The Adventure of a Lifetime!

      

For years I dreamed of going to Ireland because I knew some of my ancestors came from there and I am also a big fan of the Irish group Celtic Thunder. One of the lads in Celtic Thunder, Emmet Cahill,  planned a European trip with some of the fans and I quickly signed up and got one of the cherished seats on the tour which was in October 2019. However about a year and a half ago I discovered the TV show Outlander and quickly became a huge fan. That started me thinking about maybe taking a side trip to Scotland since I would be so close. I figured adding another week into my plans would be pretty easy. So I paid my deposit for Emmet's tour and started looking into Outlander tours of Scotland. Very quickly I came upon a special evening put on by one of the people in Outlander and thought that would be a lot of fun. Only problem was it was in the beginning of September - a month before the other tour. Hmmmm....I'll tell you I spent weeks trying to play out in my mind and on paper how I could ever manage a month in Scotland.

     So, I began looking into tours and decided what the heck! In for a penny, in for a pound and started seriously looking at different airlines, hotels vs air bnb, what the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh looked like for someone without a car - my daughter drilled into me that I was not to even think about renting a car - the obvious reason being they drive on the left and its very hard to switch to that - I knew she knew what she was talking about as she had lived just outside Edinburgh for a year (and had 2 minor accidents...) She also clued me into something I had never thought of. There are many credit cards that give a large bonus for spending 3-4,000 in the first 3 months. I looked at my bills and realized it wouldn't be too hard at all if I started using the card to pay  my heat, electric, water etc. So I found one by Citi.com that offered 60,000 points for doing it - that would mean a free international flight. Prices at the time were pretty incredible - you could fly to Ireland for as little as $99 on some airlines, but I decided to go with American Airlines Citi card. I had really thought about going with David Cook airlines because they offered to make a bed out of 3 seats for you for about $299. American was just over $500 round trip. I am glad I did that because David Cook filed for bankruptcy while I was in Scotland and the Norwegian airline that had the $99 fare, out of the blue stopped flying from New York and I would have been left scrambling for a fare which of course goes up the closer you get to your flight. The best time to book an international flight is about 3-5 months before. You can usually get a good price at that time - keep an eye on the different airline's prices, they can change rapidly. I am a large woman so I actually booked two seats so I wouldn't be encroaching on anyone. I also was traveling alone. My thought was I had traveled to Scandanavia and Europe for several months by myself when I was 20, and I really enjoyed it. People thought I was either brave or crazy at 68, but I really believed if I was careful to be back to my hotel when it got dark it would be fine - and it was.

Next thing was to think about packing and what to take on the plane. These things can be a godsend on a long flight  I bought a suitcase at Walmart for $60. It was a 29" which gave me plenty of room - I think the places where they tell you that you can go to Europe with a 22" bag think everyone is a size 2! When you are a 3X it doesn't work at all. Still I packed wisely, bringing an old tshirt and shorts for sleeping in hostels, my not so favorite tshirts for touring and some older pants as well as a nice pair, a pair of good sneakers for all the walking, dress shoes, a nice blouse and a semi formal dress. You really won't need shorts in Scotland, even in the summer - one pair would be more than enough. My ever helpful daughter had recently spent almost 3 weeks in Italy and found by bringing older clothing, she could throw them away as her bag started bulging with new things she bought there. She also recommended luggage with 4 wheels that could turn in any direction as it made it much easier to handle and I am glad I followed her advice. I had a carry on with only 2 wheels and it was a pain in the neck!

I used my carryon for my medications (be sure to have a written copy of them from your doctor), my C-PAP machine (Ireland only allows ones that have  airlines ok on them) and my kindle. If you plan on using your C-Pap on your flight, you need to ask for a seat with a plug in  and you cannot use the water portion of it. I tried it, but I kept waking up because it was so dry.  Many people like to use a blow up neck pillow like this or a foot rest/hammock like this

I did buy the neck pillow and it worked fine. Another thing people recommend is compression socks.

Traveling with a purse that is comfortable and allows you to carry a lot is really essential - I love mine so much I am still using it a year later - its washable, has RFID areas for your passport and credit cards, a place to tuck your phone... its essential. Mine is by Travelon - and the best part is it has side 

zippers that will hold a bottle of water on one side and an umbrella on the other - two things I used often - they sell it on amazon

Zipper closure

• LIGHTWEIGHT crossbody bag with adjustable shoulder strap, and fits iPad. PLUS RFID matching card case wallet with ID window
• ANTI THEFT FEATURES Locking main and front pocket with RFID blocking card and passport slots Slash-resistant body and adjustable, slash-resistant shoulder strap attaches to chair or post
• STYLISH VALUE SET– purse and wallet have discreet anti-theft features to protect valuables without compromising fashion, slip wallet into a pocket when not using the bag
• ORGANIZATION Rear zippered pocket and 2 mesh expansion pockets hold water bottle & umbrella, 3 large internal pockets
• OUTER ZIP AWAY POCKET holds water bottle EASY CARE 900 D, polyester is stain and water resistant

Don't forget  to get a universal travel power adapter so you can charge your phone, use a hair dryer etc. I used a multi and was glad I did because on my cruise to France they had a different plug than the UK.

I must be honest and tell you I bought what was called a mini umbrella for the trip - it fit easily into my pocket on the purse - but when it rains in Scotland, it also blows hard - I can't tell you how many times my umbrella was blown inside out. Luckily I had bought a lightweight anorak which folded into a bag with a belt so you could have it with you at all times!

It is wise to get some currency from the place you are going. If you are an AAA member, they will do it for you for free - just make sure you give them time to get it to your local store. Otherwise, you can do it at the airport and they of course want to charge a bit extra. At any rate, when you arrive at your destination, chances are you will be taking some sort of transportation to get to your hotel and will need local currency. (footnote here - there are Scottish pounds and English pounds. The Scots will usually take British money, but England generally doesn't take Scottish money) In Glasgow, I paid 16 pounds to get to the city center where my hostel was. Check with your Credit card provider to make sure you are not charged any fees for spending money overseas - at 3% it can take up a lot of your money. I also checked with my local bank regarding ATM's - they did not charge extra for using them overseas, so make sure you know what your credit card does and doesn't cover - you may want to get a different card for travel.

I also want to mention where you are going to stay. I actually chose hostels for several places on my trip to save a ton of money. Most hostels today are clean and in decent parts of the city - for example, the first event I was going to (the Highland Fling, more about that another day) was at the Doubletree Inn in Glasgow - it was about 200 a night. My hostel was directly across the street and I paid 31 a night because it was the weekend. When I returned to Glasgow in November, I could get a room for 21 a night. It was a single room, quite spartan - nothing but the bed, but had a bathroom with a shower so I wasn't sharing it with anyone. Other hostels I was in a room with a few people and two of them...well I'll get to that in a few weeks as I tell my story. I did use a hotel now and then, just for the "luxury" of it, but stayed in some air bnb's in Ireland.

Last but not least is as soon as you book your flight, get travel insurance. The closer you are to the date of travel, the higher the insurance is - get it the day you book your flight. With Covid screwing up the works, you may plan a trip for next year and find there is still a problem with traveling. Also think of getting travel health insurance. I can't tell you how many stories I heard of people tripping on the cobblestone streets and breaking an arm, ankle or leg - you want to rest assured that you are covered for any problem that can occur. No one thinks they will fall or turn an ankle, but it happens. A friend recommended a walking stick - they have some that collapse to fit in your pocket. I ended up bringing my cane - it's not that I necessarily needed it, but it would steady me on those streets - another piece of advice that I am glad I took - I used it every day.

Next up - arriving inScotland and my first few days