AN AMERICAN dad who swapped the US for the UK has revealed his biggest surprises at the differences between Americans and Brits.
While we might share a common language, he faced some pretty big culture shocks after making the 4,850 mile journey across the Atlantic – and they’ll make you feel proud to be British.
36-year-old Zach Lincoln from Olympia, Washington, in America, packed up his home with his wife and two daughters, Lilith aged five and Maeve aged three, around three months ago.
They arrived in London and have since travelled across the country, to try and find the place in Britain they want t put down roots.
Since moving to the capital around three months ago, the former company owner has noticed a number of differences between the US and the UK.
And as a result, Zach turned to Instagram to document his experiences, with his page @zachmovesabroad attracting more than 22,000 followers in a short space of time.
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From differences between people to variations in day-to-day activities, Zach told Sun Travel the things that have surprised him the most.
Brits don’t actually have a ‘stiff upper lip’
One of the biggest differences Zach has noticed is how kind the people in the UK are.
He said: “I was surprised by how welcoming and friendly the people are here.
“The US is huge and very regional, which means people act differently depending on where you are in the country.
“In Washington state, for example, people are very reserved and you don’t really engage with people.
“[So] when random people started talking to us in the UK – like stopping me to get my story – I was surprised.
“I had to come up with a two-minute elevator pitch about myself.”
He added: “People here are very tactile too, they let me touch them to express connection, like a hand on a shoulder.”
“But people are so afraid to do this in the US.”
Orderly lines for queueing is the ‘best’ system
It may seem straightforward to us, but queueing isn’t as prominent in the US as it is in the UK, Zach revealed.
“Everybody just does it and the people that don’t, are usually tourists,” he said.
As an example, Zach mentioned the tube, with how passengers queue to go through barriers, then stand on the right on the escalator and then when they finally get to the tube itself, wait for passengers to get off before boarding it.
He said: “It’s one of the best things going for you; there is just an underlying sense of fairness and community.
“It seems intrinsic to your culture – functioning on systems that everyone wants to see succeed.
“I have wondered where you learn that level of kindness – you all get along with one another.”
Children allowed to speak up
Talking to a child may seem simple and obvious, but apparently the UK is bigger on it than the US.
Zach said: “People talk to children here, but this doesn’t happen in the US – they don’t want to intrude.
“It gives them a level of autonomy [in the UK] but it has been a big adjustment.
“For example, we were out for a meal and my children were asked what they wanted.
“They looked at me but I said they had been asked and let them figure it out for themselves.”
£1 vs £7 pears and finding M&S ‘cheap’
Zach has also noticed how some things are less expensive in the UK, most notably groceries.
He compared the price of pears, for example, sharing how in the States he could often pay around $10 (£7.41) for a bag of pears.
Yet, in the UK, he can grab some for just £1.
Though, he did admit that housing seems to be on the less affordable end of the spectrum.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Zach even found M&S cheap compared to US grocery stores.
In a week in the UK he found that he was spending around £50 on food, but in the US this was around $150 (£111.18).
Eating out is cheap as well in comparison, according to Zach.
“I love a ‘cheeky Nandos’,” he said, “you can just jump in, be seated and be eating within 20 minutes.”
‘Phenomenal’ clothing stores such as… Primark and Next
Similar to the difference in the price of groceries between the US and the UK, clothes also are less, Zach revealed.
He said: “Clothing is probably about half the cost, Next and Primark are phenomenal.”
Coffee meet ups and owning a dog by-proxy
We all love a cosy coffee shop so it’s no surprise that Zach and his family have been finding some gems of their own in the capital.
Zach said: “Cafe culture is very large here – or third spaces in general [places that aren’t your home or work environment] like pubs, cafes, coffee shops, malls for example.
“People often run into people they know here or feel confident enough to chat to a stranger.
“I think walking to a corner cafe and getting a pastry is a lovely activity.”
He also shared how he has noticed the UK tends to have more dogs, which isn’t surprising as according to the PDSA, three in 10 people have a dog in the UK.
And cafe culture and dogs often mix, Zach has noticed.
“We essentially have a dog by proxy,” he said.
“You go into a cafe and there will a dog there that is well-adjusted and friendly – my kids love them.”
Ditching the car and walking 15,000 steps instead
Even though Brits often moan about public transport, the reality is that in you can walk to a lot of destinations – and this is something Zach and his family are now doing themselves.
Zach said: “People are very mobile and walk-centric.
“People are just out walking all hours of the day, but the US is very car-centric.
“In London, I went from 2,000 to 15,000 steps a day.”
Children discovering a sense of belonging
As a multicultural family, Zach was pleased when he landed in London to discover the city is very multicultural.
And for his two daughters this has meant playing at the park “with people that look like them and they have loved that,” Zach shared.
He added how for his daughters (and most children), how they view identity is through what they see, and to see people that look like them has helped them to feel like they immediately belong.
Zach is continuing to document his time in the UK via his Instagram, ‘Zach Moves Abroad’ – and the family are heading to Spain soon, to do similar there.
Here’s someone who ditched the UK and moved to Spain – rent is £377 a month, they live right by a gorgeous beach and there’s no school run rush.
Plus, here’s another couple who left the UK to live in Thailand – rent is £300 a month and includes a gym and pool.
