Good Financial News for Americans Visiting The UK This Christmas: Plus 7 Tips for Getting The Most Out of Your Tourist Dollar
As the Dollar rises in value against the Pound, Americans visiting the UK right now will find that their money goes a lot further than it has in recent months.In June of this year, $500 USD would have gotten you roughly £253 GBP. As of this writing, the same 500 dollars equates to a much improved £342.
Not only has the exchange rate turned in favor of US vacationers, but also UK sales tax has been lowered from 17.5% to just 15%, making almost everything cheaper still.
So, if you plan to visit Great Britain to soak up the British Christmas atmosphere, Michael Harling, New Yorker now living in Sussex, England, and author of the Bryson-esque new book, “Postcards from Across The Pond” shares his top 7 tips for how best to spend your newfound wealth in order to enjoy authentic British Experiences on the cheap:
- Visit Brighton Pier (or any pier, for that matter). This will look to you like a carnival on stilts that is jutting out into the ocean for no apparent reason. For about $50 you can get just as sick on hot dogs, cheap beer and candy floss (cotton candy) as you would in the States. If you’re bringing small children with you, however, you’d best have some Travelers Checks handy.
- Take a train ride. For just a few dollars you can stand on an authentic British railway platform with real British people and listen to the announcements telling you that the train you are waiting for has been delayed, delayed again, and then cancelled.
- If you have five dollars and are in the vicinity of Buckingham palace between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 PM, why don’t you join The Queen for tea. No, really, just tell the guard at the gate that you’re an American and that the Queen–so grateful for the US bailing them out of two World Wars–has agreed to see you. Then slip him the $5 as an ‘incentive.’ He’ll be most helpful.
- Go to Stonehenge. It’s only a two hour drive from London, and the entrance fee is around £14. Then you can test yourself to see how long it takes you to admit that you just flew 4,000 miles and drove 2 hours so you could pay $20 to stand in the rain and look at a pile of rocks. The current record is 13 minutes.
- Eat at a Little Chef. Everyone in Britain eats at Little Chef. It’s like Denny’s only without the ambiance and fine cuisine.
- Stand in a queue. British people don’t stand in line, they ‘Queue up.’ Just look around, you’ll find a queue somewhere. When you do, join the end of it. There, don’t you feel more British already? The price on this varies depending upon what you’re queuing for.
- What visit to Britain is complete without the experience of mingling with the locals at their favorite watering hole? Thanks to us Americans, you can find one of these on every corner: they’re called Starbucks.
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“Postcards from Across The Pond: dispatches from an accidental expat” ISBN 1-905430-48-5 by Michael Harling is available to buy from www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk and all good bookshops in the UK and USA.
ENDS
491 Words
NOTES FOR EDITORS/JOURNALISTS
IMAGES
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This graph shows a strengthening dollar over last 6 months.
Source: United States Federal Reserve Bank of New York
REVIEW COPY
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WEBSITE LINKS
Publisher’s Website: http://www.leanmarketingpress.com
Author’s Website and Blog: http://www.lindenwald.com
Sales pages and book preview on Amazon:
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“‘Postcards from Across the Pond’ is a true delight! Laugh out loud funny regardless of which side of the pond you call home, Mike Harling has a knack for finding both the humor and the charm in everyday fare. Bill Bryson move over, there’s a new American expat in town with a keen sense of humor.”
- Jeff Yeager, author of “The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches”, www.ultimatecheapskate.com
“This, in my opinion, is a very funny book indeed. Virtually every situation he describes, Paula and I have experienced too, albeit not using the Bag Balm tin to kill spiders. I challenge any of you Americans now living in the UK not to have thought the same as Mike has done when presented with some of the situations. I am trying desperately not to compare his writing with Bill Bryson, but it’s hard as they both have an excellent, if slightly different, sense of humor about what they see and experience. I can say however, that I was literally laughing out loud during my lunch breaks at work whilst reading this book. If you want to remember what it was like when you first moved here how it felt before you understood what “feeling chuffed” was, or what sort of food a Swede is then buy a copy of this book. I for one am happy to have read this; not only did I enjoy it, but I am now craving more (there will be more Mike won’t there?)”
- Steve Gillen, Yorkshire, once had a pee in the next stall over from Tom Jones and moderator of www.ukusforum.com
“As a Gael who made the reverse trip from UK to USA, with a Brit mate, I savored the bubbling flavor of this Yankee reaction to Saxon country in the form of perky postcard-style epistles. This writer, having moved to his Brit wife’s homeland, copes with everything from negative officialdom to personal reaction to a minatory spider, all with the same good cheer and venturesome spirit.”
- Eileen Swift, former syndicated travel writer for Newsday
“Michael Harling’s essays about what it’s like to be an American living in England are not only fascinating for Anglophiles who’ve only visited the “motherland” on vacation, but very, very funny, too. Joe Queenan and Bill Bryson… watch out!”
- Diana Burrell, co-author of “The Renegade Writer”, www.hailbritannia.com
“A lovely, quixotic, affectionate attempt to bring together those “two nations divided by a common language.” A must for travellers in both directions.”
- Gordon Astley, presenting Mid Morning Music and Chat, Sunday to Friday on BBC Southern Counties Radio
ARTICLES
Michael is an experienced writer and popular blogger, with a wealth of content/experience on the on being a US Expat living in the UK. He is always happy to provide free content in return for a “plug” for his book. Contact us if you have a request.
OTHER BOOKS FOR EXPATS BY THE SAME PUBLISHER
Bitten by Spain by Deborah Fletcher
Going Native in Tenerife by Andrea and Jack Montgomery
Taking The Heat – an expat in Spain by Nick Snelling
Going Native in Murcia (second edition) by Debbie Jenkins
Buying Property in Romania by Alex Pintea
Buying Property in Poland by Tim Hill
Buying Property in Portugal by Gabrielle Collison
Expat Entrepreneur by Jo Parfitt
A Career in Your Suitcase (3rd edition) by Jo Parfitt
Buying Property in Murcia by Debbie Jenkins
Spain: The Expat Survival Guide by Yolanda Solo
Going Native in Catalonia by Simon Harris
Going Native in Alicante by Susan Bearder
MICHAEL HARLING
Michael Harling grew up in rural Columbia County in Upstate New York. He has been published in various newspapers and magazines including: The Writer’s Digest, The National Lampoon and The Journal of Forensic Identification. Six years ago, through no fault of his own, he found himself living in Sussex, England where, amazed and amused by the behavior of the British, he began posting his observations on his website. Michael is the father of three sons from a previous marriage. He currently lives in Horsham with his wife, Shonagh. For a sample of Michael’s writing visit: http://www.lindenwald.com
If you’d like to interview Mike, get his opinion for a feature or hire him then contact us
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