Here at Worldcare we are not only experienced insurance providers, we are also seasoned travellers. Our ability to offer premium quality international
travel insurance is reliant upon our extensive knowledge of the countries our customers visit.
In no location is this more true than in Great Britain and we’ve put together a short list of things to consider when travelling to the UK based on our collective knowledge and experience.
Weather – Hopefully this won’t be as bad as you may be expecting. Here in Australia we have a tendency to completely write off British weather and assume it is going to be a constant drizzle for the entirety of our visit. In actuality the climates of some parts of the country are quite pleasant, particularly in the south. It won’t feel like Alice Springs in the middle of summer and it could rain on any given day, regardless of the forecast, but be sure to look up what sort of weather you can actually expect, don’t just assume it is going to be miserable.
Distances – The standard description of distance on road signs around the UK will be in units of miles not kilometres. This can be useful information if calculating whether or not it is advisable to walk or cycle to the nearest pub.
Currency – The major difference between the Pound Sterling and the Australian Dollar is that all notes are more similar in colour but differ in size, getting larger as they increase in value. As a rule of thumb, pay with the smallest note you can possibly get away with. Also, UK currency is not as water-resistant as Australian money, so try and keep it dry!
History – Compared to Australia the UK is obviously tiny, yet in terms of the amount of history on offer, it is absolutely vast. Seemingly everywhere you travel around the country there are castles, churches, museums and archaeological places of interest. Be sure to enjoy some of them whilst you’re there, it would be a shame to miss out.
Football – Football and/or footy refers exclusively to soccer; and the UK is football-mad. All other sports come second to football and an enormous proportion of the world’s best players operate in the English Premier League. Whilst visiting the country it would be a shame not to experience some football at a local pub or even live if you manage to get hold of some tickets. In addition, “rugby” almost always refers exclusively to rugby union.
So there you have it, a brief overview of a few things that we think may help you prepare for your holiday. Some details you probably know, some you may not and some you might not even have considered, but we hope that some of them may come in useful for your trip. Let us know how it goes!