United Kingdom Tours & Holidays

Health and Vaccinations 

There are no mandatory immunisations for travellers to the UK though you should be up to date with Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio and may consider boosters for Diphtheria and Hepatitis A. Please note we are not medical professionals and so we highly recommend you seek advice from your local GP or travel centre as to the correct immunisations and preventative treatments. 

Currency 

In the UK, the official unit of currency is the Pound Sterling.

To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com. 

Cultural Sensitivity 

On our tours, we frequently interact with local people, each with their own distinct customs and traditions. 

The UK is a very culturally diverse nation, but practising general respect, consideration and manners will suffice in most situations. If an activity calls for anything more specific, our guides will be able to advise you accordingly.  

Language & Religion 

The de facto official, and most widely spoken language by 98% of the population, is English. Other native languages include Welsh in Wales, Gaelic and Scots in Scotland, and Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland. However, if you visit London, it’s said that you could hear more than 300 languages spoken!

The official religion in the UK is Christianity, of which Anglican is the most common denomination. However, the UK is often described as multi-faith, with the next most practised religions being Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddism, and a large number of individuals claiming to have nominal or no religious affiliations.

Time 

The UK follows GMT but also utilises daylight savings of GMT+1 in the summer months.

A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com.  

Food and drink 

British cuisine isn’t quite all pork pies and cups of tea, although the British are stereotyped for the latter for quite good reason (around 62 billion cups are brewed a year). The food you can find in the UK is actually quite diverse and not as bland as is often made out. Traditional delicacies include the classic fish and chips, a full English breakfast consisting of sausages, bacon, baked beans, hash browns, fried eggs, grilled tomato and mushrooms, Cornish pasties, roast dinners featuring roasted meat, roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and vegetables, all drenched in gravy. The national dish of Scotland is haggis, the ingredients of which can seem intimidating, but is surprisingly delicious. 

The UK is also fortunate enough to boast foods from all around the world, with Indian and Chinese food available across most of the UK, and Japanese, Thai, Italian and much more easily found in most cities. There is also a growing availability of great vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Pub/bar culture in the UK is a hugely popular and beloved social pastime, and you can’t miss out on a frothy cold pint, a refreshing cider or if in Scotland, a wee dram of whisky to round off a full day of exploring.