United Kingdom

Etiquette & respect

The UK has relatively strict laws controlling which goods can and cannot be brought into the country. Selective customs checks are run by UKBF at arrival ports. Border Force officers have powers to not only confiscate goods they suspect are prohibited or regulated, but additionally impound the vehicle carrying them. The UK has tight regulations on what food products can be imported, Defra maintains [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/personal-food-plant-and-animal-product-imports official guidance]. Particularly stringent laws apply to the [https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad movement of animals]. The British Isles are rabies-free, and the …

Tipping guidance

The UK does not have a strong culture of tipping. Locals in the UK usually only tip in limited situations, and usually only as a reward for exceptionally good service, and tips are almost never expected in any circumstance. Visitors from the U.S. and Canada are seen as very generous tippers, and even a bit of a soft touch by some. A tip of about 10-15% is customary in restaurants for good service, but is in no way expected or mandatory. In many table-service restaurants and gastro pubs a "service charge" of around this amount is shown on the menu and added to the bill - most commonly, these are described as "optional" where applicable to all tables, although mandatory service charges may apply for larger tables. Where the charges are optional, you can ask for them to be taken off the bill, but you'll usually be asked why, as people only tend to do this if they believe the service was inadequate. Whether mandatory or optional, you do not need to tip in addition to paying a service charge. The law requires that all tips and optional service charges be passed to staff, and cannot be used to make up to an individual's minimum wage. Discretionary tips paid via credit or debit card are likely to be shared across all restaurant staff via a so-called "tronc" system, while a cash tip may be retained solely by the person you give it to or may be put into the "tronc" to be shared – which is the case is a matter of restaurant policy. It is less usual to tip in cafés and coffee shops, although the option may be available, and/or there may be a tip jar present at the counter which you can put change into. Tipping is not expected at all in fast food restaurants and offers are likely to be refused. It is not normal to tip for drinks in a pub or bar, although offering to buy the bartender a drink is considered acceptable and they may also then take money for the value of a drink (which is in effect taking a tip). Commonly, this is offered by saying "and one for yourself" at the time of payment. In cases where the pub is also a restaurant, the serving staff may be tipped. Tipping is generally not expected in taxis, though it is usual for passengers to round the fare up a convenient amount, such as the next whole pound, or a convenient denomination of bank note. If you have a lot of luggage and the driver helps you out with it, a tip of £2-3 would be customary. Offering a tip used to be seen as an insult by some, implying the receiver may be bought or bribed, and that the person doing the tipping is "better than you". This is the origin of the custom of offering to buy the barman or barmaid a drink in a pub. Tipping for other services such as pizza deliveries and hairdressers is not expected, but tips are sometimes given to reward particularly good service. In some large cities it is customary to tip hairdressers/barbers. Workers in most other occupations will not expect tips and will be likely to refuse them. Any attempt to tip a policeman or other public-sector worker can be regarded as bribery and could be treated as a criminal offence.

Health & wellness

See the main article: Dealing with emergencies If you have a [https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-call-999/ life-threatening medical emergency], telephone 999. In the UK, emergency medical response is prioritised on a clinical basis, and the operator or dispatcher will ask relevant questions to determine what responses are needed and how urgently. Answering the questions will not delay a response. You can also go (or be taken to) the nearest hospital with an [https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-go-to-ae/ Accident & Emergency] (A&E) department. Both ambulance and A&E provision can come under considerable demand, especially in the winter months. If your condition is not life-threatening, you are likely to be referred to other services, such as urgent treatment centres or walk-in clinics. For [https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-visit-an-urgent-treatment-centre-walk-in-or-minor-injury-unit/ urgent non-life-threatening emergencies], you should find or contact the nearest Urgent treatment Centre (UTC). Alternatively, you can call the 24-hour NHS advice line on 111, stating the nature of the medical concern. These advice lines will then ask a series of questions to assess and triage the urgency of a condition. They will advise a visit to A&E, an urgent treatment centre, or make appointments at out-of-hours clinics accordingly. Urgent treatment centres (England), also called minor injuries units (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) and urgent care centres (parts of Northern Ireland) also provide treatment for less urgent conditions on a first come, first served basis. See [https://www.england.nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/urgent-treatment-centres/ NHS England] for further details as to what services they can provide; these will vary slightly from nation to nation. Non-UK residents will generally be refused treatment at NHS GP practices, but private doctor consultation services are available, both at private clinics and via apps. Consultations can be paid for on a one-off basis. In the UK, pharmacists are also highly-trained medical professionals and can offer advice on minor ailments and medicines. They cannot however generally "self-sign" for medications which require a doctor's prescription. First aid knowledge in the UK is generally good, and it's entirely reasonable to expect transport operators, larger attractions, venues and major organized events, to have staff with basic First-Aid skills on-call. Health Information is also available on online through [https://111.nhs.uk/ NHS 111] or, in Scotland, [https://www.nhsinform.scot/ NHS Inform]. Dental care is mixed NHS and private. Many dental practices reserve a few appointments each day for urgent and emergency treatments. Appointments are allocated on a first come first served basis, and often they will all be filled soon after the clinic opens. Most practices are only open Monday to Friday. For emergency out-of-hours dental care, call the NHS 111 number and they will check if your condition warrants emergency care and if it does give you the number of an emergency dentist. NHS dental provision is under severe pressure or difficult to obtain in some areas, and as private dental charges can accumulate rapidly, travel insurance with dental cover is strongly advised. To find nearby medical, walk-in, dental, and pharmacy services, the NHS has online service finders for [http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search England], [https://www.nhsinform.scot/scotlands-service-directory/ Scotland] and [http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/localservices/ Wales], while Northern Ireland has [https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/health-and-wellbeing/health-services NIDirect].

Scams & street smarts

In general the UK is a safe place to visit; you won't go far wrong heeding the general advice and the advice for Europe.