As I had mentioned in the introductory post for the Scotland trip series, this trip was the first guided tour we've ever taken. As taking our usual land-based travel camping trips with our van is becoming more difficult as we age, we wanted to see if the "guided trip" is for us. Our feelings about that are mixed.
<Link to our first Scottish post> (This first post is followed by daily trip posts)
This all-inclusive (mostly) tour was through the Seniors Discovery organization. I'd like to make it clear that we have no complaints about how they ran the tour. The trip was well-managed, and we got what we expected. We did enjoy the trip overall, Cathie especially enjoyed seeing parts of Scotland she thought we might never get to.
However we've decided that this exact kind of trip isn't really for us. There was a lot of bus travelling, and changing hotels. We think a trip that was more oriented to going to a central location for a few days and taking day trips out from there would be less tiring for us, especially if it was via a smaller tour bus. The trip will definitely help us make future trip decisions. It would be nice to avoid air travel too!
We did learn a number of things while on the trip that we wish we had known earlier. I'll list some things here that we "discovered" about Scotland travelling, in no particular order, in case it helps somebody:
- If you want to plug in to a wall outlet using a Canadian plug, you'll need a adapter to the standard UK wall plug. Easy to find on Amazon etc, and we got one before the trip. Our adapter also included 3 standard USB "A" outlets.
I assumed the adapter takes care of the voltage change though. Canada/US wall plug voltage is about 110 volts. UK plugs are 220 V. Many USB plugs can handle a range including both voltages, so are ok. Not all do though. The adapter plug does not change the voltage from 220 to 110. Check your devices.
- Most hotels had no clock in the rooms. Not a problem really, as most of us have smart phones for time and wake-up alarms. Also, no rooms we were in had a fridge.
- Gasoline prices ranged from 1.40 to 1.60 per litre. That's pounds though, so about 2.50 - 2.80 $ Cdn per litre. Just something to consider if renting a car.
- no washcloths provided
- only 1 hotel we were in had a room safe
- only 1 hotel provided Kleenex-type tissues
- Light switches are Down for On, usually. Most outlets must be switched On for power.
- Bathroom light switches were usually (maybe always) on the wall outside the bathroom. Usually no night light in the bathroom.
- Midges can be an issue. Kind of like a small version of our Black Flies. They swarm and will bite. If you're going to be outdoors much consider bug repellant, or even a head net if you're especially sensitive.
- Hotels didn't seem to have ice dispensers, or laundry facilities.
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