I have some questions about the UK...?

Question

I'm American and simply curious about the UK and have pondered visiting someday. Would I need just a simple passport or a visa or what? I have never traveled outside of the USA and I have no knowledge of what I would need or what it is like there. Of course, I would do a lot more research before just up and taking off to visit on vacation.

Do they drive the way we do in in the USA...right side? Are the cars similar or is the wheel on the right side? I was looking around the area of Ulverston/Cumbria. There is a Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Estate that looks like a really nice place to spend about a week.

What foods are popular? Are any other languages spoken within the different regions/states? I'm a little puzzled by the addresses, for instance. Not to mention the phone numbers themselves.

So if I read Windermere, Cumbria LA23 3PG
...obviously Windermere is the city. So is it divided into smaller countries like Africa, etc. or is Cumbria more of a region/state similar to our divded states in the US? What is the LA23 3PG? Some type of region code system like our "zip code/postal code" in the US? Can anyone translate that?

If I see a phone number that is "015395 31344" for instance...how is this read? Of course, our local numbers here are typically 3 digits for an area code, followed by xxx-xxxx. How is this number read?

What is the employment like over there? Apparently, to equal the British Pound, it is about $1.60 US Dollars for the monetary system. Some countries can be "compared" in regards to saying that x country theoretically pays less than x country. How do the UK and US compare?

Answer 1

In the UK we drive on the left side of the road, and the wheels are on the right hand side of the car.



I've been down to Cumbria camping before, it is quite a nice place. Around the Lake District is quite nice.



It really depends on how traditional the food is you're looking for. I live in Scotland, where we have traditional food like haggis and black pudding, which are quite nice. There are many different local specialities throughout Britain. English is spoken throughout the entire of the UK, but in Scotland and Northern Ireland there are a few people who speak Scottish and Irish Gaelic, and in Wales it's quite common to see and hear Welsh.



The UK is divided first into Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and then into smaller districts. In the case of your example, Windermere is the town, Cumbria the region and LA23 3PG the post code. Our number system varies slightly. The first 5 digits are the area code, with the digits after the phone number. My number goes in the format xxx-xxx, though people nearby's goes xxx-xxxx.



Whilst £1 is worth about $1.6, a pound will probably buy you about as much here as you could get for a dollar in the US. Employment-wise, ever since Thatcher screwed up the country a few decades ago there's practically no manufacturing left. Mostly things like design and minimum wage service jobs. However, we also have an NHS which is one up on America, and low gun crime.

Answer 2

I think you'd only need a passport, but you can only stay for 90 days as a tourist. If you want to stay for longer, you're heading into visa territory, and there are conditions involved.



No, in Britain and Ireland, we drive on the left, and the steering wheel is on the right. Also, automatic cars are rare, so everyone learns how to use the gears. The rest of Europe drives on the right with the steering wheel on the left.



All kinds of food is popular, but I think that Indian is the most popular of all.



You are looking as a postal code, so that the computer can find the exact location more easily. Cumbria is a country or shire, and Windermere is the town.



The number would be oh one five three nine five three one three four four.



Employment in Europe generally is not great, not that this would affect you in any way, because you cannot work here anyway without a visa, and visas are hard to come by.



How do the UK and the US compare? I think someone more familiar with both might be able to answer that better than me, but I do think that the UK has more historic buildings and structures.

Answer 3

We drive on the left hand side of the road and the wheel is on the right hand side of the car.



Foods are pretty much the same as the USA. We have immigrants from everywhere so you can get traditional British food, Italian, Chinese, Tha, Japanese, Vietnamese, American, Indian, whatever. Our diet is very diverse.



Pretty much everyone speaks English as their first language but around 400,000 people in Wales speak Welsh, more than 10% of the population there. Around 50,000 people speak Gaelic in the western islands of Scotland - less than 1% of Scotland's population. Obviously various languages are spoken by immigrant communities.



Windermere would be the town, Cumbria is a county. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a bit like states, and each of them is further subdivided into counties. So Cumbria is a county within England. The code is a postal code. Each code is much more granular than an American zip code - each covers around 20 houses.



The unemployment rate is 8.2%, which is high but lower than the European average and about the same as the USA which has 8.1%.



Things are generally more expensive here in the UK than they are in the USA - take petrol - A US gallon would be $8.53 at current exchange rates.

With phone numbers the first four digits are the area code. So, in 0141 123 4567, the 0141 would denote the city of Glasgow, the 123 sometimes means an area of the city and the rest is just customer specific.

Answer 4

1 - It varies depending on what you are coming here for, but in most cases you would need a VISA. You only need a passport to come to the UK if you are an EU national.



2 - No. We drive on the left. The wheels are on the right side. I dont know of any caravan sites in that area myself.



3 - The UK is pretty much just like a smaller (and more tasteful) America. So McDonalds and pizza etc are popular over here too.



4 - ...Oh dear. Cumbria is a region of England...If it helps you understand think of it as a small state...but the laws are the same as anywhere else in England.



5 - That isnt a valid phone number. For example where I live the area code is 020. I dont get why you need to read the numbers though...just type them in.



6 - ****. There are no jobs. If you are coming here for work you 100% need a VISA. No. 1 Dollar = £0.60p. The pound is more valuable. The UK 'pays' more than the US...but because the cost of living here is so high you will either be living the same life style or a bit worse off..

Answer 5

1

Answer 6

For a visit you need a passport, and to stay for an extended time you need a visa.



We drive on the left side of the road and the wheel is on the right-hand side.



Popular foods are mostly similar to America, but we drink a lot of tea (There are plenty of cafés), and fish and chips are popular takeaway food. We're multicultural and so is the food. You can practically buy anything here.



We don't have states, either. The country is divided into counties, in which are cities. Yorkshire is the largest county. The post code is how we send letters. The first two letters designate the city, the rest are simply numbers assigned to each street.



Our phone numbers are usually 01, followed by three numbers designated to a city (Whitby being 01947 or Edinburgh being 0131). The rest are randomly generated for each phone.



Employment is at an all time low, but most people are employed. Living is very, very expensive here, and house prices are through the roof. Petrol and diesel are equally ridiculous (In USD, you're paying around $13 a litre).

Answer 7

Hi , as you can tell by my name i am from Cumbria so i can answer a couple of your questions straight away, Cumbria is a county , similar to the US states and it is situated in Northern England , within Cumbria we have the Lake District which is a National park and is an area of outstanding natural beauty which must be seen to be fully appreciated , you will not be disappointed.

Windermere is certainly not a city in any respect , it is a beautiful small town which lies in the heart of the Lake District and is very popular with the tourists The post code that you stated is our equivalent to your zip code and mainly helps in the delivery of the mail.

We drive on the left over here and our cars have the steering wheel on the right hand side , the majority of our cars have a manual gearbox rather than an automatic one .

Obviously English is the main language spoken over here but with the UK being a multi cultural country don't be surprised if you hear a wide range of other languages being spoken in private conversations.. Popular British foods are Fish and chips and the famous Full English breakfast which is delicious but not ideal with anyone who may be on a diet ,foreign foods such as Chinese, Indian and Italian cuisine is also very popular and of course every major town will probably have a MacDonald's .

Employment over here at the moment is not great as we are in the middle of a recession and Government cutbacks have resulted in unemployment rising For those of us who are employed then wages are generally quite high which is just as well as the cost of living can be very expensive and we pay tax on just about everything

Overall ,despite a couple of faults the UK is still a great place to live or visit so if you get the chance then come over here and witness it for yourself and i am sure you will love it.

Answer 8

You can visit the UK on an American passport, they stamp a visa into your passport when you go through UK immigration, it is free for US citizens.



The UK is left hand drive (like Japan). Fewer cars are automatic, and there are one or two things on the roads which are a little different. You will find a lot of intersections are 'roundabout' type.



UK cities have lots and lots of international cuisine. You will particularly find lots of curry houses, (fish and chips is a bit of a tourist myth, fish is surprisingly expensive). The national most popular dish is a Chicken Tikka Marsala. ( Do not settle for a 'pub' curry, they are not the same as one from a curry house),



The address system is simple enough, it is just that we haven't learnt how to use it. Over the years the various subdivisions of the country into its ancient counties ( Devon, Cornwall, etc.) got mucked around by the politicians. 'Greater Metropolitan Areas' and all sorts of things were added, and some of the counties were amalgamated in the cause of tidiness. However, the people living in them mostly just carried on calling them the same things - SO:



The Post Office does not use counties any more. Instead, the bottom line of a correctly addressed letter should be the Post Code, and directly above that, preferably in capital letters goes the Post Town.



So for the address you have given, using the Royal Mail address finder, and entering the post code you have quoted -



http://www.royalmail.com/postcode-finder



We find there are 8 matching addresses:



Park Cliffe Caravan & Camping Estate, Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Forest Lodge Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Forest Lodge Annexe Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Moor View Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Spruce Dean Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Summer Hill Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Summer Hill Chalet Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG

Throstle Gap Birks Road, WINDERMERE, LA23 3PG



Phone codes vary, if you put the whole number in you will be connected.



The unemployment figure is not good, but better than many other European countries which are in deep trouble. Unfortunately, you will almost certainly not be able to obtain a work permit unless you are an EU citizen.



It is very difficult to compare the standard of living, different countries have different tax and duty rates for various goods and services, and have vastly different levels of tax and / or national insurance.

Answer 9

we drive on the other side and our cars are generally manual gear change (stick shift i believe)

the LA23 3PG is the postcode (zip code equivalent) Cumbria is a county, which is kind of like your states, but every county has the same laws here. Phone number codes would be the 01539 and the number (if local and not using mobile phone (cell phone)) would be 531344. international calling would be [phone].

we are in recession as someone has mentioned so employment is not so good, although generally unskilled labour during summer is usually okay and done mainly by foreign workers.

prices here are generally dearer especially food prices. Only wales has a different language officially although they also speak English, but our English you will find is different to American English sometimes, some regions have local words or saying and strong accents. Generally the further north you go the stronger the accent.

Answer 10

passport only if just visiting as a tourist

visa is for longer term or working



they drive on the left hand side of the road- wheel is on the right hand side



Unemployment is high- they are in a recession just like most of the rest of the world

very hard for a usa citizen to get a work visa at this time



the LA23 3PG is the Postal code ( zip code)

Answer 11

In the UK we do not have states but countries (sometimes called the HOME COUNTRIES)...England, which is often also split into regions (eg NW England where now live), Wales (where am from ),Scotland and Northern Ireland (which is often called country within the UK, but is a PROVINCE of the UK).....

Languages? In the UK we all speak some form of English but in part of Scotland Gaelic is also spoken by a very small number of people (believe less than 100,000) and in my home country of Wales about 20% are bilingual Welsh and English, with the MAJORITY, to which I belong, speaking ONLY Welsh accented English......In some immigrant communities many still use the language of their country of origin in their own communities.....I have just go in and on my local inner city high street have heard Yiddish (the local Jewish community,very orthodox in parts still speak this along with English and Hebrew...) and some other other tongues, such as Urdu, spoken.......



YOU MUST know we drive on the OTHER side of the road to you? Not seen on film?



Hope this information makes you want to vist a LOT of the country and NOT just tourist traps like the LAKE DISTRICT?

Answer 12

Would I need just a simple passport or a visa or what?...No visa for up to 6 months holiday





Do they drive the way we do in in the USA...right side? ...Left side of road.

Are the cars similar or is the wheel on the right side? ....Some similar models but generally smaller and more sophisticated. Steering wheel on right.



What foods are popular? ....Food from all over the world is available. We are famous for roast beef and fish & chips. Indian food is very popular.



Are any other languages spoken within the different regions/states?...Some Welsh spoken in parts of Wales. Gaelic in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Answer 13

UKIP is right because if we stay in the EU, it will be the end of our country. We would have no say in the running of our life's as all laws will come from the unelected in Brussels. We joined a Common Market, that's what we all agreed to free trade etc, not to be taken over. The downside is the Elite who are behind this scheme for their New World Order, will be very upset, to say the least, a lot of countries will still trade with us, and I think a few will follow our example and pull out, as more and more of their people see the effect it's having on them.

Answer 14

Here is a great little website about the UK:



http://projectbritain.com/



1. Cars are LHD and they drive on the left. (most cars are NOT automatics!)



2. They use post codes, not zip codes (like Canada does). These are to aid postal delivery and may not even be near the destination.



3. telephone numbers work more or less the same world wide. (in big places)



4 One Pound is worth one dollar 59 today.

Answer 15

They drive in the other side

Cars are similar, but different brands and such

I know there is lots of Indian food, and seafood

If I remember correct, it is every 3 #s in the phone number (is where we would put a -)

Employment is about the same, but it depends on where you go

The UK is better, more beautiful, kinder, smarter, has good tv, and accents

Answer 16

We are far more historic than the U.S. There are much older buildings. We have beautiful countryside, and much more and better public transport, including a dense frequent national rail system. We are far less obsessively patriotic than most Americans, more conservation minded, but sadly many people are just as materialistc as Americans and our politicians are as corrupt and as full of lies.as yours