Is it acting like autumn where you are yet? It’s not here. I’m staring at a deck refinishing project (x2) and wishing it would quit being 90˚+ every day! Come on, winter! I have a massive pile of books to read, sipping tea while it gently snows. A girl can dream.

This blog is going to be a bit different. At the beginning of the year, you may remember us mentioning that Jason took on a new position at the University that put him in charge of his whole department in the business school. Plus, he somehow landed on the strategic planning committee for the entire University. What!? Well, that means he was suddenly very NOT available for group travel, only work travel. Womp, womp. For reasons I’m not going to get into, I can’t really do our big group travel trips without him, currently.

So.

As is the usual course in our household, I have been talking with folks and brainstorming for months. I have concluded:

1. Y’all want some help planning your trips!
2. I happen to LOVE planning trips.
3. So, I’m going to begin creating custom itineraries this winter for trips that you can book yourself. I’ll plan out all the details and make all the recommendations for you to choose from; you just need to do the booking from an easy little checklist!

Isn’t this what a travel agent is for?

This is a little different than relying on a travel agent. We are not licensed travel agents; therefore, I cannot do the booking FOR you without us being physically present on a group trip. But that’s no problem, you’ve got this!

Why would you want to go this route instead of hiring a travel agent to do ALL the work for you?

Personally, I believe the more involved you are in your trip planning, the more you will get out of your trip. In a house full of academics and knowledge seekers, we’re always looking for ways to expand our minds. This is a simple way to build confidence (anxiety sufferers unite!), problem solve, and just learn a ton about where you’re going.

Some benefits to booking yourself:

• You can pick and choose what you want to do without being stuck with a pre-set package.
• You have control of your budget. We’ll share our tips and tricks for getting the best price.
• You can make last-minute changes and spontaneous decisions as you go.
• You’ll build confidence in yourself while developing skills.
• You get to read all the reviews before you make your choices.
• You’ll be able to choose from a much wider range of options for your trip.
• You’ll have us throughout the planning process. We’re always happy to answer questions.
• Plus, a HUGE bonus: you get to keep all your points and miles so you can benefit from the massive savings through the brand’s booking portals!

Ya, that sounds like a lot of work…

What if you just want to sit on the beach or ride on a boat for a week to decompress? Great! Get with a travel agent and go do that! That’s not what we’re doing here. *wink*

We all travel for different reasons, but if you’re looking for a deep dive into another portion of the world, let’s talk. We’ll ALWAYS tell you we have the most fun learning new things, trying to speak phrases in new languages (badly), and feeling really accomplished when we catch the correct train going the right direction when you really can’t read the signs. Ha!

Going forward

Be on the lookout for more details in the future. I’m currently thinking I won’t be able to set this up or give it the needed attention until after Christmas. I have a massive to-do list for home while the weather is still cooperating (kinda), a family trip to Scotland (woohoo!), and a few trips to Iowa to squeeze in before the end of the year. Plus, Jason lives on campus, so this little project is all me!

If you are interested in being one of the very first, send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, or email thedebodeway@gmail.com. We will first focus on locations we have visited, so check out our trip journals for ideas. We’re VERY familiar with the US, Scotland, and Spain, but also have a lot of knowledge in France, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Wales, and Ireland.

I’m so excited, guys. Let’s get you out there!

The post Our Secrets for Travel and Adventure at Your Fingertips first appeared on The DeBode Way.

I haven’t had a chance to wrap my head around the whole experience or had the time to tell you what we did (beyond scribbles in my journal), so how about some real quick points, updates, and photos to hold you over to next week…hopefully. It’s a busy week. sigh

First: we took our trip during Thanksgiving break. Yep, that’s right, the busiest time of year to travel. We landed in Edinburgh on Thanksgiving morning and quickly found things to do to stay awake, of which there were plenty. Rule #1 for curing jet lag – stay awake until your proper local bedtime the day of arrival, even – and this is key – if you didn’t sleep on the plane. We never sleep on planes so yes, we know how painful this can be.

November is an absolutely beautiful time to visit Scotland. The Christmas markets are gearing up, the days are brisk (and short…very short), and the tourist level is low, at least until the Christmas markets are in full swing. Our biggest tip – pack LOTS of layers. If the wind is blowing, it will chill you to the bone. Otherwise, it was quite pleasant and the scenery, as always, was breathtaking. It snowed! So magical!

We took this trip with Jason’s parents to test out some new hotels, plan a new driving route, see some friends, and test the feasibility of us leading some small, self-driving, adult trips in the future. It was a bonus to have his parents along to give us feedback and so his mom could visit her ancestral stomping grounds in Huntly in Speyside. We figured out what is and isn’t open during the off-season and visited some places we hadn’t been to since before the pandemic. It was a productive trip.

Have we mentioned here before that we’re thinking about leading small group trips in the future? The entire goal of this blog (beyond helping our friends and family keep track of us) is to teach folks how to confidently travel on their own. Besides answering tons of questions on the blog, in messages, and in person, we’ve decided that it’s time to put it into practice. We are currently in the process of closing our boutique business at the end of the year (thus the chaos in our life in the next few weeks). After that, I am hoping to have time to create itineraries for purchase AND create self-driving itineraries for group trips, which we will lead, for those who want a little more guidance. We’re hoping to do maybe two of these a year, starting in Scotland for now and most likely traveling in May and October.

We would love your feedback on both the itineraries and small-group trip ideas. I am hoping Jason has time to create a survey for us soon with more specific questions. Meanwhile, let us know what you would be interested in seeing, how we can help you feel more comfortable traveling, what you need the most help with, and what your thoughts are on driving yourself in Scotland. We could rely on the train and bus system to get around the country, but you’ll miss so much outside of the cities. We can’t personally drive you without special licensing and expensive bus/van rentals, and quite frankly, I hate bus trips. We’re not going to be a bus trip. The transportation is something we are still working out, so we would like your thoughts on driving yourself. We’re all here to learn after all!

That’s all for now! Leave us some comments on the blog or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram to answer those initial broad questions. I’ll let you know what we got up to in Scotland next week…hopefully.

The post Running Away to Scotland and Some Quick Life Updates first appeared on The DeBode Way.