Hey, everyone! I keep getting the same 3 or 4 comments over and over again. In order to not have the entire comments section consist of these (which I've literally responded to over a hundred times now), I'm deleting the repeats. Thanks for understanding :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

1. When I say, visiting the doctor is free, I mean THAT VISIT. Of course, you pay taxes here towards healthcare.However, in the US, you not only pay those taxes, but you also pay for insurance, and you pay a co-pay per visit to any doctor or specialist each time you see them (mine was $50). 2. When I said, "Scotland, or the UK" it was meant as, "Scotland, or the UK in general" since some things I say only apply to Scotland and some things can apply to Scotland, as well as, the rest of the UK. 3. Perscriptions are indeed free to all in Scotland (and Wales), but not England. 4. No, we were not driving illegally. The laws using international licenses are different (since the US doesn't have separate licenses for manual vs automatic). We were able to drive any type of car legally during the first year. I wouldn't risk my visa here by breaking the law. (I think the majority of these are miscommunications from a UK based audience since this video was directed at other Americans/foreigners and also from English viewers thinking the laws are the same in Scotland as they are in England. In the future, I'll try to elaborate more, but due to the fact that I don't want to make incredibly long videos, it's impossible for me to explain everything.)

@adamdraper8958

6 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels I wish you wouldn't give away all our secrets we like to confuse Johnny foreigner

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+ZX10R Rider Hahaha Oops! Sorry ;)

@alanatroman3556

6 жыл бұрын

sorry but i laughed at all of these as i am native to scotland so these where general knowledge, good luck with the slang

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Alana Troman Thanks! I actually did a couple videos about the slang here :D

I think it's so cute that she thinks Scotland has a summer.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Baseless Assertions We're having a beautiful summer right now! I was just out having a glass of wine on a floating bar in Leith ;)

@nickchivers9029

7 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels what sorcery is this? Back in my day Scotland had a 14-15 month winter followed by a day or two of not raining. In all seriousness though, loved your video and so nice to hear good things about my native UK from an outside perspective. Enjoy the summer while it lasts!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Baseless Assertions Will do! Thanks so much for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D

@michaelstup

7 жыл бұрын

As Billy Connolly once famously said 'Scotland has two seasons - June and Winter!'

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+michaelstup Yes. June is the best time of year to visit for good weather. :)

Ah, summer in Scotland. My favourite day of the year.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+mezsh Lol I think we had a few random days of summer throughout the season this year ;)

@HighTen_Melanie

5 жыл бұрын

mezsh Best comment!

@fewgrain4245

5 жыл бұрын

Summer in south west england. The day when its warm but still raining...

@biskitz86913

5 жыл бұрын

@@fewgrain4245 Summer in Newcastle, 13th - 16th of August 1847 - Next one anticipated to be late next century

@fewgrain4245

5 жыл бұрын

@@biskitz86913 really. Not late july 2018?? Was stupid hot everywhere then. And a warm winter... late feburary 2019 remember.

She said Quid. She's one of us now.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Grassy Gnoll Hahaha

@isame0085

6 жыл бұрын

What's quid?

@grassygnoll3345

6 жыл бұрын

Pounds sterling. £1+a quid. £10= 10 quid or a "tenner".

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+isame 00 It's the nickname for a pound (£). Like how in the US, we might say, "buck" instead of, "dollar"

@willnewing4063

6 жыл бұрын

I almost spit my tea out when you said "quid". I had to rewind lol

Welcome to Scotland. Sorry about the weather.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+milowagon It was 20°s today ;) No apologies needed. Thank you! :D

@Luubelaar

6 жыл бұрын

Pffft. If you don't like the weather in Scotland, hang around for half an hour. :P

@FISHDINHO

6 жыл бұрын

That is what is good about Scotland. We have proper weather changes. I have a few friends that are from Nevada. They are used to nothing but sun and heat all day, everyday. They love coming to Scotland because of the constantly changing weather. It's seems slightly exciting for them to wake up and not know if it's sun, rain, high winds, warm or cold etc. They love it.

@annatrog56

6 жыл бұрын

I live in Coos Bay, Oregon U.S. The weather here on the coast of Oregon is very similar to your weather. I still want to come to your beautiful country. And, maybe, stay a while.

@iprobablyforgotsomething

6 жыл бұрын

If you don't like the weather in Seattle, WA, USA, hang around for 5 minutes! XD The Northwest wears socks-and-sandles because the only type of weather we really get is "with a chance of rain" and we have to be prepared to enjoy / endure those bits we can / don't like. The "evergreen" state sure, because it's also ever-wet.

Our NHS isn't 'totally free' it's paid by anyone who works within the UK via National Insurance

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Stuart Sidebotham Since I phrased this for Americans I think I didn't explain this part well enough, but will go into more detail in another video about doctors here. In the US, on top of the taxes we pay towards healthcare and our individual insurance, we have to pay co-pays for each visit to the doctor. That's what I meant here. Each visit isn't an additional cost, so go get care. I hope that clarified things.

@Palmieres

6 жыл бұрын

Stuart Sidebotham "Tax-funded healthcare? What is this sorcery?!" That's what too many (not all) US citizens think about how the rest of the developed world's governments deal with the health of their citizens. The UK was a pioneer in this type of service, especially after WWII, and the rest of us who have simmilar structures in our public healthcare systems are thankful for it.

@Replevideo

6 жыл бұрын

The expression is free at the point of delivery.

@guava1490

6 жыл бұрын

Stuart Sidebotham and poeple who work within the UK don't use the NHS beucase you don't need a doctor after waiting 2 weeks after you are not ill anymore

@rothberg107

6 жыл бұрын

National Health Service prescriptions may be free in Scotland, but not in the rest of the UK (at least not in England)

Some american > UK translations that may help. Stick shift = Manual Parking lot = Carpark Blocks = Roads / Junctions Also worth noting that in general, American English tends to use brand names or trade marks for items, where as UK English tends to use the actual name of the item. Example "Bandaid" is a trade mark. A "plaster" or "sticking plaster" is what it actually is, and thats the word we use. (There are, of course, exceptions) So in future if you are ever confused about what a something should be called in the UK vs US, try boiling it down to what it actually is rather than the name you are used to using.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Adrian Bawn You hit the nail on the head! Thanks for that :D

@gigteevee6118

6 жыл бұрын

Except when we do the "Hoover" 'ing, not the vacuuming...

@isame0085

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@solojones1138

6 жыл бұрын

Although I certainly know British people who say "Elastoplast" (the brand name) instead of "plaster".

@Replevideo

6 жыл бұрын

Saran wrap we call cling film.

I've lived in England all my life and I've never been in an "automatic" car. Every car has been manual.

@toptunes3330

6 жыл бұрын

my car is automatic :/

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Top Tunes The cars here in Japan are all automatic too! I was hoping to perfect my manual skills here and go back to the EU as a pro, but nope!

@ScottWhiteSr

6 жыл бұрын

It’s almost impossible to rent a manual in the US. Seems like a different world.

@jamesford3549

6 жыл бұрын

Marige OBrien you use a higher gear in ice actually

@richardlahan7068

6 жыл бұрын

Obnoxious Fandom Name Wow! I live in the US and didn't learn to drive a manual until I was in my 30's. Most cars sold in the US are automatic.

Good video with some good points. I also moved to Scotland-31 years ago-from the USA and encountered some of the situations she refers to. I married a Scot, so things like registering with a GP were less of an issue, as was how to deal with the utility companies, etc. And she's right. The NHS is fantastic. (I worked for the NHS as well, before I retired.) The car situation is a bit complicated, though. Of course you CAN rent an automatic car, and they are becoming a lot more common. However, you're only allowed to drive here on an overseas licence for about a year. Then you have to get a UK driving license, and that's not easy. Their tests are MUCH more strict than in the USA, and are getting even stricter. There is a written test you must pass (and it's not simple) and a rigorous practical test where you drive with an 'examiner' who will fail you for all sorts of faults. The test is different for a manual transmission than for an automatic, by the way-at least it was 30 plus years ago. Getting a driving license is a really big deal here, and many people never get one. (I took some lessons, but never actually took the test because we don't run a car. As she says, public transportation is really good here! You only really NEED a car if you live in a semi-rural area or like to travel to out of the way places.) My advice to anybody planning to move here? Never make assumptions. Do not assume anything about how things are done or where you go to do them. Ask. It's easy to get things wrong because the country seems so similar in many ways to the USA. But it's surprisingly different under the surface. People often ask me ...would you go back? The answer is easy. No. I love it here.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for commenting! It's so cool that we experienced so many of the same things. We looked into the getting our UK licenses since we'd then more easily be able to transfer them to Japanese licenses (since both countries drive on the same side of the road), but we ran into a bunch of issues with it. I totally agree with your great advice :) I wouldn't go back either (that's why we're moving to Japan until we can move back to the EU [through our Italian Citizenships that we're in the process of obtaining now]) ;) A lot of people from the UK are commenting about how stupid I am to love it here, but when you've lived in both places and have seen both sides, there's a clear winner.

@jannertfol

6 жыл бұрын

Yes. Good luck with your citizenship issues. It's all in flux at the moment, but I'm hoping that this Brexit thing will die before any more damage is done. I'm so happy I got my UK citizenship a few years ago, before it all started to get unpleasant.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+jannertfol I'm hoping for that too, but I'm really scared to make a video about my experiences surrounding Brexit because of the comments I know I'll get!

Our cultures and languages are so similar that we all just assume that everything's the same. I've only just found out that Americans don't have a word for fortnight and it's blown my mind a little. Plaster, pram and trolly are not just Scottish words, they are common in of the UK. It's weird hearing the phrase "driving stick". I've never heard that before. We just call it "driving". I've never driven an automatic. How does it work? What happens if you want to control what gear you're in? Yeah, the NHS is pretty great. It's weird when talking to Americans online who argue for a private system that you pay for. It's like: "Hey, you know that essential thing you have that you get for free? Wouldn't it be better if you paid for it?" and we're like: "Umm, no. Not really."

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah. Those Americans are...silly... ;)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Daniella Shankle Two weeks ;)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Daniella Shankle Yup!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Thomas Rasberry Definitely!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Welshie Ranger But you still pay less in taxes towards it than the US lmao The US's system makes zero sense

its considered a little embarrassing to drive an automatic car in the UK (its like still having training wheels on a bicycle) by asking for an automatic you are declaring you cant drive properly

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+colin wilson Hahaha! I totally believe that!

@stuartwakeman753

7 жыл бұрын

A lot of high end cars like jaguars and Mercedes are automatic though. I drive and automatic but can drive manual.

@colinwilson4658

7 жыл бұрын

mr wakeman driving a high end car does not make you a good driver

@stuartwakeman753

7 жыл бұрын

colin wilson I know I am saying slot more cars are automatic than you think. I don't drive high end car.

@colinwilson4658

7 жыл бұрын

YEP A LOT OF BAD DRIVERS OUT THERE

in the UK if you passed a test in an Automatic you are not allowed to drive a Manual car unless you test a separate test. Have you been breaking the law?

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Les Neill Haha No we haven't. Promise! We've been driving cars with our US license (which is legal I promise). Unfortunately, anyone living in the UK for leas than 2 years isn't allowed to get a UK license.

@solojones1138

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah you don't have to have a UK license to drive in the UK. Just like you don't have to have a US license to drive in the US.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+solojones1138 Exactly :) At least for the first year!

@bobp6742

6 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels what he's saying is, if you haven't got a licence for driving a manual your not allowed to drive a manual only an automatic. As you admitted you have not driven manual before that means you must have passed your test in an automatic which means in this country you can only drive automatic. If you want to drive manual you will have to take a UK driving test to show and prove your capable of driving a manual.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+bob p I understood perfectly what was being said. Since I was driving with an international license from a country with no separate licenses the laws are different than if i were driving with a UK License. Nothing I did was illegal.

Now that you have moved to the UK you need to keep in mind that you can only use your US driving licence for 12 months from the date you take up residence. If you wish to continue driving after that time you will have to apply for a provisional licence then take and pass the appropriate UK driving theory and practical driving tests in order to obtain a UK driving licence. Also if you do and pass your driving test in the UK using a car with an automatic transmission then you will be restricted to only being able to drive automatic cars. If you pass using a manual transmission then you drive boath manual and automatic cars.

@petertr2000

6 жыл бұрын

Correct. Bear in mind it'll take some time to arrange that test too, plus any tuition you will almost certainly need - the test is rather "particular". So don't get caught out in the gap

I should imagine that anyone moving to a different country would experience very similar problems, well done on all your adaptations, very enjoyable blog.

@SonnieTravels

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! That's kind of you to say 😁

I've not moved to a new country, but have moved around the UK a fair bit. Regarding electricity and gas I have two recommendations. If you are living in a flat that is part of a building that has been subdivided as soon as you can after moving in turn everything off, take all plugs out of sockets, turn off lights etc then watch your meter and make sure it's not showing any power being drawn. If it does then double check everything is turned off, if you can switch off the circuit breakers one at a time and see where the one that is drawing power leads. Some private landlords subdivide houses but don't subdivide the electric supply so one tenant is paying the bill for two or three flats. I'm even aware of one where the landlord told the tenants who didn't have meters that they had to pay a fixed amount each month for electricity and gas on top of rent, as it was shared supply when in fact the one tenant was paying the bill for all three and the landlord just pocketed the extra money. The other recommendation is in your first year in a place try to read your meters weekly or fortnightly and record the readings. This is to get a feel for how much power the place uses. Give the readings to your power companies each month, that way they can give you more accurate bills. Do bear in mind that the norm in the UK is to charge the same year round so over the summer you build up a credit then in the winter you use that and end up with a debit.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Stephen Booth Great recommendations! Thanks so much! Now we have to learn how everything works in Japan haha

liquid detergent is common in the uk. Scottish people probably wash clothes with fire.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+matt n Hahaha that'd be awesome

@s125ish

6 жыл бұрын

matt n haha funny to see you here . We use the rain

@davidbrewer7937

6 жыл бұрын

Scottish people wash their clothes????

@georgebritten2111

6 жыл бұрын

I didn't realise the Scottish had managed to create fire yet, I thought that was why it's so cold.

@matty6848

6 жыл бұрын

George Britten yes I heard they even have running water north of the border😂

Band Aid is a brand name, that's why we don't use it, it's a sticking plaster because it's a temporary cover for a wound, instead of a bandage or a normal plastercast. The reverse is true for things though, like you might have been shopping for a vacuum cleaner and heard people call them "hoovers" when Hoover is just one manufacturer of vacuum cleaners that ends up being a generic term. Welcome to Scotland though! :D

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Billy Reynolds The US uses brand names for the names of a lot of things. It's a bit weird. Yay capitalism! Lol

Charming. You're such a good speaker, and with such good looks, this format works very well. Welcome to the UK.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+ColdWaterThrower Thanks so much! :)

I didn't realise that the prices in US stores, often didn't include tax. I happily bought a load of books, for example, and got a surprise when the price quoted was more than I'd worked out. Here in the UK prices are marked with tax already added. Also, I got very confused with Dimes and Nickels as the dime is smaller in size, but worth twice as much as a nickel. They roughly coincide in size to UK 5p coins and 10p coins. But in the UK the smaller sized coin is worth less than the larger one. It doesn't help that the US coins don't have 5c and 10c on them.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Tonyblack Yes! I'm actually going to mention that in another video (culture shocks around europe). In the US, it's because of the State taxes which differ. Ahh i understand how the currency would be confusing. It confuses children in the US too when they're first learning.

@petertr2000

6 жыл бұрын

Adding tax at the point of sale seems, to me at least, totally idiotic. You need a bloody calculator!

@Tonyblack261

6 жыл бұрын

Going to the Dollar store is fun. :)

@ScottWhiteSr

6 жыл бұрын

It’s on purpose so that people realize the impact of the taxes. If you grow up in the US you preadd it to any costs you see in you head.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Scott White It's done because each state has different taxes.

summer months?? Scotland has a summer?? we don't even get those in Wales!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+It's Me Haha You don't think it's been lovely lately? Yesterday and for a few days now it's hit 20°!

@ScaniaVabis580

6 жыл бұрын

Hi... it has been good recently, which is unusual for a UK summer! but... the summer months are getting better but just not what they should be...

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+It's Me Yeah. Sadly climate change is changing everything. Every time I'm enjoying the beautiful warm weather I'm thinking, "The Earth is dying!" in the back of my mind haha

@ScaniaVabis580

6 жыл бұрын

yes, we have had some days hovering around 30°C down here but... apparently it was 47°C in Portugal yesterday! The climate is definitely changing.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+It's Me Wow! 😮

My mistakes when I first moved to the UK. 1. If you think it is difficult to get a doctor, try a dentist... 2. 50 pound notes are not the best way to pay for a can of Dr. Pepper. 3. ISPs suck. Or at least they sucked a lot when I first moved there. 4. Pasties taste great but taste 10 times better when you heat them. (I miss them so much) 5. Two faucets for water? This is not a mistake of mine, just something I still find incredibly stupid. 6. Do not, under any circumstances, get a loan from a bank or otherwise...

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Trusteft Haha Thanks for sharing! Where did you move from?

@Trusteft

6 жыл бұрын

You are welcome. From Greece. I'm currently back in Greece, but I spent about 12 years in Wales and Devon.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Trusteft Oh cool! We've been to Greece. Where in Greece at you from? :)

@Trusteft

6 жыл бұрын

I hope you had a good time. I'm from the city of Thessaloniki. A place not visited by most tourists unless it's on their way to neighboring prefectures like Chalkidiki or Pella.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Trusteft Sadly, we didn't make it up that way, but I made a lot of videos about our wonderful experiences in Greece. :) We loved it there!

Incorrect about not paying for NHS treatment in the UK.... If you are not an EU citizen, you are obliged to pay for all health care. Some people are lucky and get through the net (like you clearly did) but expect to get a bill or even be asked for insurance or cash upfront for anything except A&E treatment (A&E equals Accident and Emergency, and equates to what the US calls ER). If You are a non-EU citizen, or you come from a country that doesn't have a reciprocal health care agreement with the UK (The US does not have such an agreement) then you need to travel with full health insurance.... if you are staying here for a long time on an extended visa, then you may even be turned back at customs if you cannot prove you have health insurance.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

You may be thinking of England, but that's just not the case in Scotland. When I applied for a visa here I paid up front for taxes that I didn't pay last year, taxes towards NHS were obviously also taken out of my paycheck, but I double checked everything and there isn't an additional cost unless it's for the dentist or something along those lines. My husband and I both also have National Insurance Numbers. :)

@NilsAlbertsson

7 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels... No, I understand the devolved powers regarding health provision, and they relate to such things as prescriptions, funding allocations etc, not the general NATIONAL rules on healthcare provision requirements. Once you have been granted right to residence, you become entitled to full NHS coverage, but my post was really regarding those who arrive on travel visas from the US, and those individuals (who will account for the bulk of US travellers to the UK, as there is no automatic right to residence for US citizens) are absolutely *NOT* entitled to any free NHS care, and need health insurance. That is a national requirement, not a devolved issue. Once again, until such time as you are granted right to residence, your NHS care is not free, and that's as true in Edinburgh, as it is in London, Cardiff and Belfast.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+N Albertsson My comment/the video is directly at those who are moving to the UK to live, not just passing through. :)

@NilsAlbertsson

7 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels... I appreciate that, but it should be made clear, that until/unless you are granted residencey by the UK Government, you are not entitled to free NHS treatment (unless you fit the criteria I mentioned earlier) and you will need health insurance. On a side note.... I would like to applaud you enthusiastically for you propper pronunciation of place names like Edinburgh etc.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

The title of the video clearly states it's for people "moving" to the UK. Are you a lawyer? Cause maybe you should look into it ;) Hahaha Thanks!

So many people leaving unbelievably rude comments. I have to say, you're doing so well to keep your cool with them and I admire your patience :) Good luck with your uni course! Hope you're loving Scotland so far x

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! It's really nice to be appreciated haha I am sooo loving Scotland! I'm heart broken to have to leave. (We're moving to Japan next month)

@docedcrib9079

5 жыл бұрын

what rude comments

@SonnieTravels

5 жыл бұрын

I delete the horrible ones, but this person commented a year ago when there weren't as many comments so they were much easier to find :) But they're there

@docedcrib9079

5 жыл бұрын

@@SonnieTravels hope u liked it here. people here tend to be pretty laid back about opinions so i hope it wasn't from Scots. also i have always wondered what did you think about slang or what did you think they were saying i imagine it would be quite funny yet confusing at the same time. -thanks

@SonnieTravels

5 жыл бұрын

I LOVED my time in Scotland and a few oft hose comments were from Scots wanting me out of their country and stuff, but that's bound to happen anywhere I'm sure. I'm living in Japan now. I actually made an entire video about speaking Scots. It's super fun and I learned a lot, but still not enough lol

I'm an American moving to Birmingham in a month. I'm pretty sure your warning about the electricity reading will save my wallet. Thanks for this video!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+msmc2386 I'm so happy to help! Are you excited for your move? What brings you across the pond? :)

@Steeleperfect

7 жыл бұрын

On behalf of the UK, welcome, newcomer! Hope you have a wonderful time over here.

@thomasshaw6936

7 жыл бұрын

msmc2386 just to let you know, electricity is read and paid for in different ways, it's not all the same, in some parts is every 6/8 weeks were the metre is read and you may pay only 4 times are year. Just depending on what region in the U.K you're going to! Enjoy your new life here! -good luck!

@msmc2386

7 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels I got a job teaching! I am so excited and eager for new experiences! Looking forward to more videos!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+msmc2386 That is exciting! I hope you love it :D That's what we'll be doing in our next jobs too btw So cool!

The NHS is amazing in that it's free but I just wanted to clarify that in England you do have to pay for your prescriptions (it's just under £9 per prescription). Just in case anyone goes to England and expects to pay nothing. In Scotland and Wales though, they are free.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+enoughabouteve Great point :) I'm actually planning on doing a full video on the NHS and going to the doctors here. So I'll definitely be mentioning that.

@iansimmons6860

6 жыл бұрын

enoughabouteve no the NHS is not free! It's only free if you've never paid anything into it!!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

With that mentality, one could say a walk in the park isn't free. :) In the US, we not only pay taxes towards healthcare, we also have to pay monthly for insurance, and then pay a deductible per visit to a doctor. So what I was saying is that, there's no cost when you go to the doctor as in, "You don't have to pay $50 each time you have a doctor's visit"

In the UK if you pass your driving test in automatic cars, you also have to retake your test in a manual car. However if you pass your manual car test you can drive an automatic car. You do have to pay for prescriptions from the dr unless you are over 60, have certain medical conditions or and a full time student.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+julie Allan We looked into getting our licenses here and learned about that. I think it's really smart and the US should do it too! In the US anyone with a license can drive anything. Unfortunately, we didn't qualify since you have to have proof that you'll be living in the UK for a minimum of 2 years. For the prescription stuff, I believe you may be thinking of England, but that doesn't represent all of the UK. In Scotland EVERYONE gets all of their prescriptions 100% free :D

@bethanyfletcher5129

7 жыл бұрын

julie Allan All medical expenses are completely free for everyone here in Scotland. No matter your age. Luckily!

@tootz1950

7 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels No, in the US someone with a license cannot drive anything. Most states require a different license for motorcycles, number of axles, etc. A car license is good for all cars, yes.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+tootz1950 Yes haha Anything as in either automatic or manual lol I don't think people read my comment and thought they could rent an 18 wheeler ;)

@bethanyfletcher5129

7 жыл бұрын

Mim Moon also if we do have uni debts they get cancelled if you don't pay them back after a few years. You can normally see a GP the day you call. We are lucky I guess.

Mistake No.6: Eating the battered Mars bars. " No.7: Asking a Scotsman why he's wearing a skirt. " No.8: Finding out the ingredients of Haggis. " No.9: Holding a Thanksgiving Party for all your new Scottish friends. " No.10: Assuming Hogman[a]y is a pig farm. " No.11: Assuming a wee hen is a chicken on a rollercoaster. " No.12: Booking a trip to see the Loch Ness monster. " No.13: Assuming The McDonald clan is where to grab a Big Mac...unless you like big, hairy Scotsmen.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+sco bra LMAO! These are so clever! 😂

@scobra6652

6 жыл бұрын

Oh now...you made me blush.

A common mistake of Americans and British people is that because we use (largely) the same language we are all the same, but nothing could be further from the truth. A language is the only thing we share.

Can I go job searching by walking into places or does everything has to go online? Thank you.

It's manual not bloody stick!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Rik Spilz Either way works. It literally means the exact same thing. I personally use them interchangeably. If you prefer one over the other that's fine for you. Obviously this is very meaningful and personal for you since you went through the effort of commenting on it lol

@rikspilz4991

7 жыл бұрын

Not much effort. Climbing Arthur's Seat was more of an effort. More tongue in cheek than anything else. Just weird hearing someone say stick over and over again. No offence lol. Oh, and it's car park, not parking lot. Now excuse me I must get back to your interesting video!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Rik Spilz hahaha Yeah We Americans are super weird with our version of English, huh? ;) Maybe I'll make a video in it

@rikspilz4991

7 жыл бұрын

I can only imagine how tricky it must be trying to handle English spoken in England let alone Scotland as an American! All that crazy slang. Hope you didn't go into a shop (store) and ask for a fanny pack! I went into a stationary shop in America and asked for a rubber (eraser) and really wished I hadn't

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Rik Spilz Hahaha! My friend did the same thing! We talk about that stuff a bit in my Scottish Slang video and I tell my most embarrassing story about a word mix up :X It was definitely a learning curve

Plasters and Pram etc. are not 'Scottish words'... they are used in all UK English speaking places. : )

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Snow Flake Indeed!

@ThisIsNotRelevant

6 жыл бұрын

I'm annoyed that you assumed she didn't know that...

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Emily Lol it's ok. They out a smiley face on it so I know they're just trying to be helpful :)

@Philrc

6 жыл бұрын

What is a UK speaking place? Is it a special place we can go to if we want to speak? Are there UK non-speaking places? " _I'm sorry sir this speaking place is now closed. If you want to carry on speaking you'll have to go to the next one, two miles from here_ "

@Louisyed

6 жыл бұрын

kha sab They said UK English

In UK we over pay though the summer to build up credit for the winter.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Yeeaaahhh we didn't do that lmao

@petertr2000

6 жыл бұрын

Basically, the plan is to average out the whole year, not a 6 month period. Then you're not paying 3x more in winter, and pennies in Summer. The idea is to allow you to budget more easily. But "Smart Meters" are taking over now, and many people are switching to the "as you use it" payment method.

@Philrc

6 жыл бұрын

No the way to do it , as you discovered, is to call in your own readings every month. because they don't do a reading what you were paying was just a estimate. Then when they finally take a reading you usually get hit with a huge bill.

@heimdall1973

6 жыл бұрын

Not everyone does. But the rates are usually the lowest if you do it like that (fixed direct debit). There are some issues with that system, though. Some companies often adjust "fixed" direct debit, e.g. they notice you've increased your usage (of course I have, it's mid winter, but come summer and I'll decrease my usage) and they put it up. Then, the idea is that some of the time you are in credit, other times you are in debit. But companies often cleverly adjust amounts so that it's always the company owing you, and if you slip too close to zero (or even start owing them) when you temporarily increase your usage during winter, your payments go up. It's handy for energy companies as they borrow millions from us interest free.

@heimdall1973

6 жыл бұрын

Not everyone does. But the rates are usually the lowest if you do it like that (fixed direct debit). There are some issues with that system, though. Some companies often adjust "fixed" direct debit, e.g. they notice you've increased your usage (of course I have, it's mid winter, but come summer and I'll decrease my usage) and they put it up. Then, the idea is that some of the time you are in credit, other times you are in debit. But companies often cleverly adjust amounts so that it's always the company owing you, and if you slip too close to zero (or even start owing them) when you temporarily increase your usage during winter, your payments go up. It's handy for energy companies as they borrow millions from us interest free.

Don't register with a GP if you don't know where you are going to live. They won't register you if you live outside catchment area. Says on Bill/statement that it is estimated.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Matthew Meech Good point. I registered after I moved into my flat

Energycompanies in the UK do ask you to submit regular readings. In many cases they will ask for the reading shortly before the bill date (usually quarterly), but some companies ask for monthly readings. If you get a bill and haven't submitted a reading, you can still contact them and give them your readings. They may adjust your bill, or at least take your readings into account next time. Also, I recommend making sure you are on the cheapest tariff, and with the cheapest supplier. This varies from case to case and region to region. Prices fixing tariffs are often better as prices do fluctuate and tend to go up more often then they come down. Switching to the cheapest supplier can save you hundreds of pounds each year. There are a number of price comparison websites that will tell you the best supplier and tariff based upon the information you provide and even allow you to switch then and there. Be sure to do a 'whole of market' comparison when using these sites as they can favour the suppliers that offer them revenue.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Jonathan Nicoll Thanks so much for all od your advice! I wish we knew all of this stuff from the beginning. Sadly, we're only here for another 2 and a half/3 months now :( (We're still waiting on an exact date to move)

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Joshua Bicknell No way lol We're not anywhere near done travelling ;) We're off to Japan next! (^-^)

In some European countries if you used an automatic to pass your test you're not allowed to drive a manual.

@barcabhoy7193

3 жыл бұрын

Including the UK

I've lived in Scotland my whole life and also got caught up in the alarmingly high electricity/gas bills! Another thing to make everyone aware of (which I didn't realise until recently) Is that when you move into a property with an existing provider they will usually automatically put you on the highest tariff. Phone up straight away and say you want to be put on the cheapest tariff they can offer you! It will definitely save you a lot!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Cat L That's such great advice! Thanks for adding that :)

In the US you use the stick with your right hand, in the UK you use the stick with your left hand.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Froggy Does Yes indeed! Pretry much everything driving wise is in the opposite side. :)

It's called a 'manual' transmission! A stick is what you throw for your dog to fetch!😄

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Tuff Gong Haha!

I think that anyone in Scotland can have a "Smart" electricity meter supplied and fitted free of charge. The Smart meter takes many readings per day automatically. If you have gas, you can have that reading taken automatically too. The gas reading is normally sent to the electricity meter via Wi-Fi. The two readings are then sent to the electricity company over the mobile phone network, because there is a SIM card in the system. You don't have to do anything. Also, they normally give you a free energy monitor that you can place anywhere in the house. The electricity meter sends the two meter readings to the energy monitor via Wi-Fi. You normally are billed by the energy company once every two months. I hope that helps you. Welcome to Edinburgh. I have lived here all of my life.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+ZenerSmytok Yeah those are awesome! If we were able to stay longer, we wouldve gotten one for sure! Thanks! You're so lucky!

@zenersmytok3619

6 жыл бұрын

No problem. I'm looking at a few more of your videos right now. It looks like you are in Japan now, I think. I'm looking at the video with you and your red-haired friend Rachel, and you are trying to guess the meaning of some Scottish slang words. It's quite amusing. Your friend Rachel looks very like someone that works in the same company as me. I wonder if it is her ?. Thanks for replying so quickly.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+ZenerSmytok It might be her! Lol I won't share publicly where she works though for obvious reasons :) Of course! Thanks for watching and commenting! 😁

Just for information the Doctor drug prescription charges are only free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England you currently have to pay £8.60 per item. However if you are a senior citizen, on welfare benefits, etc. then you are exempt from having to pay. Also if you have certain long term health issues you don't have to pay in some circumstances.

Thanks so much for sharing! Very helpful.

@SonnieTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Happy to help!

stick shift? never heard that one.... I think what you mean is manual

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Bella MacTavish In the US we day either interchangeably

@_5adie

6 жыл бұрын

I'm an American whose been living in the Uk for about 18 years and I still call it stick which my boyfriend always corrects. I don't drive yet but my boyfriend's car is breaking so he's thinking of getting an automatic for me to learn. Kind of disappointing that I won't be able to annoy him anymore.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Sadie Harrington That's so funny :)

@nicholasdickens2801

6 жыл бұрын

Bella MacTavish Americans call it a 'shift' stick. We call it the 'gear' stick or gear shift.

@carolj2013

6 жыл бұрын

Stick, Manual, Gear, 4 on the floor, 3 on the tree, it's all the same :-)

OMG you didnt mention the BIG difference in words DONT say "Fanny" in Britain thinking it will mean Ass! OMG There's a big difference!... google it if you need to people! lol XD

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Jayden Styles Hahaha Rachel and I actually talk about that in a video coming out soon :) It's extra footage from my Scots video

@ghostpanic

7 жыл бұрын

Lol sorry to be crude but it's a funny difference XD

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Jayden Styles It definitely is and I don't think you were being crude :)

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Mim Moon Hahaha Maybe I should make a video specifically on the "bad" words ;)

@KrisHughes

7 жыл бұрын

Or "I need a rubber to finish my homework."

When you couldn't visit a GP you should have found a walk-in centre. GPs are generally private practice, just operating under the NHS banner. Walk-in centres are NHS operated, and designed to take pressure off A&E. You don't need an appointment, you'll sit in a waiting room and get seen by a nurse (or sometimes a doctor) when it's your turn.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Kai Thompson Good to know! I've never been to one actually :X

Hey I'm from Scotland and your blog was super accurate! Its really informative and I'll be sure to share it about. Well done!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! That's so awesome of you :D I really appreciate it!

I'd never heard the phrase 'to drive stick' before! In the UK we say 'to drive a manual'...

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+pw274UK They'd understand what you mean using either term in the US :D

actually you can go online and update your meter readings. you don't need to call energy companies

Btw, just noticed in comments below people mentioning that you cannot drive a manual if only qualified on an auto. I believe their international American licence is enough to drive here, however, that licence is ONLY for a short time, and if you stay over a year, you may need to upgrade it or risk having an invalid licence. Your licence is valid for 12months after you became resident here, after which, and probably better a few months early, you need to apply for an British provisional driving license, then take your theory test and once the theory is passed you can then take the actual driving test. Goto WWW.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence.

Just a heads up from someone who is born and bread UK, you can now get smart meters to replace to old prepay/credit meters. We do it monthly on credit but over the modern smart meter system so you can look at your daily/weekly energy usage. Also although they are expensive to initially buy (£50 per a bulb) the phillips hue bulbs (LED's) are a godsend, when paired with an amazon alexa or echo you can just dim or turn your light on and off by voice command and they are really energy efficient x

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Thoths Temple Thanks for the suggestion! If we were staying longer, we'd totally be getting one. Sadly our visas are almost up so we have to leave the UK. I wonder if they have smart meters in Japan!

You have to pay for prescriptions in England! Only in Scotland it's free!

@itsallrobbish

4 жыл бұрын

girlygirlyblonde Wales were first.

Nobody knows how the electricity companies work, especially when they also supply your gas… nightmare 😁

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+psionicdreams Oh yeah I'm glad we didn't have to deal with that too lol

Almost everyone here learns on a manual (its not a "stick" here) because if you take your test in an automatic your licence only alllows you to drive automantics, pass on a manual and you can drive both - simples

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Dave Hopkin Yup. It makes a lot of sense :) I was hoping they'd drive manual here in Japan too so I could improve my skills, but no such luck. I'll still be a noob when we move back to Europe haha

About the electric company, you can actually get it a few different ways. One thing that surprised me is that many has a pay-as-you-go meter. That's what we're currently using right now (because of some old debts they don't want us on anything else). You pay for the electricity you're going to use, not the electricity you've already used. Much like a phone without contract. You can also get a yearly reading, which will average out the entire year for a much more even distribution of the cost and some electric company even allow quarterly readings. Regardless of what sort of meter you have and the frequency of the rate updates, you still need to allow them access to your home once every 6 months for a safety inspection though.

In this UK we get estimated bills.. Mostly wrong, you only get the correct estimate bill if you're super lucky.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Emily Seems that way! Too bad we don't have a smart reader. We are now giving our meter readings online each month ;) Haha

Again very informative! Thank you!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Dayna You're very welcome! Thanks for watching! :)

thanks for making this video! great insights :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+aeonjoey Thanks so much :D

I knew you would pick up stick shift fairly quickly - it is not so hard. Love how you used the colloquialism "quid" your almost a native.....doctor registration is important but if you are ill anyone can go to A&E and you will get looked after - no charge.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Matthew Elliman Haha Thank you. You had more faith in me than I had in myself! My little sister has pointed out to me how much my speech has changed since living here. She noticed I say things like, "flat" and "lift" without even hesitating or realising it lol Oh! Good to know! My friend had to go to the hospital because she got really sick and couldn't wait to to see get registered to see the doctor. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! :)

@jazzx251

7 жыл бұрын

Let's not go there ... you should only ever go to A & E if you're in terrible trouble - or if you're in extreme pain, but it's after hours at the surgery. As Sonnie says, our NHS is a superb thing - but going to A&E [have you seen how hard those guys have to work?!] because you have a "really bad" headache ... that's just taking advantage, and adds fuel to those who want to privatise the system and make us pay for everything. No thanks. The NHS effectively turns everybody in the UK into a superhero - with the ability to heal at will! [within reason] With such a great power, comes a great responsibility ... let's not abuse it.

@petertr2000

6 жыл бұрын

ill = Walk In / Urgent Care Centre. Not Accident and Emergency.

@notamused3715

6 жыл бұрын

+Mai Nem- very well said! People should only go to A&E for emergencies - serious injuries or acute onsets of serious symptoms! All NHS frontline workers are overworked and A&E staff are some of the worst affected.Plus it is unfair to the other,seriously ill or injured patients to take the staff's time away from them!

Yeah it´s weird, we grow up knowing a lot of American slang cos American tv is exported everywhere. But the reverse doesn´t really happen so there´s no reason you´d just know that.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah. I was surprised and a bit humbled to realize that US media is SOOOOO popular elsewhere. I knew our movies and such were, but not the music (in countries that English isn't even their language) or TV shows.

@owieprone

6 жыл бұрын

Not entirely true, there is a BBC america that shows Dr Who, Monarch of the Glen etc.

@lindawatkin4411

6 жыл бұрын

cmmndrblu Amazing that U S slang travels the world!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Linda Watkin It's because of all of our media and entertainment. It's totally global!

In the uk if you pass your driving test in an automatic then that's all you are allowed to drive. Is it not the same anywhere else?

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Alison Barlow The US doesn't have separate driving tests

Wait if you haven't got a manual licence/automatically renewed in the U.K. how are you driving legally at all ??

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

I live in Edinburgh so I use the bus :) I haven't driven here aside from trying to learn manual really and that was when my international license was still valid here.

I'd be frugal with gas/electric anyway. Just good to be efficient regardless of cost.

Rule 1 when doing anything in life. Don't assume.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

A good rule to have and follow :)

We are considering moving to the UK from the PNW in the USA. We are not in our twenties though (late 30’s/ early 40’s). And we have a daughter who is 3. I am struggling to find information about moving as a family and permanently, not a holiday or school visa. Most things seem to be geared towards a younger and/or different lifestyle. Any insight or recommendations?

@SonnieTravels

3 жыл бұрын

Do you have any way to gain UK citizenship? (aka are either of your parents UK citizens?) What are your jobs?

@julieburgess3498

3 жыл бұрын

We would be moving with my husbands work. It’s an American company with locations in the UK.

My husband and I are looking to move overseas especially to either Ireland or Scotland. I would like to know what do they have for the disabled over there Do they have social security disability like they have in the US and how would I be able to apply for it? Also without healthcare system do they take people with pre-existing conditions?

Hi! I'm an American living in London. I agree with many things here. In my US vs UK KZread videos I mention the transportation system in London against America in a few videos too, as well as thoughts on the NHS! If you're in London anytime soon, please get in touch- it would be great to do a collab.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Sunny London Oh I'd love to! Ugh I wish you contacted me sooner, but I'm moving to Japan tomorrow. I wonder if there's any type of collaboration we could do where we're not physically together, but video tape each of our parts separately and combine them half way through or something. I've seen those done before. I did want to do a video on NHS, but it's very different in Scotland vs England. Any topics in mind that may work?

@Sunny_in_London

6 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels Yes! I'm sure we could think of something and do some cross-cutting. Let me give it a think. I just discovered your channel recently. Do you have a website where I can use a contact form to get in touch? I'm on Twitter at sunny_in_london If you can DM me your email? I'm sure you're busy with a move (very exciting by the way!) so we can plan for something in the future once you're settled?

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Sunny London That sounds great. I'll do that. :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Sunny London Hmm I followed you, but it won't let me message you. Maybe follow me back and then try?

@brendadocherty8410

6 жыл бұрын

Sunny London

"It's like a whole nother language" >.

We have walk in centres here which takes up the loading from patients who don't yet have a doctor or dentist. They can cope with many minor problems and injuries, and prescribe medicine ect as required. If your employed and goto one of these, you can be charged for prescriptions and dental work at standard NHS rates. The main downside to these centres is you will be waiting, possibly for a few hours for an appointment, and you do get some dodgy characters in these centres because alot with mental problems often end up needing these places due to inability to organise a full time doctor or dentist.

have you already bought an insurance for your cats? which one did you choose? we are going to move to Glasgow soon so i'm looking for the best one. thanks! :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Pet insurance? We don't have any. Our cats are pretty young, healthy and indoor only. Plus vets are much cheaper here than in the US. Sorry I couldn't help. I can make a recommendation for a company to help bring them over. We did it ourselves, but we're using a company for the move to Japan next. :)

@MeMe-xv5ic

6 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels oh, i see. lucky you :) i heard that vets are rather expensive in Scotland (maybe for my country it is so) and not all of my cats are young so.. i was looking for insurance. and if you can give a recomendation of a company that will help us with travelling it will be great. thanks for help :) you are so positive on this video, i hope you'll like Japan too :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Me Me We're using Pet Relocation for our trip the Japan and they've been great. We work with Sarah. Thanks so much! :D I hope we do too!

It's not slang ! It's dialect or language. Scots is a distinct language. The difference between and language and a dialect is an Army a Navy and an Air Force😝. Enjoyed watching your show👍🏻

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Mungo Armstrong That's why I explained what it was in the actual video for those who didn't know :) Thanks for watchijg! I'm glad you enjoyed it

@solojones1138

6 жыл бұрын

Some people speak Scots, some people speak Scottish English, some people code switch between them. Either way, there will be slang Americans (and even some English people) won't know.

@redchook5050

6 жыл бұрын

I heard a commentator of the Edinburgh Tattoo use the term "soncie quines" to describe the Scottish Highland dancers. I thought that was a great phrase - the meaning fairly obvious even if you don't know Scots. (It means " attractive girls"0.

@katsu890

6 жыл бұрын

I was born in Scotland and even I don't understand a lot of Scots slang and dialects, to Americans it must sound like a foreign language.

@solojones1138

6 жыл бұрын

Ultimate Kars I learned how to decipher Scots by reading Trainspotting when I was 16, since parts of it are in Scots. I'm good with languages, so I figured out what different things meant. But yeah, when we asked directions from a Scots-speaking shopkeeper out away from Edinburgh, my dad relied on me to know what she said. He definitely had no idea.

You say faucet, I say tap. Faucet. Tap. Let's call the whole thing off.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Martin Wood

@martinhughes2549

5 жыл бұрын

A faucet in Brit English is a tap on a beer barrel, I believe?

@h_macp2297

5 жыл бұрын

Martin Hughes nope at least where I live we just say the drinks are on tap

@martinhughes2549

5 жыл бұрын

@@h_macp2297 I think you've misunderstood my comment. A traditional name for a valve on a wooden beer barrel was a "faucet" in Britain. That's a niche technical term today, however thats the mainstream name in the US for what Britons call a tap.

@h_macp2297

5 жыл бұрын

Martin Hughes idek what your talking about anymore so I don’t rly give one 😂😂

Number one as you explained is about moving from the USA to anywhere in Europe. My experience about gear stick was different as I was already in Europe, moving from Slovenia to England - I was fine with a gear stick but it was on the wrong side! I kept reaching to the door instead of to the middle of the car before I got used to change gears with my left hand rather than right. Now, of course, I'm used to it and do it without thinking, but when I visit my parents and I try to drive, I need to be careful... Luckily, the pedals are in the same order, ABC from right to left (accelerator, brake, clutch). I have driven in the USA (that was when I was well used to left side driving in the UK) and the automatic gears didn't cause me any problems. I also liked cruise control. That car was a cool toy, as far as I was concerned, I steered but the car did the rest (at least on motorways). Americans call a plaster "band aid"? That sounds more like music for a good cause... Before I moved to England, my English, influenced partly by foreigners from various countries on my travels, partly by online chats, partly by TV shows, was americanised to some extent (however in writing I never used "lite", "nite", "thru", always "light", "night", "through", but I did use "color" instead of "colour", or in speech I used to say tomato to rhyme with potato). Another thing I noticed was that things not to be done are usually "forbidden" in the UK and "prohibited" in the USA. Americans in UK, be very careful when told to walk on the pavement! It's what you call "sidewalk", not the road surface, haha. Americans in Europe, don't assume you can turn right (left in countries with left side driving, like UK) when the red light is on.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+heimdall1973 Great advice and thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I did know that manual is far more common in all of Europe, but we didn't drive while backpacking Europe so I felt like it fit better in this video than my Culture Shocks of Europe video. :)

Thanks for explaining how the electricity company thing- I am native UK and didn't know that!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Lauren Maslin Oh cool! :D Some people in the comments elaborate more on it

@petertr2000

6 жыл бұрын

The idea is that you pay your annual gas and electric charge by way of 12 equal payments, so that you don't get tiny bills in summer, then huge bills that you cant afford in winter, when its really cold. To do this, there's a level of estimation involved. It often goes a little wrong, but usually a phone call to the supplier will sort that out.

laundry detergent = soap powder. ;-)

@KrisHughes

7 жыл бұрын

Aye, but I don't remember a great shortage of the liquid variety, either.

@gina928

7 жыл бұрын

Washing up liquid = dish soap.

@petertr2000

6 жыл бұрын

That one confused me for years, until the penny dropped - its soooo obvious!

Doctor's prescriptions are only free if you're under 16 or over 60. If you have to pay it's £8.60 per item. If you are a full time student aged 16-18 then you may get a free prescription. Also if you are pregnant.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Arthur Scrote I believe you're thinking of the laws in England. It's different here in Scotland. :)

@arthurscrote4640

7 жыл бұрын

Of course, funded by English taxpayers.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Arthur Scrote Sigh. Such negativity.

@wayneblanchard97

7 жыл бұрын

Of course! The Scots have it all figured out, and good for them. It's payback for all those invasions over the centuries and Oliver Cromwell running rampant and ruining all those future tourist attractions.

@brydeca4687

7 жыл бұрын

+Arthur Scrote I just had to comment on your first comment, Yes in scotland it is free all the time for everyone for Prescriptions no matter what age/pregnant or not and as your second comment states 'funded by English taxpayers' I am sorry to be the one to tell you but scotland pays more tax than the english and contributes more tax than what they spend, In 2015 scotland payed About £54bn and spent around £60 that other £6bn comes from the oil off the coast of scotland that scotland owns which it gives to the UK of which is around £15bn a year so if you think of it that way scotland gives £69bn but only spends £60bn. (I have lived in both scotland and england and understand tax laws)

Do your electricity and gas bills ONLINE and do your own meter readings. Problem solved. You can raise or lower your direct debit accordingly. What you do NOT want is an "estimated bill" OUCH!!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Amanda Burlington Yeah That's what we ended up doing, but we learned the hard way! :X

In some places you can also have a prepaid card for the bus, really convenient

please could you do a vlog of going on a British walk, British expat living in America, missing the English countryside.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Shannon Mae Swartz I have video footage of the highlands and hiking around Edinburgh, but I know the landscapes are pretty different from England. I also have footage of walking around Edinburgh, but it's a bit shakey (cobblestone streets and all) I have a few more videos from around Europe coming out and then I'll be focusing more on Edinburgh and Scotland again :)

@KiraHunter2310

7 жыл бұрын

Google some videos then?

@ginap2765

6 жыл бұрын

MissWitch2310 hahaha, zing!!!!!

That's pretty annoying to know that Americans (i.e. non Brits) living in Scotland don't even have to pay for their prescriptions. Meanwhile we Brits in England do. Yet we all contribute the same. Perhaps the NHS should become more regional. Pay the same yet you get far more out of it? Is that fair? It makes you wonder who our Government is serving? They certainly don't seem to care if you're a citizen or not.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

No one in Scotland pays for prescriptions. With our visa, we paid towards it when we initially apply, but we don't pay for each visit to the doctor/prescriptions. And from what I've read, England, Scotland, Wales, etc. all pay different taxes within their regions because it's all different.

@Sam-jd9yu

6 жыл бұрын

The government gives each country money and they get to choose what they do with it. Hence why those in Scotland and Wales don't have to pay prescriptions. It's also why those in Scotland don't pay university tuition and those in Wales get a small amount of their student debt deducted after graduating. Those in England could have the same if the government wanted them to but they seem to have other priorities. Definitely seems unfair but I doubt it will change with the current government. I don't think Americans getting free prescriptions is an issue though, as long as they are over here working then they will be paying NI just like everyone else in that country.

@solojones1138

6 жыл бұрын

Erm, she also said her husband works in Scotland, so presumably he's paying into National Insurance there and they're both paying taxes anyway.

@tompartridge8024

6 жыл бұрын

Jimmyduudah that's how the devolved parliamentary system in th UK works but to be honest it would be far more beneficial if the union disbanded allowing Scotland and Northern Ireland to remain as EU members and England and wales to go do their own thing. SCOTLAND FOREVER!!!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+solojones1138 He does :)

Stumbled upon this video, found it quite interesting with the differences you have come across over here, im scottish and live in edinburgh :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

I love the differences! I think they're so cool :) I'm so jealous you got to grow up here though lol I wish we could stay longer (not that I'm not excited for Japan, but I'll just really miss Scotland).

Surprised that you are actually allowed to drive a manual on your licence. If we only pass our test over here in an automatic, we have to take a complete new test for a manual licence before we are allowed to drive them. It happened to me with the old Routemaster buses in London; they were auto with manual overide (but no clutch). I had to take a new test to drive 'manual' buses down South. My car licence was manual but that didn't count.

What amazes me is that Americans can get off the plane and hire a car without having good knowledge of driving a "stick" manual, having mainly only driven an auto in the States. In the UK you HAVE to pass your driving test in a manual car in order to drive one afterwards, after passing you can drive both. If you pass in an auto you can only drive an auto.edit: julie Allan beat me to it.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+baylessnow I agree! I wish the US handled licenses the way the UK does. It makes way more sense! But I also wish it wasn't double the price to hire an automatic instead of a "stick" manual. :P

@baylessnow

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. Personally I can't see any reason why it costs more to rent an automatic. It's just a car after all.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+baylessnow Agreed!

@georgestanders7379

7 жыл бұрын

There are a lot of accidents caused when manual drivers switch to automatic too. Mixing up the accelerator with the brake. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-38846896 mainly old codgers who shouldn't be allowed to drive either

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+George Standers Oh wow! I never would've thought about that

I am a Brit who now lives in Canada & I have one tip for any visitor going to the UK: "if you step off the kerb onto the road, you are fair game...don't expect drivers to slow down for you"

Hi, enjoyed your video very much. I live in California and was interested in your experience in moving to Scotland. Most of what you shared was new to me except for the different words (lift, pram, trolley, etc.) probably because I read a lot of British novels and watch a lot of British television.Thanks for sharing!

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

That's so awesome! Yeah I was familiar with a lot of those, but Scotland is on a whole different level haha I actually made 2 videos about the Scots language here where my Scottish friend quizzes me on them. It was fun lol Which part of California are you from? We almost moved to Freemont outside of San Francisco, but ended up moving here instead haha

I came across you videos and it made me miss my sister, who moved to London from Knoxville, TN. I wish i could move somewhere for a little while I'm so envious of folks that can. I can live vicariously through you guys. Lol

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Leslie Sauceman Aww I miss my sister more than anyone else at home :'( She's trying to save to visit money to visit us in Japan

Quid = Pounds/Great British Pounds (GBP) Flat = Apartment (home)

@heimdall1973

6 жыл бұрын

Apartment is a posh word for a flat, used by estate agents when selling flats in posh areas.

Man she is beautiful look at that smile 💚💛

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Our flat has a _pay as you go_ kinda thing. You put money in your Electric and your Gas accounts and that gets used up. When it's low, the meter lets you know you might run out. Then you can either put some more money on your accounts or wait til you can put "Emergency" on, which is the company lending you enough so your gas or electric don't run out and then they take it off when you put more money in your account. I'm from Argentina and there you pay monthly what you have used the previous month, that goes for Electric and Gas, you never run out. Huge change for me when I moved over to the UK :)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Oh cool! I wish we knew about stuff like that earlier! It sounds like Argentina is the same as US with that. :)

You're so cute, I hope the UK is treating you well. It was fun to watch your video. Have a great day : )

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+KillForCandy Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it. The UK is amazing, but we're actually living in Japan now :)

Someone famous once said "Two Countries only separated by a Common Language"

@robgolding3808

6 жыл бұрын

I think it was Churchill who said that.

@JohnM...

6 жыл бұрын

Rob Golding Oscar Wilde...

Americans saying 'quid' 😅

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Simon Madden When they've been living here for over a year and a half, yeah ;)

@h_macp2297

5 жыл бұрын

Sonnie Travels it’s the accent 😂😂

@Newtube_Channel

4 жыл бұрын

Thought they said quit?

I assume that it is because otherwise you wouldn't be driving but are you even allowed to drive with a us drivers license in the UK? I'm not from the UK but I can only get an international drivers license where I live. However if I get this drivers license with an automatic car I'm only allowed to drive those but if I get it with a manual one I'm allowed to drive both.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

When you bring a US license to the UK you can drive for up to 1 year on it. :)

@PX_Xaver

6 жыл бұрын

Ah I see^^

Helpful tips, thanks. Esp. about registering with a doctor and about the electric companies.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+gallaghim Thanks! I hope it helps other to not make our mistakes

It sounds weird when Americans say quid.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Greg Rice I actually talk about this in tonight's video!

@simonabbott7323

5 жыл бұрын

Probably the same as when we say "bucks".

Forty 'quid' hahaha, not everybody knows what that means. But 'quid' is a 'slang-term' for currency, (quid = pound). So forty quid, is £40.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+TrigJosh Haha yeah maybe I should've explained that. I just thought it's a relatively common term that I knew before moving here.

@trigjosh

7 жыл бұрын

No problem, you've been here a while, but welcome to the U.K. I tried to write my comment in a way that didn't seem patronising. I wasn't criticizing you. 'Quid' is a common term in England, but I thought that other folks who are not from England might not be familiar with it. I'm sure when I eventually travel to the States (hopefully next year) that I will make loads of cultural mistakes that will make me stick out like a sore-thumb. I stayed in Edinburgh once for a weekend in 2005. My friend's girlfriend was a student at Edinburgh University, we walked across the Fourth Road Bridge (WOW, that was high - I didn't like that) to North Queensferry one day, and another day we walked up Arthur's Seat. And I worked at Hogmany once in 2002, I was a steward, I was positioned on Ramsey Gardens. I'm down in Sheffield in South Yorkshire.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+TrigJosh Don't worry I didn't take it as patronising :) Cool! I recently did Arthurs Seat and thought the winds were going to push me right off hahaha

@crashbox7130

6 жыл бұрын

If you want to know what wind is, then try the Shetland Islands. :-)

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Crash Box I definitely want to explore the Shetland islands, but there's not enough time left now :( Hopefully in the future when we're back in Europe again

Totally stumbled across your video's. Welcome to Scotland guy's, hope you have an awesome time here. :)

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Kieran McGuire Welcome to our channel! Happy to have you here :) We LOVE living in Scotland! Are you a native? We're living in Edinburgh right now and we've been here about a year and 3 months now :)

@fredsgotslacks92

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah, I am. I'm from a small town north of Dundee called Kirriemuir. (Birth place of the original singer from AC/DC and the writer of Peter Pan if your interested in that kinda stuff.) Haha. Enjoyed your video's. Love hearing other peoples prospective of our strange wee country. What made you guy's want to live here, other than to study? :)

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Kieran McGuire Very cool! I haven't been to Dundee yet myself. So many places to see and so little time! Hopefully I'll be back one day, but it all depends on Brexit. It's funny, when I was little I 100% believed in the Loch Ness Monster and dreamed of going to explore for her haha Honestly though, I applied to numerous Uni's throughout Europe and New Zealand and it was a few boring factors that lead us here (visa stuff, bringing our cats without having to quarantine them, the MSc course said I could start in January instead of waiting for September, etc.) Neither of us had been to Scotland before and Joe hadn't even ever left the US! Now, however, I feel like Edinburgh was the PERFECT fit for us and am sooooo glad we chose it. The people here are so warm and friendly. Honestly, Scotland feels more like a home to me than the US did.

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+Kieran McGuire Btw, as a native, how do you think I did in my quiz? (Idk if you watched that one) Haha My friend is saying I did really well, but I think she's just being nice. Now I bought a Scots-English Dictionary!

@fredsgotslacks92

7 жыл бұрын

Dundee is well worth a visit if you haven't been! It's nothing compared to Glasgow or Edinburgh, but there is a big arts community in Dundee and some excellent University's. I'm not going to get into politics but I genuinely saddens me that people like your self are actually having to deal with the right wing politics of Brexit. Are you meaning this video, or other videos? If so, send me the links and I can comment. Haha. I have wathced some of your videos, but not all of them.

thanks this video is very helpful!

@SonnieTravels

7 жыл бұрын

+carolyn Najera I'm so glad! :D

Watch out for the packs of wild haggis. They come out at night ... mostly.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

Hehehe ^_^

Hey Americans. Listen to what she says @4:40

@serha7304

6 жыл бұрын

Catweasle lol wtf

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+pdquick1 The taxes are pretty similar in each country when you take everything into consideration. Both countries just use the money differently.

@chrisdaniels3929

6 жыл бұрын

Catweasle In England but not other parts of UK prescription costs apply to some people. Can be £104 annually for unlimited prescriptions.

@catweasle5737

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Chris. That's interesting. I'm in Australia and if we are employed, we pay for prescriptions, well, the medication. The prescription is included in the doctor's fee. The medication cost can vary. Your system of paying an annual fee for prescriptions sounds ok. It would really benefit people who need many throughout the year. The more I hear about the bad health care system America has, amazes me why they don't want to fix it. I'm not sure how it works in England, but here, we pay a very small amount in tax and we are covered by the public system. Sure it won't cover you for everything, but we have the option of taking out private cover for peace of mind. I spent 5 days in hospital for treatment and was treated very well. I didn't pay a cent.

@Maquillage79

6 жыл бұрын

Catweasle , we in America want to change our healthcare system , it's the filthy rich that do not

Nice tips. We will be moving soon and it’s great 👍🏼... Good work...

@SonnieTravels

4 жыл бұрын

Have an amazing time!

It is a gear stick which you move into the required gear as you move forward and increase speed.

@SonnieTravels

6 жыл бұрын

+Rosemarie Neusel-Parks Yeah I know the theoretical process. It's just about developing muscle memory with it :)