As I mentioned when we set out on this adventure, we are not world travelers. We knew we’d learn a lot on this trip, but we had no idea how much. Take these travel tips and observations with a grain of salt mixed with some occasional cheekiness 😂…

Driving

• Driving anywhere in Scotland takes at least 1.5 times longer than you think it will to reach your destination. Plan ahead!
• Defensive driving is a MUST…watch for pedestrians everywhere. They are sneaky! 😂
• If you’re new to driving on the “correct” side of the road (according to Scots), it’s appropriate to drive slower. Well, we decided it was, anyway. Our comfortable speed was typically 10-20 mph slower than the posted limit. We took advantage of many passing areas to avoid making others trail slowly behind us.
• Rent a small, diesel, automatic SUV…not sure if this exists, but ours had a manual transmission, which added a great deal of stress, especially in the midst of a roundabout. Our vehicle was a Seat Arona (6-speed), which yielded 61-65 miles per gallon of diesel.
• Diesel fuel pumps are black, not green as they are in the U.S.
• Speaking of roundabouts…they are EVERYWHERE! Typical roundabouts have 2 lanes, but we clumsily managed to navigate through some 3 lane roundabouts.
  • Remember to use your blinker and change lanes appropriately before you exit the roundabout. It took us a while to get the hang of this, so I’m sure people weren’t too keen on sharing the roundabout with us!
• If you’re not the one driving, be nice to the driver and be a cheerful, yet attentive, navigator. It is stressful!
  • If you’re the one driving, be nice to your navigator; after all, they may have just finished a cocktail and are a bit slow with the directions. 😂
• Watch for speed cameras on the main highways! There were a few places we managed to exceed the speed limit (certainly by accident), and we anticipate some fine-by-mail notices when we return home.

Staying in Scotland

• American hot tools (curling irons, etc) do not work, even with a U.K. power adapter. Lassies, plan to have wild and crazy hair!
• Be ready to “enjoy” instant coffee. Even our finest hotels did not have brewed coffee machines, but they all had electric kettles, tea, and instant coffee.
• Book Airbnb stays that include laundry facilities. We brought Ecos laundry soap sheets and loved them! They weigh practically nothing and are better for the environment because there’s no plastic bottle.

Preparing to leave for Scotland

• Purchase an international phone plan or stop at Vodafone and purchase a one month SIM card. You don’t want to just rely on WiFi. Even when used the offline maps feature, we had to turn on cellular data to update the map every time we stopped. Not every place you stop shares WiFi connections.
• Pack smart and bring an extra suitcase! Raincoats and quick-dry clothes are essential! We also used our hiking boots frequently.
• Consider traveling to Scotland outside of the busy tourist season. All of the locals we talked to said summertime is miserable due to all of the people vying for road space, parking, and restaurant meals.
• Don’t forget about the full water bottle in your backpack when you go through airport security, unless you’re amenable to a full strip search, body scan, and additional scrutiny. (slight exaggeration)

Paying in Scotland

• We each brought British pounds for the trip (ordered them through our bank before we left the U.S.). I’m so happy that my boss encouraged this, as we likely got a better exchange rate. Not to mention, it was one less task we’d need to do in Scotland.
• Make sure you have LOTS of coins in all denominations! From car park fees to toilet admission fees (seriously, it can cost anywhere from 30 pence to £1 to use the loo in some places).
• ApplePay is widely accepted, but make sure you have a credit card with contactless payment and chip options. We didn’t use our debit cards, but we had them in case we needed to get more cash.

Dining in Scotland

• Be ready to order and pay for your meals at the bar if you sit in the lounge.
• If there are only two people dining, they will only give you a two-person table (or ask you to share if you choose a larger table and they get busy).
• Tipping is not always expected, especially if service charges are added to your bill. However, we only dined in a few places where service charges were applied. We tipped, and it was always met with appreciation.
• Favorite foods and drinks from our trip:
  • Scones with clotted cream and jam
  • Haddock & Chips…lots! 😂
  • Steak and Stout Pie
  • Cullen Skink – a traditional cream leek, potato, and smoked haddock soup (served with crusty bread)
  • Scottish Tablets – basically the love child of butter and brown sugar…good, but sweet!
  • Scottish Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
  • Cadbury Boost Bars — crispy, fudgey, caramely goodness!
  • Irn Bru – this is a soda that tastes like orange Kool-Aid. It was too sweet for me, but Bret loved it.
    Skye ales – gold, red, and black
  • Whiskey – single malts
    • Glenfiddich, 15 yr
    • Glenfiddich, 18 yr
    • Talisker
    • Bunnahabhain (Toiteach a dha)
    • Benriach, 12 yr
    • Glenkinchie, 12 yr
    • Glencadam, 18 yr