I'm an American visiting the UK - the heat DOES feel different here and I don't know how Brits survive

Daily Mail​

19-06-2025

An American tourist visiting the UK has admitted that British weather 'feels different' and the heat is more severe.
Content creator Kalani Ghost Hunter, real name Kalani Smith, from Tennessee, has spent months travelling around the UK in a bid to immerse himself in the culture - from sampling afternoon teas to attempting to find the best chippy.
The UK is currently experiencing a heatwave, with the nation this week set to reach scorching temperatures of 30 degrees.
Americans have been known to poke fun at Brits who complain about the weather with some calling them 'dramatic' and claiming they wouldn't 'survive in the US' - where the temperatures are generally much hotter.
Kalani admitted that though he had 'doubted' Brits at first, he now believes that the heat in the UK 'feels different' - and he doesn't know how people 'survive' without aircon.
He told his TikTok page: 'I always thought British people were lying when they were saying how hot it gets here but for some reason, it feels like you're melting.
'It honestly feels like my b******s are sweating out of my pants every time I walk somewhere I have sweaty b***s.
'I know it gets hotter at home and the humidity is just as bad at home but for some reason walking in these streets and walking into my hotel room it feels like I'm in a f***ing sauna.'
Kalani - who has 3.2 million followers on TikTok - said he simply does not know how Britons cope in the blistering temperatures without having air con their homes or at work - as is commonly seen in the United States.
He added: 'I know you don't need it all year around but let me tell you at home, I get that nice relief from going into some cold air.
'Here, it's just misery everywhere and you wonder why Brits complain about the weather so much, it's because it can be f***ing miserable.'
Throughout his time in the UK, Kalani has found that it's easy to strike up a conversation with almost any Brit, simply by mentioning the weather.
He gave some advice to tourists, adding: 'Honestly, if you want the best small talk with a Brit, just look around and start talking about the weather. It's the easiest way to start a conversation with someone here - it's a British pastime.
'I never knew why until I came over here and experienced how s*** this weather can actually be.'
Kalani's clip racked up 1.7 million views on TikTok in less than a day with thousands of comments from Brits who felt validated.
One wrote: 'Wait till you try and sleep with no ac on Thursday night when it hits 28.'
Kalani's clip racked up 1.7million views on TikTok in less than a day and thousands of comments from Brits who felt validated
Another penned: 'Every American that comes over and experiences our weather has an "Ahhhh I get it now" moment.'
A third said: 'When we say "It's a different kind of heat", we mean it!'
A fourth commented: 'Well - for someone from the Philippines, I cannot handle summer in the UK. I have been here since 2009.'
In another video, Kalani visited a local supermarket and even put his head in the fridges to cool down.
He also revealed the three culture shocks he experienced when he moved to the UK.
One thing that surprised him was the different portion sizes, admitting when he first ordered a large drink in the UK, he mistook it for a small.
Kalani said, 'My mind was like "this is a small". If you're not familiar with drink sizes in the US, you can get a small state-sized cup for like a dollar 50. It's absolutely mind-blowing.
Taken aback by UK standards, he added, 'When you travel out of the US, you realise that it's not the norm.'
He also hadn't realised how different the tipping culture is.
'When you get your check at the end of dinner, and they don't ask for a tip, and they don't even give you an option to tip, it's really weird,' he said.
'For example, when you go out in the USA and you get dinner, let's say it's $60, it's customary to leave an extra 20 per cent on top of that for your service staff.'
The content creator continued, 'But in the UK, it's not the norm to leave anything extra on top.'
The internet personality said that he sometimes still tips waiters and waitresses, but he no longer 'feels the same pressure' to splash out the cash.
The third adjustment Kalani had to learn to adapt to was the British humour, which he described as 'very dry, very dark and very passive aggressive'.
However, once the social media star started to understand the British sarcasm, he admitted that it became 'really funny'.
He said: 'They have so many different ways to insult you and so many different ways to say things that it's almost like translating another language at times.'
The clip racked up almost 800,000 views and over one thousand comments - and some Britons ranted about having to tip staff when holidaying in the States
Kalani described British comedy as 'elite' and said he was first exposed to it when reading comments on his posts.
'I have grown to call a lot of people "melts" and really enjoy it,' he added.
The clip racked up almost 800,000 views after two days and over one thousand comments, with Britons ranting about having to tip staff when holidaying in the States.
One wrote, 'The reason you're not expected to tip in the UK is because service staff actually get paid a wage and tips are extra, not like in the US where servers only survive on tips.'
Another penned, 'Been to America and hated the fact that I had to tip for someone that literally just sat me down and took my order.'