I'm an American who visited London and Brussels for the first time. Here are 3 expectations I had that turned out to be wrong.

• I recently traveled to England, Scotland, and Belgium. 
• I arrived with some preconceived notions that were proven entirely wrong. 
• London isn't a 24-hour city like New York, but it's miles ahead in environmentalism. 

After weeks of research, there were some things I didn't expect during my recent trip to Europe.

I went to London, Brussels, and Glasgow in late September for a 10-day vacation with my friend for her birthday. It was my first time traveling across the pond, so I was very excited to experience cities I'd only seen through pictures and films. I prepared by reading travel articles online, watching TikToks on what to pack, and asking my colleagues for activity suggestions beforehand. However, there were still a few things I didn't see coming. 

Here are three assumptions about the United Kingdom and Belgium that were quickly dashed. 

London isn't a 24-hour city like New York, where people enjoy nightlife any day of the week

My friend and I were riding in the back of an Uber through London when we sparked a conversation with the driver. It was a Wednesday around 8 p.m. 

"So, where can we go to drink and dance tonight?" my friend asked. 

The driver looked at us through the rearview mirror curiously before answering with a question. 

"Isn't it Wednesday?" he asked. 

He made a fair point, but we assumed that London's nightlife mirrored New York City, where there's a monstrous appetite and industry for after-hour activities. Clubs and bars are usually open until 4 a.m. several nights a week, and there's never a shortage of eateries to stumble into afterward. NYC is also dubbed "The City That Never Sleeps" for its subway system, which runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

Although we still had an absolute blast, we struggled to find venues in London that stayed open past 2 a.m., and most eateries closed shop by midnight. London Underground, the city's rail transit system, ends service by midnight between Monday and Saturday.

I was curious why London didn't have more late-night options, and a quick Google search showed I wasn't alone. Time Out published an article titled "Why did London start going to bed so early?" in February 2023, and one Telegraph article headline from July read, "London's nightlife is an embarrassment." 

The pandemic and economic hardships likely played a role in the lack of options, but the trend may not be confined to London. The New York Post reported in June 2023 that some 24-hour restaurants in New York City were cutting down their hours post-pandemic.

Uber and rideshare apps are less reliable in parts of Europe compared to New York City

Living as an American in New York City has conditioned me to think Uber and other rideshare options are always an option. Whether it's 3 a.m. or 10 p.m., I've always felt confident that I could open an app and get a ride home with little effort. 

But in London, Glasgow, and Brussels, my friend and I faced cancellation after cancellation. We attempted to plan for each daily excursion by ordering the Uber at least 15 minutes before leaving, but we often left later than expected because rideshares kept bailing. 

While it didn't ruin our plans, we certainly didn't think to explore the cities' Uber trends before flying to Europe. If we did, we probably would have come across the Reddit board in March questioning the wave of cancellations in Brussels and cabbies sharing their insights into the issue with Time Out in November 2022. 

But there's always a silver lining.

The struggle to book Ubers forced us to walk more often, meaning we interacted with more people and had spontaneous explorations in Brussels. In London, we navigated the Tube to different parts of the city and took a boat tour on a whim.  

I was surprised by the significant push for sustainability in Europe, which differs from the US

The United Kingdom and Belgium have the US beat regarding environmentalism, and it's not a secret. The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) created by Yale University reported the United Kingdom ranked 2nd and Belgium 21st on the list, while the US ranked 43rd in 2022.  

Still, I was surprised by how significant the push for sustainability is in London, Glasgow, and Brussels. The Visit Brussels website said the Brussels-Capital Region is a low emission zone, meaning that most polluting vehicles are not permitted to drive there, with a potential fine of €350 (or $368 USD) for non-compliance. Glasgow and London have similar areas, with London officials implementing an Ultra Low Emission Zone across all its boroughs, according to the Mayor of London's website. 

Meanwhile, The National Association for City Transport Officials said Santa Monica, California, became the first US city to pilot a zero-emissions delivery zone in April 2020. 

There were more subtle efforts, too. Each hotel I stayed at gave me wooden room keys instead of plastic ones.