5 Things England Does Which Canada Might Want to Consider

Let’s face it, there are things that really irk us about our home country. That’s part of travelling’s double edged sword. You’ll be introduced to something wonderful, like how much easier it is to get around in England, or how in Paris you can easily get fondue, and when you get home it’s sadly gone. Having to readjust can hit you harder than you might want to admit, especially if you’ve been gone a while!

Here are the top 5 things I really appreciated it in England, and that I think Canada could use a bit more of.

#1: Post Offices Which Do More

Canada! Open your post offices! Stop having them be closed!

Mailing something in Canada can be a hassle, so much so that it’s actually caused fights within my family. This happens mainly because their hours of operation seem to have been designed for inconvenience. I don’t blame the postal workers one bit, by the way, they’re just trying to do the best they can with a system that is on it’s last leg.

The English, on the other hand, have taken steps to prevent that from happening. First and foremost there really aren’t any dedicated post offices. Most of them are part of chemists (pharmacies) or corner stores. They also offer banking and currency exchange services. On any given Saturday I could go to the post office, mail a letter to Granny Lostman, withdraw a twenty for the pub, and snag a chocolate bar or two for my post drinking munchies.

#2: Pubs

No, what you’re thinking of isn’t a pub. The only food the proper ones serve are little bags of chips, peanuts, or pork scratchings. I’m not talking about a bar either, where you have to shout to be heard the music is so loud.

In a proper pub, the music is loud enough that you can sing along without fear, but low enough that you can still have a conversation without having to lean across the table to hear the person. Some pubs don’t even play music at all, those are nice too! They serve all sorts of beer and local ciders, and if it’s on tap they can sell you four pints at a time in little moonshine jugs to take home with you. To quote a friend upon his discovery of this fact, “That’s civilized!”

The atmosphere of a pub is cozy, and familiar, and the regulars seem to know each other, but aren’t afraid to have a casual chat with newcomers either. A game of snooker or darts, and it’s perfect!

My own local, The Good Intent in Rochester, will forever be my favourite pub, and I will always raise a pint of Bushels in it’s honour.

#3: Train Transportation

I know, I know. Canada’s too big for that. It is. A girl can dream though, that one day there might be a network or web of high speed passenger trains spreading out from major cities like Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. One day there might even be a high speed train connecting both coasts. One day!

#4: Better Prices and Better Phone Plans

My cell phone bill was never over £14. That’s, generously, $28 Canadian, for 3 gigs of data and unlimited talk and text. I could use all of that, without any changes and without any extra plans in over 71 countries.

Yeah.

My plan was from Three, and they were amazing. If you’re travelling to England with an unlocked phone, just buy a one month sim card and save yourself a load of hassle.

#5: High Street Charity Shops

For clarity, High Street is the English equivalent of Main Street in Canada and the U.S. I’m not sure if this is true, but I’ve been told that if a store front closes on the High Street and there hasn’t been a shop opened within a certain time frame, then the town is to donate the empty shop to a charity. I’ve seen Oxfam, British Heart, Cancer Research UK, and Age UK, and I think it’s a really wonderful way of keeping the historic High Streets alive and well.

I love both England and Canada a lot, and I would hate to see each miss out on some awesome things the other has to offer. That said, be sure to check out part 2 of this post, 5 Things Canada Does Which England Might Want to Consider!