Jess_S
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
Welcome to my trip report for our recent trip to Scotland. We were on the June 17, 2018 departure with guides Michael and Claire. I will start with the obligatory introduction, but save my overall impressions for my last post. This report may contain spoilers regarding surprises and activities not listed on the itinerary, so please stop reading now if you want to preserve an air of mystery.
Who?
On this trip report, you'll be travelling along with me, DH and DS. I am a lawyer in my mid-thirties. My husband is a 40 year-old stay-at-home dad. DS is 5 and had his last day of preschool just before our trip. He loves animals, video games and going on adventures. About 1 week before our Scotland trip, DS and I had the following exchange:
"Mommy, I am very excited for Scotland because I am super in to castles now."
"That's great honey. Since when are you in to castles?"
"Since yesterday."
DH is also super in to castles, which is fortunate because Scotland has them in spades.
49 weeks of the year, you can find us at home just north of Boston, Massachusetts. The other 3 weeks of the year, you will find us making the most of my skimpy vacation-day allotment by travelling both domestically and abroad. Here we are on last year's trip to Costa Rica:
We usually travel independently. This ABD marks our first foray into group travel.
We were told throughout the trip that DS is an exceptionally good traveler for a 5-year-old. I have no basis for comparison, but assuming it is true that DS is an above-average traveler for a 5-year-old, the credit for that goes to DS. He is someone who genuinely enjoys traveling and is naturally curious and engaged. If DH and I can take credit for anything, it is that we have always taken DS on our travels. On one of the many family travel blogs I follow, the blogger said, "Those who do not travel with young children deprive themselves of the pleasure of traveling with well-traveled older children." With five years of vacation tantrums (mostly by DS, though I do get hangry) under our belt, we found on this trip that DS was a pleasure to travel with 98% of the time.
What?
Our first ABD to Scotland.
Why?
DH and I first learned about ABD the way that most people do. We were contestants on a Disney Sea and Shore Week episode of Wheel of Fortune where we did not win a free trip. However, after seeing the promo reels for some of ABD's offerings, I hopped on over to the ABD section of these board and started following trip reports and asking questions. The end result was that I was sold on taking an ABD trip to South Africa.
It should come as no surprise, then, that our first ABD was to Scotland. Wait, did she say Scotland? Yes, indeed. The Scotland trip was booked as part of DS's and my diabolical plan to sell DH on the ABD Africa trip by selling him on ABD as a product. We were hoping he would love this trip enough that he would put his fear of travelling to Africa aside and come along with us on a safari in 2020.
I selected Scotland in particular because the new itinerary features lots of castles for DH, some animals for DS, and not too much coach time.
When?
June 14-25, 2018.
We booked a 2 night pre-stay on our own at the Caledonian in Edinburgh. I accidentally booked a 1 night post-stay in Amsterdam. We somehow wound up with a 22 hour layover there. I have no idea if I booked the wrong flight or if the layover appeared during the many, many flight changes we received emails about. We decided to make the best of it, book a hotel in the center of town for the night and have a bonus vacation to Amsterdam.
Where?
Scotland (see above).
How?
By plane, coach, boat and foot.
(And for those who were hoping to learn how we managed to afford the trip, the answer is that we booked early, got the DU discount through our wonderful agent, Susan, and live a not-too-fancy lifestyle if you ignore our pricey travel habit).
Who?
On this trip report, you'll be travelling along with me, DH and DS. I am a lawyer in my mid-thirties. My husband is a 40 year-old stay-at-home dad. DS is 5 and had his last day of preschool just before our trip. He loves animals, video games and going on adventures. About 1 week before our Scotland trip, DS and I had the following exchange:
"Mommy, I am very excited for Scotland because I am super in to castles now."
"That's great honey. Since when are you in to castles?"
"Since yesterday."
DH is also super in to castles, which is fortunate because Scotland has them in spades.
49 weeks of the year, you can find us at home just north of Boston, Massachusetts. The other 3 weeks of the year, you will find us making the most of my skimpy vacation-day allotment by travelling both domestically and abroad. Here we are on last year's trip to Costa Rica:
We usually travel independently. This ABD marks our first foray into group travel.
We were told throughout the trip that DS is an exceptionally good traveler for a 5-year-old. I have no basis for comparison, but assuming it is true that DS is an above-average traveler for a 5-year-old, the credit for that goes to DS. He is someone who genuinely enjoys traveling and is naturally curious and engaged. If DH and I can take credit for anything, it is that we have always taken DS on our travels. On one of the many family travel blogs I follow, the blogger said, "Those who do not travel with young children deprive themselves of the pleasure of traveling with well-traveled older children." With five years of vacation tantrums (mostly by DS, though I do get hangry) under our belt, we found on this trip that DS was a pleasure to travel with 98% of the time.
What?
Our first ABD to Scotland.
Why?
DH and I first learned about ABD the way that most people do. We were contestants on a Disney Sea and Shore Week episode of Wheel of Fortune where we did not win a free trip. However, after seeing the promo reels for some of ABD's offerings, I hopped on over to the ABD section of these board and started following trip reports and asking questions. The end result was that I was sold on taking an ABD trip to South Africa.
It should come as no surprise, then, that our first ABD was to Scotland. Wait, did she say Scotland? Yes, indeed. The Scotland trip was booked as part of DS's and my diabolical plan to sell DH on the ABD Africa trip by selling him on ABD as a product. We were hoping he would love this trip enough that he would put his fear of travelling to Africa aside and come along with us on a safari in 2020.
I selected Scotland in particular because the new itinerary features lots of castles for DH, some animals for DS, and not too much coach time.
When?
June 14-25, 2018.
We booked a 2 night pre-stay on our own at the Caledonian in Edinburgh. I accidentally booked a 1 night post-stay in Amsterdam. We somehow wound up with a 22 hour layover there. I have no idea if I booked the wrong flight or if the layover appeared during the many, many flight changes we received emails about. We decided to make the best of it, book a hotel in the center of town for the night and have a bonus vacation to Amsterdam.
Where?
Scotland (see above).
How?
By plane, coach, boat and foot.
(And for those who were hoping to learn how we managed to afford the trip, the answer is that we booked early, got the DU discount through our wonderful agent, Susan, and live a not-too-fancy lifestyle if you ignore our pricey travel habit).
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