The ordinary feature of UK houses that is baffling American tourists
AMERICAN tourists on holiday in the UK have been left stunned by a common feature among British houses.
Despite having broadly similar cultures, it seems our friends from across the pond can be confused by even the most mundane items.
Laura and Nathan Curton are no strangers to witnessing surprised Americans take in British quirks.
The husband and wife duo have personally been hosting American holidaymakers in their 18th Century thatched English cottage for the last three years.
As part of their English Cottage Vacation experience, the couple offer bespoke, all-inclusive, and luxurious holidays and have welcomed numerous American tourists.
Along the way, they’ve worked out several features from our island nation that leave Americans stunned – including our small front gardens.
Nathan told Sun Online Travel: “As soon as we leave London, there are loads of surprises in store.
“It’s something about driving through the small towns and villages, like how close the houses are to the roads.
“In America they often have large front yards, but lots of our houses are on right on the pavement.
“When we drive through towns and villages sometimes we come to a complete stop at a set of traffic lights, and our guests can’t believe that you can see into people’s front rooms.”
As well as some British houses being close to the roadside, many of their American guests are surprised by how narrow the roads are in the countryside.
Laura explained that their American guests aren’t used to navigating winding roads, and they’re often shocked that Nathan has to pull into a lay by to let oncoming cars or tractors pass.
This is because roads in America are often wider with enough space for multiple vehicles.
British pavements, roads and traffic lights aren’t the only thing that leaves American tourists slightly stumped.
According to Laura and Nathan, their guests are often surprised by how nice and kind Brits are at tourist attractions.
But another American tourist was surprised to find that Brits aren’t polite as they once thought.
A user on Reddit shared an image of van covered in expletives on a recent work trip to the UK.
Laura and Nathan also revealed the eight things Americans don’t understand when they visit UK including phrases like “high-street” and “quid”.