With the British pound falling to an all-time low against the U.S dollar,
Americans are flocking to London,
But are they welcome?
An article came out recently in The Telegraph about American tourists invading London
One hotel CEO told The Telegraph that bookings by Americans have been
the highest ever in the hotel's history.
In addition, flight bookings by Americans across the pond
are close to pre-pandemic levels. More than 22 percent higher than the rest
of the world. That's an estimated 4.5 million Americans injecting an estimated £4.2 billion
pounds into Britain's economy, which apparently, it desperately needs, as according to Jonathan pie of
the New York Times: "It's just [ __ ] everything is [ __ ]! Look-"
Fueling demand even further has been the
death of the Beloved Queen Elizabeth II. And we all know how infatuated Americans are with
the British royal family - myself included ;)
So how are Brits preparing for this invasion of U.S tourists?
First off, by focusing on our behavior. It probably won't surprise you that
Britons are, let's say, "amused" with the concept of the American to-do list. Especially while we're on holiday.
Which, to be fair, they have a point. I mean, why are we trying to be so productive while
on vacation anyway?? Wait - actually,
probably because Americans barely get one week of vacation per year.
Gotta Make It Count, people!
They also note here that American tourists are most likely to
go to the most popular tourist spots. And when we arrive, well, the Brits say you can hear us from a mile away
not sure if that's a compliment :/ In good news, the Brits have noticed that we Americans tip
a LOT and so they are eagerly anticipating their 20% tips that we apparently leave regardless of
whether or not the service is already included on the bill or not!
The Brits also consider us Americans
to be polite and show good manners, although they do note that we are known to be
a bit straightforward and that we complain when things don't meet our expectations.
I'm not guilty of that!
So the question is, can we all just get along?? Well, there are some tips here for
how Brits can cope with this influx of Americans to their country and it has to do with what they
can ask us about and what NOT to. So it says here to ask Americans what we do for work, where we
went to school, where we're from, our families, our kids... but do NOT under any circumstances
ask us about politics - please - don't ask us what's wrong with our country.
I would have to say they're spot on
on this, because if you're from the US you know that we are raised from a very young
age never to talk about politics or religion for that matter at the dinner table so the Brits are
definitely taking a hint from us on that one and it's probably a good idea :D
They also mention here
the difference in the British and the American sense of humor. Apparently, they think that we
don't find their British sense of humor funny! But I don't know, I would have to push back on
this one because I personally like the British sense of humor, the dry wit, the sarcasm... I mean
I'm sure more than one of us are watching British TV shows hashtag #BritishBakingShow (comment below)
I think we get it :) It also says here that the general consensus among American tourists is that British
food is really bad. So if you want to impress us, if you want to befriend us, get on our good side,
then simply share with us one of your favorite restaurant recommendations, take us out to dinner
point us in the right direction and we'll be just fine!
Now of course, these are generalizations and
some may be flat out wrong about Americans. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments
below and if you want to know my opinion on moving to the U.S after living abroad, check
out this video here. Or if you want to see what it was like living in Japan as an American, click here.