Britain

The culture is largely based around alcohol as the British would never find the courage to meet anyone else new otherwise. So you’re more likely to end up socializing in a pub than anywhere else. The new licensing laws mean that pubs can stay open as late as they please and this should revolutionise British culture. Ie. There may actually be somewhere to go at night after 11pm other than a hideously expensive club.

The more manners you display in Britain the better you’ll be received. The British are terrified of strangers and will only regard you as safe once they’ve heard you repeat the necessary ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ half a dozen times. Be careful of people’s sensitivities. You never know when you’re crossing the invisible lines of conduct they draw around themselves. When in doubt just say you’re sorry.

At the same time if you want to meet British people it’s up to you. Though many would like to, few have the courage to just come up and begin a conversation with someone new. Go up to someone and strike up a conversation and watch the shock on their face.

Britain is a damned expensive country to travel in and transport will be a major hole in your budget. Trains and buses are costly but the good news is that hitchhiking is pretty good as long as you stick to asking for rides at gas stations.

Besides accommodation and transport, beer and tobacco are also incredibly expensive. Beer and wine from the off-licence is reasonable but you’l be paying $4-5 a beer in pubs. A pack of 20 cigarettes will set you back around $10 which makes it a good place to quit smoking.

There’s a good festival scene in England from May-September and you can have a good summmer cruising the festivals selling Irish coffees to get by. You’ll make good contacts in these kinds of places and maybe places to crash in between the binges of tents, mud, loud music and obscene amounts of drink and drugs. Glastonbury Festival (on the Summer Solstice, June 21st) is a shining example of this.

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