As the fourth largest country in the world in terms of landmass and the third largest country in the world by population, the United States is a pretty well known place. But we haven't all had the chance to spend some time there ourselves, so to gain more insight on this fascinating place, we reached out to someone who does have experience in the land of red, white and blue. We spoke with Victoria B, or Pommie Travels, a blogger and experienced traveler originally from Manchester, England. First, we wanted to know how she eventually ended up in the United States.
"I had always dreamed of moving to the United States ever since I was a kid," Victoria told Bored Panda. "I'd watch Hollywood movies and dream of visiting places like New York and LA... It seemed so glamorous compared to my life back home in the Manchester suburbs. Eventually, in my 20s, I finally traveled to the US and fell in love with the country. One day some travel blogger friends posted that they were approved for the O1 visa so I contacted them and they put me in touch with their immigration lawyer. He conducted a Skype interview with me to discuss my options and helped me to get both my O1 visa and eventually the EB-1 green card."
We also asked Victoria about some of the cultural differences she observed after moving from England to the United States. "There are a lot of words I'd say back home that people don't use here, so I've had to adapt my language," she shared. "For example 'bin' is 'trash', 'flat' is 'apartment', 'holiday' is 'vacation'. Another obvious cultural difference is football - in the UK, we have soccer whereas in the US the main sport is American football."
"One of the biggest cultural differences I've noticed is portion sizes - the food portions are just so much bigger over here and people often take the leftovers to go," Victoria told Bored Panda. "Back home, people don't usually take food home they'll just leave it on their plate. You also have to tip all the time in the US, whereas tipping isn't expected in the UK. In London, some restaurants will add a gratuity charge to the bill, but it's just not as common. In the UK, tipping is only reserved for restaurants, whereas in the US you have to tip at the hairdressers and for all manner of services."
We were also curious what Victoria's favorite things about the United States are. "I love how friendly the people are in the US, and if you go to restaurants or stores, people usually greet you with a smile. In the UK, people can be quite reserved and love to complain about things, especially the weather!" Victoria shared. "I found it quite difficult to make friends in London, whereas I made friends very quickly in New York. People over here just seem to be more outgoing and down for an adventure."
"I also love that it's so easy to rack up air miles in the US," she added. "Credit cards usually come with big sign up bonuses, and you can easily earn points through eating out or shopping. There are air miles credit cards in the UK, but there are fewer options and the bonuses aren't great."
And when it comes to things Victoria doesn't love about the United States, she says, "Groceries here are SO expensive compared to the UK and Europe. Paying $8 for a block of cheese seems ludicrous to me. Things like car insurance and cell phone plans are also crazy expensive in the US compared to back home. I used to pay around £30 per month for car insurance. Here I pay around $110 per month."
But despite the high prices for food and interesting vocabulary, Victoria has no plans of leaving the US any time soon. "I like the fact that the summers are usually pretty hot and sunny here, and it's so easy to make friends. I also just love how there's always stuff going on in New York, and the city has an energy like no other place on earth. Maybe eventually I'll move to a different city within the US, but I don't plan on moving to a different country."
If you'd like to keep up with Victoria's adventures in the US and all over the world, be sure to visit her site Pommie Travels right here!
As an American who has lived abroad for a couple of years now, in a few different places, I feel thankful that I’ve been able to put my Americanism into perspective. For example, I love the fact that I have been able to get around perfectly fine without a car since I moved out of the United States, as I drove one almost every single day between the ages of 16 and 23. I also am so grateful to have a job with excellent healthcare. After spending a week in a European hospital last summer, my total bill was less than 2,000 euros, and I was immediately reimbursed for all of it from my insurance company. If I decide to have a child, I’ll be provided 2 years of maternity leave and be able to return to my job after that. There are plenty of luxuries that I now have access to living in another country, but that does not mean there’s nothing I miss about the United States.
When it comes to the things I miss most about the United States, I have to admit that a lot of them revolve around food. First of all, the grocery stores are massive, and I miss being overwhelmed with choice. There are some “big” stores where I live, but not super close to me, and they still pail in comparison to an American HEB, Walmart, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. After my last trip back to the states, I left with a suitcase full of 8 cartons of coffee creamer (If you’re American, no it’s not a thing in Europe. And if you’re not American, it’s the best thing ever.), 2 jars of the world’s best peanut butter (Trader Joe’s creamy salted, if you know you know), and various bags of snacks, including some Costco sized bags because it’s just not as easy to find huge packages here. These may seem like silly things to miss, but they just make me feel like home. (And don’t even get me started on how it’s impossible to find corn tortillas or authentic Tex-Mex where I live!)
