Things from other countries to improve ours

[babasaclover]

Every time I go to another country I take back things I think wow wish we did that in uk eg

•beer served in an ice cold glass from the freezer

•always getting water when you sit down in restaurant without asking

•in Ireland castles are free to get into in summer holidays!

what else do you wish we had here?

Japanese toilets. They've ruined me for normal toilets now. Coming home from holiday and seeing my own loo used to make me SO happy as well, when I came home to it from Japan it just made me sad 😂

Korean Wi-Fi

Toilets for me. In South Korea there are public toilets everywhere (at least in cities) and 99% of them are spotless. I also love the cheapness, efficiency and cleanliness of public transport there.

In Turkey they have Taxi buttons which are yellow boxes with buttons on lamp posts in some places that you can press and a local taxi will come and pick you up. And there are set fares per distance so you don’t get overcharged.

YYY to that!
Also, left turns on red.
4-way stops.might be pushing it though.

Agree.

Also the clean public toilets everywhere in Japan - even in tube stations!

Railway stations where you are told in plenty of time what platform your train will come into (I'm looking at you and your last minute rush to the platform, Euston!) AND info on the floor that tells you which part to stand based on where your allocated ticket is for.

I'm NOT a fan of crazy up and down, cracked and broken pavements where right next to you is an immaculate and smooth surface that's for bikes and scooters. I want to not risk tripping when I walk.

Love a Japanese toilet!

I would have the two term rule for political leaders that the US has for Presidents.

Japanese order

The mini traffic lights at windscreen level which mimic the normal, higher ones.
First came across them when driving through France in the 80's, do they still have them?

@LlynTegid
How often in recent times has a political leader in the UK lasted 5 years? Two USA terms would be 8 years.

Yellow school buses picking kids up outside their homes .
Doggy bags always offered with unfinished food.

Lack of litter. I have lived in France for the last six years & it still amazes me how little litter there is compared to UK.

Sweden - domestic drying cupboard, about the size of a fridge freezer but vented to the outside, fitted out with sliding rails, and gently heated so your clothes dry at a fraction of the cost of tumbling, but no condensation. You can get them here but ££££ top end brand only.

Siesta.

I know it doesn’t apply to everyone but as farmers, who are up early, all my kids and us embraced this on holiday. A reasonable size Spanish hotel, two hours quiet after lunch. The compromise for the kids, no enforced bedtime.

This I NEED - wow!

It is an iteration of sorts on the old linen cupboards that had hot water tanks in them. They were also marvelous too.

In fact, most UK houses could do with something like that I think, especially as we will be getting wetter with global warming.

Love the free gas barbecues in parks in Western Australia, but I suspect they might get wrecked or abused.

25,000 flavours of cream cheese.

Not moaning as a pastime.

Having a can-do attitude as standard.

Many Spanish kitchens have drying cupboards for washing up.

Its a plate rack in a bottomless cupboard above the sink so you wash up and put everything in there. No need to separately dry and put away and you can just use things from this cupboard next time you need them.

Lots of free water fountains too, but I suspect in the UK they'd get vandalised.

In Germany there's drinks a deposit scheme for bottles and cans. So you get money back if you take them back to the shop.

Or if you don't want to or choose not to, leave them next to a public bin and homeless people collect them to take to the shop to get the money.

Rent control definitely

Reasonably priced trains

A small biscuit when you get a coffee in The Netherlands.

Retractable drying line in the bathroom from Japan.

Being able to fill a flask with hot water or coffee at breakfast in hotels in Ecuador.

A glass of water brought with your coffee in Argentina and Uruguay. Also in Uruguay it seems you don't make a coffee in your office you phone a café and someone comes with a tray set up with coffee and proper ceramic cups and sauces.

Another vote for EU membership.

Care for elderly shared by family in the home.
Community spirit.

No it's not. I do that all the time. Mind you, I don't walk around with my phone out. Nor do I live at Elephant and Castle.