.epidemicsound.com/pna7us
Hey! I'm Alanna - a thirty-something documenting my life as a Canadian living in England.
I share the ups and downs of an expat living abroad and what it's really like living in the UK. It's not always easy, but there's been so many wonderful experiences, too. I post a KZbin video every Tuesday plus an additional video every Saturday on Patreon + YT Memberships. I also livestream every Wednesday and Sunday at 5:30pm GMT/BST on Twitch.
Alanna x

[@frankf5486]

We are still in Europe. We just left the EU.

[@marvinc9994]

Something the Europhiles should understand - but seem unable to. If - and when - the deceitful European Union collapses, there will STILL be a 'Europe' (thank God), consisting once again of _sovereign_ nations, but there will be no 'EU'. If NATO were to similarly collapse (and I hope it doesn't), there would still be a UK, a USA, a Germany etc etc. I fail to understand this conflation of a multi-national _political organisation_ - whatever people's opinions of it - with the constituent nations themselves. We've been part of Europe since 1066 - and I, for one, have no desire to see THAT change!

[@germulqueen3002]

I was just about to let her know that, (and I'm from Ireland, so her mistake/misinformation, shouldn't really matter to me, but thought sunce she now lives in the UK, she should know that she's also STILL in Europe; just not the EU..!!) but I just happened to see you got there before me. 🙂

[@helenwood8482]

We were never in Europe. Islands are not included in continents.

[@liukin95]

@@helenwood8482 So by your logic Japan isn't in Asia... 🤦🏻‍♂

[@mildlydispleased3221]

​@helenwood8482 Japan isn't in Asia and Madagascar isn't in Africa by your pathetic logic.

[@grantparman4705]

I'm an American who lives in the US, and when I visit other countries, I try to be very aware of local customs and behave appropriately. My country doesn’t have a reputation for being good tourists, and I want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem!

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

That's so kind!! ☺️

[@tantangpenn5496]

Say you're a Canadian.

[@nicksykes4575]

Too be fair, I think the Chinese make the worst tourists.

[@parallaxview6770]

Just dont bomb us

[@grantparman4705]

​@@AdventuresAndNaps☺️

[@kentthompson3836]

Oh Alanna! Glasgow no longer in Europe?..........That's the kind of mistake a tourist would make😂

[@nicktankard1244]

i think it was a joke :)

[@davidboydarnott417]

And Madrid is capital of Spain😂😂

[@Zephyrines]

Why do Glaswegians speak a different language then? 😂😂😂

[@acmdv]

@@Zephyrines You mean like Americans who speak "American" not English?

[@whattiler5102]

WE used Europe in that respect for a long time

[@silverwolf3745]

I work in Dublin and a few weeks ago we had an American couple in who tried to pay in US Dollars and kept insisting that we had to accept them bt US law even though we pointed out that US law is meaningless in Ireland.

[@d3gres170]

I wonder how they found Ireland.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@d3gres170 They were flying to mainland Europe but got kicked off early with their bad attitudes.

[@6ettinold]

I sat in a hotel in Dublin some years ago and witnessed the biggest collective groan from the staff, just as a coach load of elderly American tourists pulled up outside. A load of them got in the lift. As the doors closed, the next bunch pressed the button to call the lift. Of course, it hadn't had chance to move to the 1st floor, so the doors simply reopened. They all thought this was highly amusing, collectively guffawing at each other. They repeated this a further 6 times, still finding it all highly amusing each time the doors opened. We sat laughing at their collective stupidity, only to get a grilling from a very angry US tourist who'd caught us laughing at his travelling companions.

[@SophieWilder-ni1wl]

​@@d3gres170 they probably thought they were in Boston.

[@stumccabe]

Tourists and the King's Guards - sometimes tourists seem to think they're toy soldiers just there for their amusement; no they are real soldiers who have served in places like Iraq and Afghanistan!

[@PLuMUK54]

I'm a retired teacher. On one school trip to London, I caught some of my students teasing a guard at St James' Palace. I went ballistic! When I'd finished giving them a piece of my mind, I noticed several tourists filming the incident. Looking back, I'm glad that this was pre-Internet. I was so angry with the students that for the rest of the trip, I don't think that they held their heads up, though to give them credit, they apologised to the guardsman without being told to. They also apologised to me when we arrived back at school and begged me not to tell their parents.

[@stumccabe]

@@PLuMUK54 Well done! I'm sure your response left a strong positive impression on them.

[@cultfiction3865]

@@PLuMUK54I think you are taking it all a bit too seriously dude. People are bound to want to get funny shots for their Instagram and social media platforms. What kinda of miserable guard would resent that? Also, if they have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, then they are involved in killing others. Neither Iraq or Afghanistan ever invaded us so it can’t be called self defence. What kind of humans want to earn a living killing others just to please politicians?

[@franc9111]

@@PLuMUK54 Not long ago there a group of students from a language school who were clearly being offensive to the guards at Horseguards. The police took them aside and told them that they had no longer any right to stay there. There have been other instances recently of clearly identifiable groups were also told to leave immediately by the police. People imagine that there is a public right of way from Whitehall through to Saint James's Park, there isn't, it can be closed to the public at any time.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

What tourist don't seem to realise is that the guards they are trying to annoy are highly trained soldiers and those guns aren't made by Mattel.

[@toxictony4230]

I did once whisper into a photographers ear that they [the guard] are permitted to use deadly force if they feel they are been threatened, at which point he beckoned to his mate and promptly disappeared.

[@EmilyCheetham]

Yep. If you get in the way of a marching soldier and don’t get out the way they will bash into you. If you annoy a soldier they will shout, change their gun to the other hand & March around. Ye sure people can a pictures/selfies with the guards but it’s rathe rude to try poke them or be rude to them & going to the extreme to make them laugh could make them loose their jobs possibly. So ye people need to give the kings guards some slack & show some respect. Because as you said they are soldiers just trying to do their jobs.

[@flitsertheo]

@@EmilyCheetham And if you are really annoying they'll just call the police standing guard there too.

[@hairyairey]

The number of people who have argued with me online that these are "ceremonial" weapons is ridiculous. None of them of course brave enough to try to snatch one! Ever seen Patriot Games? Quite realistic and frankly he was very lucky to not be spotted by armed terrorists! The Grenadier Guard was a genuine one as well, didn't even get a credit.

[@flitsertheo]

@@hairyairey In a way those are "ceremonial" weapons. Real weapons kept in pristine condition and only used for this guard duty. We had such weapons, new all-black and mostly plastic FN FAL which only left the armoury for parading (and eventually for real combat). For daily use we still had 20 year old FN FAL with wooden parts. Still usable but precision shooting was another matter.

[@anyone4acupoftea]

The kings guards one is a strange one. There are hundreds or even thousands of people around me that I could tease/annoy, but let's choose the one person holding a firearm 😂

[@fatbelly27]

People get Europe confused with the EU

[@davidjackson2580]

Indeed. Europe and the EU are very different things.

[@richardsoper4996]

Cuba is an island off the coast of North America but it is not described as being part of North America, so, as Great Britain is an island off the coast of Europe, why is it described as being part of Europe?

[@craig3782]

​@@richardsoper4996Malta is also an island, is that not part of Europe either?

[@richardsoper4996]

@@craig3782 How is it decided what continent any island "belongs" to? Cyprus is often described as being part of Europe when geographically it is nonsense not to describe it as being part of Asia

[@craig3782]

@@richardsoper4996 Yes, on Cyprus, I have to totally agree with you, although I think that even Cyprus is confused about it's own identity. That's why I chose Malta as an example

[@wobaguk]

I think the "quaint" thing can go either way, its definitely valid in context, but while often used for "cute in an awesome way", can also be used in a slightly thoughtless way like "oh your little houses and little cars are so quaint" with a subtext of "its endeering that you still put up with something this tiny/old fashioned compared to what we have back home and I would never actually WANT this for myself"

[@gillcawthorn7572]

It can be very patronising.

[@f3aok]

Exactly. For certain things (maybe an old English village) it's an accurate description.

[@marvinc9994]

"I would never actually WANT this for myself" Exactly! I mean WHO in his right mind would rather live in (say) the Cotwolds or the Lake District, as opposed to a beautiful place like Las Vegas or downtown LA?

[@f3aok]

@@marvinc9994 Suppose it depends what you're looking for but I'd take the Cotswolds or the Lake District over LA or Vegas in a heartbeat.

[@marvinc9994]

@@f3aok I should bloody well hope so! And most folk with a Soul would agree with you, Mate. That (ironic) comparison of mine - it's suddenly struck me - resembles that between one of those ridiculously made-up Tik Tok girls (eye-lashes like Venus fly-traps and the lips of a Triggerfish) with a _naturally_ beautiful woman (like the lovely Lady Alanna) who needs no articial enhancements to make men look at her (sympathetically, in my case)! Hey ho😖😖😖

[@joemyers5302]

'When I go to a country I go to the capital. When I go to Spain I go to Barcelona.' Madrid is the capital, Barcelona isn't. 'Glasgow is no longer in Europe.' Again wrong, Britain is no longer in the EU which is a political entity, but it's still on the continent of Europe. It'll take way more than a referendum to change that.

[@thewomble1509]

Britain is NOT on the continent of Europe by dint of the fact that Britain is an ISLAND separated from the land mass of Europe by the North Sea and the English Channel............

[@joemyers5302]

@@thewomble1509 Every country belongs to a continent, whether it's part of the main landmass or an island. Iceland is in Europe and that's even further from the mainland.

[@davidpaterson2309]

@@thewomble1509 Apart from being on the continental shelf of Europe, the Atlantic Archipelago that contains the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland is populated by people who are approximately 85% of European origin, having migrated to the islands from Europe at various times since the ice age. They speak a number of languages, the main one being English which is a Germanic language, strongly influenced by French, a Romance language. The political, military and cultural history of the various nations of the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland has been intertwined with the rest of Europe for 2,000 years. To imagine that we are in any respect not a European country is simply preposterous.

[@thewomble1509]

@@davidpaterson2309 Being ON the continent of Europe suggests that we are conjoined, which we are not. You can argue that this is merely semantics but perhaps people should practise expressing themselves more clearly? THAT was my point. Perhaps | didn't make that clear?

[@davidpaterson2309]

@@thewomble1509 You’re right, it’s merely semantics. 20 miles of water doesn’t make the U.K. not a European country, in any respect, in anyone’s imagination. The very idea is just silly.

[@acmdv]

One of the most ridiculous questions I've been asked by a tourist was by an American woman who stopped me in the middle of the street in Brighton & asked me "Where did you get your T-Shirt from?" to which I replied "Adelaide South Australia" she then replied "What street is that on?"

[@shymike]

I must have missed the news the day Glasgow floated off and became part of another continent ! Probably same day Madrid was stripped of its capital status.

[@JB-ek4yx]

Yes, we all hate & voted against the Tory Feck-up that is Brexit, but some Brits still need it explaining to them, so you can't blame foreign visitors or fairly recent immigrants like Alanna

[@paulwallace4332]

Yeah, these American assumptions piss us off too!

[@garywallace8521]

Glasgow not in Europe?? When did this happen, is Sturgeon being rebellious again lol 😂

[@garywallace8521]

Sorry it was meant as tongue in cheek!

[@happyhedgehog6450]

She's turned into a gorilla again.

[@EmiSuperTrans71]

Glasgow is definitely in Europe so is the whole UK. I think you mean we're not in the EU ❤

[@charlestaylor9424]

You mean free of the EU, happily.

[@eddiemcauley7]

Look on map the UK is not in Europe.

[@visionsinblue7093]

Geographically it is @@eddiemcauley7

[@nigelanscombe8658]

@@eddiemcauley7it does if you look at maps of the continent of Europe.

[@PaulDavies-uz4hq]

The UK is in the European Continent, therefore the UK is in Europe. We left the European Union organisation not Europe.

[@SS-th8du]

'You just look like a pr1ck' said like a true Brit!! You're definitely one of us now!

[@millinutz]

I recently read that, anybody caught by a patrolling Policeman (police officer), teasing or annoying the King's Guards, can now be fined, and righjtly so!

[@davidhamm7909]

The worst tourist behaviour is calling it a phone booth, rather than a phone box 😂

[@chrisamies2141]

for me a 'phone booth' is one of the hood-only ones you get in public buildings or hotels, etc. It isn't a box.

[@johnpickles974]

Am a Brit by birth, but have lived in US for 25 years, you are spot on! Well done!

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

Thanks so much! 🎉

[@Theinternalrewrite]

Britain is still part of the continent of Europe just as Cyprus, Malta or Iceland. We may not be part of the EU but neither are Switzerland, Turkiye or Norway.

[@keithwarrington2430]

Turkey is hardly in Europe in any way though Istanbul counts as Europe the vast vast Majority of turkey is Asian

[@gerardacronin334]

If Tasmania is part of the Australian continent then Britain and Ireland are part of the European continent, geologically speaking.

[@dhughes6710]

Would people in Cyprus think they part of Europe?

[@BobHUK]

@@dhughes6710 I suppose it depends on whether they are in the Greek South of the island, or the Turkish North of the island. Greece is in the EU, but Turkey is not, and this may sway their thinking on whether the island is a part of Europe or not. After all, many people confuse the EU with Europe, even though one is a purely political entity while the other is a geographical entity.

[@davidjones332]

I hardly think you can claim Iceland as part of Europe. Culturally it may be akin to Scandinavia, but there is a vast amount of very cold water between Iceland and the Continent.

[@Americathebeautiful49]

I had a lot to say about all of the subjects mentioned but I’m glad I waited until the end when you got to the subject of the queue. I too lived in London but it was the 70’s and some things have changed but tourists have not. I remember complaining with my friends about the hoards that descended in the summer. This particular incident happened in summer on the Kings Road waiting for a 19 or 22. I was third up in “line” next to an elderly lady and as the bus arrived the queue turned into a mob scene in which the tourists just pushed ahead to get on the bus first. I muttered bloody tourists and the elderly lady simply said, “Oh dear, what’s happened to the queue”? English understatement at its finest.

[@coldwhite4240]

The sad reality is that queuing for a bus in London is virtually gone now. What you get is more of a huddled mass who cluster around the bus stop, and then a surge which, although usually fairly polite (there's rarely any actual pushing or verbals) is still far from a real "first-come, first-served" queue. The saddest part is that that's not even because of tourists, but because of massive cultural change in London. Many people in London today are immigrants or from migrant backgrounds so do not have that 'traditional British queuing' thing ingrained, and even with most younger native Britons, they are less invested in those old cultural norms. As a native Londoner of nearly half a century(!) old, I've seen the massive changes in general etiquette and culture here since I was a child and youth, the most noticeable being in the last 15-20 years.

[@Americathebeautiful49]

@@coldwhite4240Next you will be telling me they no longer play shove hay penny at the pub and they are serving cold beer.

[@brendanaengenheister5351]

This sudden stopping is particularly prevalent at the bottom of escalators, like its a surprise we've reached the bottom must stop and decide where to go next, meanwhile there's 300 people coming down behind you who can't stop.

[@justinr7542]

I live in Glasgow and a few days ago a group of Chinese tourists were absolutely fascinated with the entrance of my local Co-op. They took so many pictures 😂

[@TedJM]

asian tourists are so entertaining to watch, all with their massive selfie sticks and ipads taking photos of everything. I shouldn't laugh but they are baffling to me.

[@Brummiemartin]

Hey, I'm from Birmingham, and yes the "Pigeon Park" outside the cathedral is a thing! Those pigeons are to Birmingham what the Ravens are to the Tower of London. At least the pigeons have good taste...they know it's only a short flight from there to Cadburyworld. ;-)

[@Trebor74]

London lost some life when the pigeons were removed from Trafalgar square.

[@stuarts1219]

To be fair, I think a large portion of Barcelonia would love it to be the capital of an independent Catalonia

[@GenialHarryGrout]

Alanna just might have alienated her entire Catalonia subscriber base 😲

[@RubbishGimpy]

@@GenialHarryGrout The opposite.

[@davidhamm7909]

A large portion of said City would love you to call it Barcelona.

[@jamesbeeching6138]

I remember visiting a stately home (Stratford Sey) and we were in a mixed group including a few Yanks...Every time the tour guide talked about a painting or bit of furniture one of them would drawl "Is that an original......?" The tour guide only just kept her composure!!!😮😮😮😮😮😊😊😊😊

[@mutley23able]

I was in the Roman Baths once in Bath and a Yank asked the guide how they chlorinated the water back then, seriously haha 🤣

[@stuarts1219]

Super video - you've pretty much got the points on my list. Blocking the left hand side of the escalator at train stations is my top one. 🙂

[@kevinlance1813]

We live in North Carolina and we try to visit the UK at least once a year because we love it so much, so I would like to honestly say to you and all of your followers that we are well aware of everything you've covered here and we try so very hard to be courteous, considerate, and kind to the great people of England (and the UK). Also, sorry for the bad behavior by all Americans, I can't justify it at all and we must try to be respectful when we visit other nations and be good guests.

[@mehallica666]

Cheers. Tourists such as yourself are most welcome.

[@kevinlance1813]

@@mehallica666 Thanks for that we sincerely love England and want to he good guests. We'd love to try to drive some time but we really don't want to be a nuisance on the motorways.

[@craig3782]

Don't be sorry, we as Brits are far from perfect when we go abroad, trust me

[@alanw8571]

@@craig3782 But judging from some of the comments, us Brits are just like Mary Poppins-practically perfect in every way...🙄

[@franc9111]

@@craig3782 On the Costa Brava, for example.

[@michaeldillon3113]

The red Telephone Box was a multi use facility . It's prime use for telephone communication was often undermined by vandalism . It could also be used as a ' bathroom ' or a ' room for romance 😅' . The mark 4 model came with a post box and a vending machine for postage stamps . Not a lot of people know that - apart from Michael Caine obviously 🙂. ✌️

[@toxictony4230]

Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was also the chief architect on the Liverpool Anglican Cathredral. Alanna, you need to go and see it.

[@terryomalley1974]

It's not just Americans who are often loud. Asian people, as in Chinese mainly, are extremely loud. Orientals also take pictures of literally everything. They're shutter-happy.

[@andreamyob9458]

I love tourists. You spent all that money and took all that trouble to come and enjoy our country. Thank you very much! I don't mind that you want to stop and take photos. Talk as loud as you like. I don't mind that you think the UK is Harry Potter and red busses. You're here to learn! Explore, enjoy and have fun!

[@bogwitch]

This is the proper attitude to have!

[@taniakrause9253]

🥰

[@keithparker1346]

THIS

[@andeeharry]

5:55 Red Boxes: Piss buckets now, but they were iconic, because they was a standard form of communication back in the day. They are made famous by many tv shows and there are talks about bringing them back just for a different use. There isn't many as they used to be and they are disappearing since they are no longer in use (not appropriately anyway).

[@maxproudlock7962]

Just found your channel through your uk geo guesser challenge and am hooked. Can’t wait for the next one!

[@marvinc9994]

"Glasgow is no longer in Europe". When did it move - and where did it go (it must have left a pretty big hole in Scotland)? Thank God for Google Maps (assuming they're reasonably up to date): I'm going there right now - and will report back later!

[@ebikescrapper3925]

Glasgow moved to the West end, it's not called Glasgow anymore it's now called 'Waitrose'.

[@TheIslingtongirl]

I'm a Canadian with dual citizenship in the U.K and I lived in London for 2 years. I visited before that but to see Brit friends. When I went to stay, I had those same friends to hang with so I avoided most of this. Once I lived in London for a while it became a weekend mission to get out of London, unless I was haunting Charing Cross Road lol I agree it is important to know when it's your shout at the pub, but that can be tricky to pick up on.

[@lawrenceglaister4364]

Yes getting used to the round can be tricky , mine was going to visit family in Liverpool and drinking with the lads because when anybody's pint glass was HALFWAY DOWN it's time to get the round in , why is that you may ask well it's not the queue time but it's so nobody has a empty glass while you're in the queue 😂😂😂

[@brentwoodbay]

I don't know about "Canadians are as loud as Americans" Before I moved to Canada, I worked in a bank in Wales, where we did have a few tourists that came in. Back then I could not distinguish between a US or Canadian accent as well as I can now, but if a group of 'American Sounding' tourists came in and they were quiet, they would be Canadian! If LOUD , then American!

[@thintintwister]

Tourists are ok with me, because they'll give you the time of day and have a conversation, unlike, particularly Londoners, who are often very offhand and rude if you speak to them. I remember once needing some change for a parking meter, and the only person who would help me was ... a Canadian tourist!

[@loraleepooley3669]

😊😊😊

[@RubbishGimpy]

Sounds made up. Where are you parking in London and why do you need change? Surley £10 a hour for parking is a nice round number.

[@thintintwister]

@@RubbishGimpy 30 years ago.

[@cultfiction3865]

I agree with you. My sister recently went with her children for a day trip to London and was looking for a lift and asked two women if they could help tell her where to go to find the elevator. They were very rude to her “why should I help you, I’m on my lunch break, I don’t need to help you” And my sister, been from the north ended up bursting into tears, since that intensity of rudeness is a culture shock from the more laid back hospitality of tue Barnsley folk she is used to. Now I’m sure there will be lovely people in London too but sounds like some of them definitely need a good slap👋

[@twentyrothmans7308]

We've become low trust here. I just ignore people unless it's absolutely evident that nothing funny's going on.

[@louiselane806]

Thank you for video, particularly the Kings Guard, tourists either don’t know or don’t care, they are real soldiers, and whatever your thoughts are on the monarchy, they are still real soldiers. Not only that, it’s just rude and disrespectful

[@houghi3826]

Try showing the same disrespect to any US soldier in the US and you are on National TV as a state enemy (well, at least on Fox).

[@charlesunderwood6334]

Complaining about not enough ice. Ice is a con that people in the US have been acclimatised to. The US uses loads of ice in drinks because it means you have to sell less drink (allowing "free" refills), and also taste buds do not work well below a certain temperature, so keep the drink very cold and you can use cheaper ingredients such as corn syrup. Have less ice/fridge cold without ice as we do in Europe and your drinks will taste better.

[@TheGadgetPanda]

What tosh. Plenty of people in the UK prefer ice in their drinks. We like it because it makes the drink better. It's penny-pinchers like you complaining about it that leads to plenty of UK cinemas not carrying ice on all snack bars. Drives me crazy. "I'm sorry sir, I appreciate that your movie started 2 minutes ago, but you'll have to visit the bar on the 2nd floor if you want ice."

[@charlesunderwood6334]

@@TheGadgetPanda A cube or two maybe, and sometimes more in G+T, but too cold and it completely dulls the taste of any drink- fine if you are drinking flavoured fizzy corn syrup, not if you want anything more complex.

[@bachgenb]

Very nicely put, and you covered a lot of them and in a charming way. I am British and I've seen all these. Perhaps the most annoying for me is loud Americans calling everything that's different (from the US) as "weird", rather than just different.

[@BrianCrooks-iv8lm]

I'm not a spoilsport but I believe tourists should not be allowed into Horse Guards Parade any more. It is totally overwhelmed by the sheer number of visitors. There's going to be a serious accident sooner or later. Soldiers, large horses, armed police and crowds don't mix. It's a powder keg.

[@mickyfinn1948]

Bloody hell, Alana, only been here for 8 years and you've turned into a moaning Brit! Haha As an older guy, I've learned the value of patience and tolerance - it makes life much easier and relaxed! 🙏

[@davidpaterson2309]

The escalator thing is very much about tube stations in London and partly because so many of them are so very LONG because the stations are deep. Tends not to apply so much to escalators in general everywhere in the country - though Londoners will do it everywhere out of force of habit. There are quite a few things that are “London only” etiquette, and lack of it too - London driving, though pretty tame by the standards of Paris or Rome, is considered outrageously aggressive by many visiting Brits.

[@DaimlerSleeveValve]

A few years ago, while visiting Inverness, I adopted my usual "big city" driving style. Upon setting off from a set of traffic lights in my VERY ordinary car, I found that I was alone. Maybe it was something to do with stereotypical Scots being frugal with their fuel.

[@davidpaterson2309]

@@DaimlerSleeveValve More likely just less pressured in Inverness and in less of a hurry. By a coincidence I am actually a Scot. I lived in London throughout my 20s (rather longer ago than I’d care to admit) and developed the Londoner’s driving style. When visiting my home town, my father remarked “Jesus, what’s the hurry?” about every 10 minutes in the car. The day I said I was going to visit friends in Glasgow I was cautioned “Do not drive like that in Glasgow. Around here you’ll just piss people off, in Glasgow some crazy bastard will come after you for revenge.”

[@Trebor74]

One thing that always fascinates me when i pop into london is the things tourists photograph. "Ooh,a random door,lets stand in front and take a photo", its just a door,churchill never lived there. Nothing of any significance happened there. 🙄

[@Zomerset]

I’m happy to hear foreign tourist complain about the weather. It makes me feel like our complaints are valid 😅. Without changing weather, I don’t know how our society would function.

[@DontPanicDear]

My experience of Americans is 99% good. Chatty and friendly and keen to learn. Yes I grant you, a table of them in a quiet restaurant will be annoying, but not too bad. Chinese have been a nightmare though! Tour busses arrive and a furious swarm spread rapidly. They think that being really rude is ok, as long as you avoid eye contact. The best way to deal with them is to raise my voice, “Please stop pushing my children” while blocking and staring directly at them. Even if they don’t speak English, they get the idea, as they know exactly what they’re doing.

[@kcu189]

I think the escalator issue is, to some extent, understandable as they may come from a country where standing on the left is the convention. Singapore, for example.

[@andeeharry]

11:39/ Glasgow, London and Cornwall are listed as the top three destinations to visit within Europe. Yes, UK left EU, but we are still in Europe, because of our location.

[@19Paul91]

When i hear the word quiant from a tourist I think it sounds very condescending.

[@cruachan1191]

We get the place = country thing a lot in Scotland too. People visit Edinburgh and/or St. Andrews (obvious hotspot for golfers) and say they know all of Scotland, neither of those places is even vaguely representative of the country as a whole though. The side of the road/pavement/escalator thing is something non-tourists do as well though. Lost count of the number of times I've had to move from the left of shared cycle paths because people move across in front of me to let me pass them on my right, when we were both already on the correct (left) side of the path.

[@user-mn4cc6bb7t]

I enjoyed your video, Alana. Listening to a foreigner's view of our country is usually interesting / amusing / informative. As you implied, standing on the right on an escalator is largely a thing only in London and the surrounding area. Here in the Midlands, people are more chilled and stand anywhere they like, as we are generally not in a hurry to catch a train (because very few people use a train outside the London area). Buying a round of drinks in a pub or a bar used to be the norm in the UK but this seems to have changed dramatically in the last ten years or so. I don't know whether it is because of most people using cards to pay now rather than cash, whether there is an acceptance that different people drink at different speeds or some people prefer more expensive drinks than others. As an Edinburgher, I have often wondered whether Glasgow was a part of our planet but, in case you are not aware of the Edinburgh-Glasgow rivalry, I am only joking. The Edinburgh Festival brings a lot of tourists into the city and I recognise a lot of what was said at the start of the video. We have our fair share of loud US visitors but, despite being in the same political unit, the English visitors sometimes show a bit of ignorance from time to time as well, e.g. not realising that our shops are not subject to the 6-hour limit on larger shops opening on a Sunday. Leaving aside membership of the European Union, Spanish friends in the past have told me that their friends or relatives have said they were going to Europe for their holidays and it is not just a British thing to imagine that our country is somehow not in geographical Europe.

[@dh88comet]

The thing that I found most bizarre was when we were in Ambleside in the Lake District. The place seemed to be full of Japanese tourists all taking photographs of signs to 'The Beatrix Potter Museum', not the museum itself, not the spectacular scenery, no, the bloody signposts! In one instance they were running into the middle of a very busy junction, (mainly tractors if I'm honest but a continual stream of traffic), to be photograph next to a Beatrix Potter sign.

[@flitsertheo]

"Glasgow is no longer in Europe" . I can hear a sigh of relief from Edinburgh.

[@taniakrause9253]

😂

[@martinjackman2943]

jca111 addressed a common one you missed Alanna.. comparing EVERYTHING to Harry Potter.. A themed episode is needed

[@heskeyisgod8039]

Great video Alanna! We get a few Americans visit Plymouth to see (and be disappointed by) the Mayflower steps lol and they do stand out 😂

[@nigeldavey1043]

I was born and raised in the London area but I moved out with my wife and son when he was 9 years old. I've never regretted it. It's overpriced because it's probably the biggest tourist trap, certainly in the UK and possibly anywhere. You couldn't pay me enough to go back. I've visited when my parents still lived there but the only relative I have in London now is my younger brother and he is not worth the effort and can't even be bothered to pick up a phone. People say Londoners are friendly and open but that in 73 years has not been my experience. I'll stay here in the west country where even the tourists are well behaved.

[@Deano-Dron81]

Lol no one says Londoners are the polite ones, it’s more so they are the more reserved passive aggressive ones if anything. People say the more north you go, the more friendly. Dunno where you’ve heard that from tbh.

[@davidioanhedges]

Quaint is only annoying when used to describe a huge Stately home .... or a massive castle ... The King's guard are not purely ceremonial, the bayonets are sharp, the guns are loaded (safety catch is on) ... and they do have permission to fire if they can justify it ... Glasgow is still in Europe ... just not in the EU - Being Canadian ... you should be very very aware America is a Continent as well ... You are the perfect person to ask ... Is it only USAians that are loud or is it Canadians as well ?

[@wessexexplorer]

That escalator one is purely for London. Travel elsewhere and don’t expect a great response if you tell people to stand on the right.

[@saxon-mt5by]

Agreed; I had never even heard of it before this video, and I've lived here since well before escalators were a common feature.

[@coldwhite4240]

As an older person, this is partly because it's a comparatively recent development even in London. Originally, the "stand on the right" protocol was NOT just to allow impatient or insistent (and somewhat self-centred) travellers to charge ahead of everyone else. It was to leave an access route for station staff or emergency services staff to pass, much like having a "hard shoulder" on a motorway. If there was an incident or accident in a station, official staff could get to where they were needed more easily if there was a clear route up or down an escalator. However, it has now become standard expectation for the hordes of impatient and aggressive commuters that use the Tube, who expect everyone else to get out of their way so THEY can use the left. As a result, I take a dim view of people who insist on their right to barge past on the left. That's a far less valid complaint IMO than the one about people who just stop and stand at the bottom of stairs or an escalator and don't move out of the way of the flow.

[@kjsbadfkjlasbdg]

Groups walking 5 abreast down the pavement and not moving. Where I live I just walk straight through groups now if they don't move as I got sick of being polite and being ignored.

[@nicktankard1244]

I am European myself, but I think when people from other continents say "I'm going to Europe" as a general statement, it's totally fine. People in Europe do say, "I'm going to South America or Asia, etc.." Yes, there are different countries and cultures on those continents, but ultimately, they have a lot in common and are in one geographical region. And often, when you fly that far, you visit many countries anyway.

[@betsytodd3511]

There was a movie in the 1960s called “If it’s Tuesday this must be Belgium.” I went on a trip like that in the 70s, visiting the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg in 2 weeks, with no more than 3 nights in any one city. It’s not the best way to travel, but if you don’t have the budget to go multiple times, “going to Europe” like that is lot better than never going overseas at all.

[@mccpcorn2000]

My pet hate is when people go through the ticket barriers and just stop to either put their ticket away or check their map, phone, or gaze around looking for the right passageway.

[@saxon-mt5by]

What do you expect them to do? If they don't know where they are going, thy are not going to just keep walking in what may well be the wrong direction.

[@drzander3378]

If they walk 25’ further on, they’ll hardly be in the wrong direction 🙄. It’s the stopping dead after the ticket barrier, end of the escalator, out the lift etc that’s infuriating!

[@baldytail]

I'm normally pretty chilled, maybe the tube and busy station environment get to me but stopping at the top of an escalator is beyond stupid, I berated somebody the other day for doing just this at a non busy station, felt a bit guilty but they are being selfish/unthoughtful and it really annoys me much more than it should. @@drzander3378

[@mccpcorn2000]

@@saxon-mt5by how about they step to the side and get out of everybody's way? When I go through the barriers I head to the nearest wall if I need to check a map or my phone.

[@coast_2coast]

When i HAVE to go to london i get out as fast as possible

[@Stinfoxc]

Stopping in the middle of the pavement and standing there like a lemon in everyone's way (usually glued to a phone) is not restricted to tourists.

[@littleannie390]

People stopping at the bottom of the escalator is not just a tourist problem. Many people do it especially in shops, it is really annoying, particularly when there are two or more of them.

[@timmurphy5541]

I think Spainiards could have a few notes about British tourists. I say this to remind everyone that our reputation abroad is only good in the places where it's too expensive for our worst behaved people to go.

[@stevebarlow3154]

Us Brits have a justified bad reputation in certain Spanish holiday resorts. But the Spanish have trouble differentiating between northern Europeans, so we get the blame for badly behaved Dutch or Swedes as well!

[@mskatonic7240]

1:25 Single worst thing they do! 😂 I live in London, it's always busy, there is almost always someone behind you. LOOK before stopping to admire the scenery OMG.

[@markwelch3564]

When in London, walk like you're leading a crowd of hundreds - because you probably are

[@MauriceHotblack]

I live near Oxford. I find walking on the kerb and in the road (and jumping back on to the pavement for buses and bicycles to pass) the most effective way to get about. Walking on the pavement is painfully slow.

[@roderickjoyce6716]

i was escorting a group of elderly Americans on a shore excursion. We had to drop them off in a rather scruffy street near Newcastle Central station early on a Sunday morning before the street cleaners had arrived. :( Some of them saw some tags (graffiti) on a wall. They were convinced that meant they were in gang territory. I told them I'd lived just up the road for more than twenty years and there were definitely no gangs in the area. I explained the tags were made by a few half-wits with no artistic talent but it was hopeless. They insisted on going straight back to the ship. The rest of the party stayed and told me they'd had a great time when the coach driver and I picked them up later.

[@d3gres170]

In the US , tags are a familiar part of rougher neighborhoods. As with all things, it isn’t universal.

[@stephenbrew9838]

Isnt Glasgow still in Europe, just not part of the European Union

[@keithwarrington2430]

it is. And so are London, Cardiff and Belfast

[@jca111]

The one I hate, which is particularly done by American Vlogers... Comparing everything to "Harry Potter" Ohh the hall is just like Harry Potter... This School Uniform is like.. This street is just like.... NO! - Harry potter was based on the UK norms - not the other way around.

[@dealbreakerc]

Well it's understandable when you realize the Harry Potter is the most exposure to 'British' culture. And the quotation marks are really there because it can be difficult to distinguish between what is actually British and what is made up in some cases when, again, they don't have much, if any, exposure to real British culture.

[@martinjackman2943]

Agreed! Elana should address this in a themed episode!

[@paulguise698]

I've never read a book or seen a Harry Potter film

[@nevillemason6791]

@@paulguise698 Neither have I and I resent the way historic places like Alnwick Castle are blighted by this total puerile nonsense.

[@coldwhite4240]

Oh hell yes, that is so annoying, especially for someone over the age of 40, like myself, who remembers a world before the arrival of that book and film series (oh, the good old days!) Now everything even faintly "British" is compared to that damn kid wizard's stories, particularly by North American tourists, but even sadly now, young Britons themselves, raised on a diet of that rubbish, who talk about aspects of their own culture and geography through it! What makes me sick of the HP worship is that it has pushed out other rich British childrens' fantasy literature like the Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pan, or Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, from the popular consciousness and become a kind of all-encompassing thing which has stifled many other childrens' works, including among adults too. Very sad and depressingly mono-cultural.

[@TheCatBilbo]

I love that you haven't lost that wonderful, Canadian pronunciation of "out" - that's my "Are they American or Canadian?" test 😊

[@jasonpayneuk]

Thank you for the escalator point - I work around South Kensington and it’s a constant thing!!

[@musicgarryj]

These days unfortunately, London is definitely NOT the UK.. Quite literally. :(

[@philllewellyn6464]

London is a great world city, and therefore cosmopolitan - there has always been a great social mix. it has been like that for hundreds of years.

[@musicgarryj]

That is perfectly correct. However, there is a difference between "a great social mix" (which no-one would disagree with) and the steady ongoing displacement of the original indigenous Londoners to the point where they are now a minority in their own capital city. Some people might worry that does not bode well for the future.

[@timmurphy5541]

​@@musicgarryjusually racists and bigots.

[@harrisonandrew]

I’ve done many of those things overseas - it’s just what people do. However, the one item you mention that really pisses me off is the statement that “It is always raining in England”. No it bloody isn’t, it sometimes seems like it, but it really isn’t. I’ve been all over the world and everywhere I’ve been gets its fair share of rain.

[@flitsertheo]

Of course they have other days too, those when it's snowing.

[@nicktankard1244]

Some of these points are just big city etiquette. Like stopping abruptly in a busy areas and standing where people walk.

[@franc9111]

I beg to differ with you about what happens in a pub. Let me explain. I am British, I lived and worked in London in the early 1970's - I know it's a long time ago and a lot of things have changed in London since then. I went off to live in France in 1974 and have lived there ever since. From time to time I accompany groups of French people on a visit to London or elsewhere in the UK, sometimes they're friends, sometimes they're not. When we all go into a pub, they are curious, it's a new experience for them. They want to have a look at what's on offer at the bar and often I have to explain what it is they're are looking at. All well and good. They then order drinks, very often through me as I am translating for them. What happens next ? They all go off to find somewhere to sit down, completely out of sight. What they don't realise is that the moment drinks have been served and have been placed on the bar, these should immediately be paid for. Nobody is going to take the drinks over to them and somebody has to pay for it on the spot. Who's that ?- it's going to be me. I don't know who ordered which drink and I'm not sure that I'm going to have enough cash in hand to pay for all of it and I don't know where they are. I can't see them. Of course In France you pay a different price for drinks depending on whether you are standing or sitting at the bar or whether you are sitting in the bar room, or if you sitting outside on the 'terrasse' and of course the barman or maid will come and ask you what you want and then bring it to you and present you with the bill. In pubs in the UK, prices will vary according to which bar in the pub you're in - public, lounge, snug etc.

[@robinholland1136]

Having lived in the South of France when I was younger, I can assure you that the behaviour or attitudes you list can be applied equally to 'the Brits abroad' - or at least a certain type of Brit abroad. There were occasions when I begged the ground to swallow me up, witnessing the behaviour of some of my compaptriots. I felt condemned by association! Luckily, I live in a part of the UK, where visitors are quite rare and the ones who take the trouble are, probably, not your typical tourist and are more sensitive to their surroundings and the locals. I rarely visit places where that might not be the case. Another interesting video. Thanks!

[@TioDeive]

I feel the same about my fellow Brazilians when I'm abroad.

[@davewilliams3800]

Just to clarify Barcelona is not the capital of Spain. Glasgow is not in the EU, but , along with the rest of the UK , is still in Europe.

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

yes thank you

[@lips5913]

Loved this one, I'm sure you'll revisit this sometime! FYI my neighbours used to live in a cottage next door to a castle, they'd routinely look up from their breakfast table to see tourists (mostly American!)in their garden, looking through the window and taking photos of them eating their breakfast! Some even asked if they could join them! It became apparent that none of the tourists could believe they really lived there and thought they were some kind of "show"!

[@rosemarielee7775]

An acquaintance moved out of Castle Combe ("prettiest village") because of just this attitude of "everywhere is Disney".

[@ge48421]

Observation in England years ago. It’s raining, and there is a queue out the door at the bakery. There’s plenty of room for the queue to be inside the bakery, but no, they’re standing outside in the rain. “Not enough sense to get out of the rain” is a saying I’ve heard in the US, probably applies collectively here.

[@NONO-kd4ld]

I think people might have covered this but on the subject of quaint, i think it has a number of different connotations, but, as a heavy-duty sarcastic brit, if i was to describe something as quaint. It would almost always be an insult. Like "how quaint" as to call someone or something old fashioned and not with the times

[@f3aok]

Depends what they're calling quaint I suppose. There's plenty of places like old English villages that quaints the perfect description for imo.

[@houghi3826]

I think the way you describe it is very quaint. ;-)

[@cireenasimcox1081]

Exactly. "quaint" - according to the Oxford, is a synonym for:old-fashioned; old-world; toytown; cunning, eccentric; bizarre; arty-crafty, whimsical...etc, etc, etc.FGS - we remain the financial leader of the world; British inventions are responsible for so much that is globally acknowledge; and we were the people who ushered in the Industrial Revolution But here we all are, in American minds, pottering around our gardens, and makin g tea, and living in our quaint wee cottages...(not!) Though the word may have some kind of different connotations in the USA, to people in the UK it's seen as condescending..

[@robertpearson8798]

As a Canadian living in Canada I’d find many of these things annoying even here in my hometown. And calling something quaint is akin to calling someone’s home “cozy”, it’s another word for small and cramped.

[@Red1GB]

Yep, that’s exactly how we take it too 👍

[@EvanJGMegson]

Bear in mind this is mostly about London and London’s foreign born population is higher than the English native people, so it is very different from places in countryside and cities without so much international tourism

[@chrisshelley3027]

The only country I've been to where I went to the capital city is Scotland, but that is because from where I live the railway station goes direct to Edinburgh.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

An American friend of mine suggested that one reason US people speak more loudly is that if family members are trying to speak to one another from one room to another, the distance is similar to a Brit speaking to someone half way down the street. There's also the fact that empty vessels make most noise, of course. 😅

[@tardeliesmagic]

No,it's just they copy their parents who are loud & on the streets....monkey say monkey do.

[@Ducos_]

Madrid tho . . .

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

I misspoke 🫠

[@white-dragon4424]

I'm okay with using quaint. I think I've used it many times myself, especially regarding some of our tiny villages. Trying to annoy the guardsmen is risking arrest.

[@Red_Snappa]

Just stumbled on your channel...and hvnt stopped laughing since! You have THE most infectious giggle/laugh out there! Love what I've seen so far...subbed! 👍😄

[@paulharrison8379]

I worked for a company in Leicester for ten and a half years. During that period around 30 people left and had leaving drinks at lunch time on their last day. I got 30 free drinks and because I only wanted one drink did not buy anyone else a drink.

[@jca111]

That's a sin in the UK. People notice. Everyone notices. You will have a nickname behind your back now.

[@dealbreakerc]

@@jca111 Oh no... not a nickname! How ever will the poor man cope? Maybe by being a sensible adult and realizing it is stupid to drink more than you want to just because other people are pickling their livers.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@jca111 They said 'worked', past tense, so I don't think it's an issue for them.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@dealbreakerc Yep, I was never a big drinker and would only buy for close colleagues or friends. Anything else I'd excuse myself from having a drink bought for me and get my own.

[@keithwarrington2430]

@@dealbreakerc If they were a "sensible adult" they'd have drunkthe amount they wanted but got one or two rounds over all those leavng does and paid out roughly what they'd been given, rather than being known as the sort who "can peel an orange in their pocket."

[@gert8439]

That was fun, but let's face it some of us Brits are next level terrible tourist champs! The inhibitions are left at the airport and temporary insanity descends!

[@tazz1669]

FYI 10 decibels is logarithmic so that is a huge difference 6db would be double the volume, the stopping at the bottom of an escalator is a way to get trampled to death and is madness. Great video Alanna

[@petersmithm9]

The biggest problem with some tourists is that they do leave London and visit the rest of the UK.

[@Aloh-od3ef]

The Chinese when they see free food!! It like being swamped by hundreds of hungry pigeons 😂

[@alancampbell1161]

We used to have similar red phone boxes in Australia, and I'm so old that I used to fix the phones. You are so right in your description of them as disgusting, and not somewhere you would want to stay any longer than necessary. Of course, the disgusting vibe is due to previous occupants rather than the boxes, but hard to find one not "contaminated".

[@lottie2525]

The rounds thing is all very well, but if it's a big group, you're never going to drink 15 drinks in a night unless you're a raging alcoholic so if you stick rigidly to a rounds system it's unfair to the first few people who pay for a round. Also, some people just can't afford to buy that many drinks and it puts them in an awkward situation. I much prefer buying your own drinks in a pub situation. It doesn't take that much longer at the bar, they have to get all the drinks regardless of who is paying. It's also a good lesson in 'queuing' when not physically queueing in a line :)

[@flitsertheo]

A good system is that one person pays at the bar, then everybody at the table pays that person their part.

[@carolineskipper6976]

Actually the one that has always got to me- and I've noticed it most with Japanese tourists visiting many places in Europe. They swarm in, in a big group, and promptly stand in front of whatever they've come to see, having loads of posed photos taken - in ones and twos, so it takes forever - and they treat it like it's their 'turn' because they've just arrived without a single consideration for the people who were already there, and that they've just walked in front of.....They seem a bit like the kids you see at zoos that provide a list of things to be ticked off or stamped around the place, and they just rush from one to the other, witout actually looking at any of the actual animals in the location.

[@BBKing1977]

When I visited the UK from Canada, I was in London, in a tube station, and I stood on the left on an escalator. I will NEVER make that mistake again.

[@taniakrause9253]

😂

[@danhodson7187]

Great video as always. The bringing dollars and expecting us to fall over in appreciation of getting some of that Monopoly money, is the worst Main Character Syndrome entry for me. I feel half of these comments are going to be about Glasgow not being part of Europe anymore though lol, that was a tourist level mistake to make there, Alanna lol

[@andyjohnson4907]

I moved to Glasgow from London, and there is absolutely no escalator etiquette here whatsoever.

[@barbh0]

Glasgow is in Europe geographically but not in the EU.

[@JC-yc7of]

When you waited till the end to mention jumping the queue, my hackles rose thinking about it. Great video.

[@glenchapman3899]

And thats definitely not just a British thing. Its a world wide thing