What is Robert Burns Night & Why Do People Celebrate It?

To those not accustomed to the Scottish tradition, Robert Burns Night might seem an odd thing. In the middle of the cold, dark, long winter, Scots (and many non-Scots with Scottish ancestry) come together on January 25th to read the poetry of Robert “Rabbie” Burns, enjoy some traditional music, and eat a meal of soup, …

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How to Take Advantage of the Historically Low Exchange Rate Between US Dollars and British Pounds

If you’re an American who enjoys travel to the UK, you’ve probably been wondering about some of the latest headlines: “British Pound Plummets to Record Low Against the Dollar” “Pound Hits Record Low After Tax Cut Plans” “Strong Dollar is Good for the US but Bad for the World” “Pound Resumes Slide after BoE and …

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How to Get British Products Forwarded to the US or Canada (When They Don’t Ship There)

british mail forwarding service

Whether you’re an ex-pat missing things from home, a frequent visitor who’s fallen in love with British products, or just a devoted Anglophile who wants to buy something from a British business, international shipping can be a headache. Though many shops DO ship to the US or Canada, there are many that don’t. Even when …

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The 8 Cities in Scotland

In the United Kingdom, city status is conferred upon places by letters patent or royal charter. It’s kind of a quirky system, where some cities are actually neighborhoods that don’t contain the entire city in the traditional sense (like the City of London or the City of Westminster), while other cities are actually made up …

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19 Fun & Quirky British Christmas Traditions Worth Exporting

Given the fact that so many Americans have British roots, you wouldn’t expect the Christmas traditions of the two countries to be THAT different…but they are. While some American families have kept their old British traditions alive and a handful of Anglophiles have adopted them, there’s quite a lot that will seem downright strange to …

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12 Words With Slightly Different Meanings in British English & US English

Until you take in a fair amount of both cultures, it’s hard to overlook just how many language differences there are between the US and UK. Some words are different in big and obvious ways, like candyfloss and cotton candy or aubergine and eggplant. Others are basically the same, but with slightly different spellings or …

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