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.

In the spirit of setting goals and intentions for 2025, I wanted to talk about something I never expected to share, but have been encouraged to bring up by multiple friends (thanks guys). Actually, after thinking about it a bit more, it’s kinda silly I haven’t talked about it, because it’s the whole reason The DeBode Way guided trips were created. Travel anxiety. Specifically, mine…and yours.

After years of research and various types of therapy, I have a fairly functional level of day-to-day anxiety. As long as I’m in a familiar environment and have a decent amount of control over and/or know how to deal with issues that arise, I can take on the world. Stepping outside those rules, things get tricky. I think most people suffer from some level of anxiety in their lives, but for some, like me, it’s a bit more extreme. Honestly, it’s why I quit an office job back in 2013 and have never returned. Since then, I’ve been working on myself and creating a litany of home businesses in the process. It’s a journey, friends. And then…there’s my travel anxiety.

So what is travel anxiety, specifically? The trouble with anxiety is that it looks different for each person. For example, you might experience it as a complete panic when you think of leaving the house. Someone else may have zero interest in exploring the world beyond what they know right now. Still others might be afraid of flying, driving a car, or navigating a train station or airport. It could manifest as two enormous checked bags for a weekend of casual travel because you never know or can’t imagine wearing something twice! You may be claustrophobic and not able to sit in a window seat on an airplane or be able to think about getting in a pressurized metal tube flying at hundreds of miles per hour high in the sky. Crowds are terrifying. What if you lose your ticket? Are you wearing the right clothes? What if your phone dies? Or perhaps a constant need to know EXACTLY where the nearest toilet is. Sound familiar? I feel ya.

To varying degrees, all of those examples of travel anxiety are things I deal with. But here’s the thing: those things that cause anxiety have also created something positive. I am an amazing map reader and memorizer of directions and landmarks because I can’t handle a GPS talking to me while I’m driving and trying to read road signs. I am the first to help a fellow passenger put a heavy bag in an overhead bin because you’ll always find me in the aisle seat. I am VERY aware of my surroundings in crowds and know where all the exits are (and bathrooms – haha). I’ve become an avid “reader” of audiobooks to keep my mind off flying, tight spaces, and not being allowed to leave your seat. And I have curated an AMAZING capsule travel wardrobe to help deal with overpacking. All that’s to say, we usually look at anxiety as a negative thing, and for sure it can cause challenges. But finding ways to help overcome those challenges is an important win.

So, what does any of this have to do with our guided trips? It means we’ve been there (literally!), we get it, and we’ve got you. Taking a trip with us helps put your mind at ease. You’re not paying a travel agent to only handle the arrangements, leaving you to muddle through them on your own in an unknown place. We are with you every step of the way – if you want. Or, if not, we give you the freedom to explore on your own. How much involvement you want from us is totally up to you! Either way, we’re with you if you change your mind.

In 2025 and beyond we’re taking a different approach to our trips. Instead of us picking dates, creating a trip, and relying on folks to sign up for it, we’re leaving the destination and timeline up to you. You can choose from a handful of destinations that we are intimately familiar with and a length of time that works for you, and we create a trip for you! This means you’ll get at least one of us (and sometimes both) guiding you along the way. Prices will vary depending on your destination, time of year, travel class, length of trip, etc, etc.

I’m excited (and super anxious, always). But! Let’s take 2025 by the horns and show it who is boss. Squash your travel anxiety (or…at least tell it to be quiet(er) for a while) and travel with someone who gets it. Over the next couple of months, I will be creating a calendar of our availability. Plus, we’re adding new destinations! Gasp! We still specialize in Scotland and the UK, but we’re adding Ireland, France, Spain, and yes, the United States. So gather your friends and family, coordinate your calendars, and get ready to create your out-of-office email automation. This year, we’re taking on the world.

See ya out there!

The post Dealing with Travel Anxiety, from a Lifetime Expert first appeared on The DeBode Way.

You may not know this about me, but I’m one of my family’s historians: I’ve been researching our genealogy for at least 20 years now (yikes). In fact, this research (and meeting Jason) is one of the things that started my interest in, and now passion for, traveling. I grew up in rural Iowa with strong German, Scandinavian, and Irish heritage that is still present today, though maybe not quite as strong as it used to be. For most of my formative years, we were trying to gain and maintain a foothold on a prairie six generations after my ancestors arrived, which didn’t give us many opportunities to travel. Instead, I spent my time in books dreaming about faraway places, and when I discovered genealogy, all bets were off. I was determined to go see these places we had come from, learn how/why I carry the traits I do, and understand why I’m a bit different from the rest of them!

Thanks to this research, one of my favorite things is when my dad calls to ask what I know about a particular (possible) ancestor. Like the time he found a grave marker for someone he didn’t know with our same last name (which isn’t super common) mowing in a cemetery in Iowa. Or the time he ran into someone he’s always been rumored to be related to but has no idea how. If I don’t know the answer off the top of my head, I set to work scouring old records, photos, stories, newspapers, medical records, etc. to figure it out. It’s thrilling every time I learn something new, even better when it’s slightly scandalous! I’ve been a resource for obituaries, medical histories, visas, and just plain fun trivia, and I absolutely love it! It’s also pretty much the only way I’m directly using that expensive college degree. Gulp.

And your point is?

You may not think these are important things (and why the heck am I mentioning it in a travel blog?), but would you be shocked to hear genealogy travel is an enormous and growing industry? It’s worth remembering if you’re an American, unless you’re Native (and even that’s debatable), you came from somewhere else. Heck, even if you’re not an American and you’re reading this from Lichtenstein (or wherever), odds are, your ancestors came from somewhere else. Humans have been on the move, looking for better opportunities from day one. And so, with the advent of ever-easier access to almost everything (except money…*tears*), including genealogy records thanks to the internet, the amateur genealogist has been born and is ready to travel!

In fact, we are planning another genealogy tour of our own this summer. I spent HOURS this winter searching immigration records for a hint of where my Neubauer family is from in Germany. It turns out many of the ship manifests on the American end of the immigration journey only list the port or country of departure for each passenger. The fun part is trying to find those records from their port of departure (in my case, Prussia) and translate them IF you can decipher the handwriting correctly. Sometimes you just have to take a stab in the dark with Google Maps and see if a town name comes up that makes sense and then go searching for birth records in that area. Unfortunately, MANY records in Germany have been destroyed thanks to two world wars and centuries of squabbling over territory in the Baltic North. But, every now and again, you strike gold. Fortunately, I’ve had two strokes of luck with church records this past winter. I’m feeling like it’s time to visit.

How do I know where to go?

For some people, having a general area to explore their ancestry is plenty of good fun. You can see the sights and get a feel for the culture in the area and that’s enough. For others, you may want this opportunity to do a little deeper digging and spend time looking for more physical records that may not be available online. I haven’t decided which camp I sit in yet, mostly because some of these records that I REALLY want lie in western Russia! I don’t believe we’ll be visiting this time, folks. For now, we’ll focus on eastern Germany and see how good my German is when we get there (it’s not, Mrs. Hollander – my elementary German teacher – would probably be disappointed, but maybe tickled that I’m still trying). We’re headed to some pretty remote areas for starters. Your best wishes for a stable internet connection and working Google Translate are much appreciated.

In my case, I don’t know of any relations who are still in Germany, so this part of our trip will be a bit more imaginative. I’m a 5th or 6^th generation Iowan (depends which line you look down) and my family didn’t keep any German connections, so I don’t have any specific family contacts for us to reach out to. Yet. However, that small German town where I grew up in Iowa has a “sister city” in Germany it has been in contact with since its founding in 1899. While I don’t personally know anyone there and haven’t turned up any family records in the area, I feel confident we can make some fun connections in the area.

I also happen to be an excellent social media researcher. Is that a resume skill? It should be these days. I’ve been trying to contact someone in this same area of Germany who looks exactly (doppelganger-style), like one of my aunts. I haven’t heard back from her yet, but I’m hopeful I’ll make a connection. Contacting complete strangers is probably one of the weirdest parts of genealogy research, but every once in a while you get lucky. Odd? Probably (ok, yes, absolutely). But if you’re smart about it, there’s a wealth of information to be gained from other people and it’s always good to have connections.

What if I do know where to go?

Now, a different perspective. Jason’s family, or part of it, is from Holland (the Netherlands) and they DO have contacts. His family has scattered over the years but they originally settled in North Dakota five generations ago. He’s had the privilege to personally know four of those generations thanks to long lifespans and tight family ties. So for him, the tales and contacts are still fresh (super jealous) and so we’ll send a few emails to family before we go and gather our photos of places in the Netherlands to seek out. We’ll get off the train and pop in to visit family and gather stories. It should be fun.

Is a general idea good enough?

One last type of genealogy travel that we’ve experienced is what I’ll call…winging it. You may have read elsewhere in our blog that we love to spend time in Scotland (how could you miss it at this point?). We just so happened to stumble into Scotland for the first time back in 2017 because they have a castle called Huntly and Jason’s mom’s maiden name is Huntley. Obviously, we should go see it. While my research has not turned up a specific link to this castle and its area (of the same name), I do know that his Huntley family came from somewhere in the UK. So, maybe they lived in this area working as coopers (I do know they were coopers) near the castle. Thanks to the way the clan system works in Scotland, I may never know. Everyone adopted the name of the clan chief in an area whether they were a descendant or not. But hey, it’s good fun.

A quick checklist for you

So how about you? Are you like me and LOVE to eat this stuff up and use it to plan your next trip? Or are you more of Jason’s mentality and just like to travel, not worrying about where or why? We’d love to know! After all, apparently, this is a booming industry. You may find yourself in the middle of it sooner than you think.

Here are the steps I go through when planning a genealogy trip:

1. Define your trip goal – research, heritage, or touring?
2. Are you booking a guided tour or planning things yourself?
3. Do your research before departure.
   • DNA Test – ancestry.com, 23andMe, etc.
   • Search your family archives and photos
   • Search online genealogy records – census, church (marriage, birth, baptism, confirmation), cemetery, ship manifests, military records, obituaries, wills, newspapers, etc. (I use ancestry.com and newspapers.com most frequently)
   • Digitize your records so they’re easy to travel with (I use Dropbox and ancestry.com’s app)
4. Plan your itinerary & book your trip.
5. Keep a journal on your trip for reflection, things to share, or things to remember.

The post The Exciting World of Genealogy Travel: Finding Your Roots. first appeared on The DeBode Way.

While small businesses are a major influence on the economy, this isn’t only the case in the US: the same is true for lots of other national economies. And just like it’s important to ‘shop local’ and ‘shop small’ here in the US, it’s equally important to visit the smaller, local businesses while you’re traveling abroad. In fact, some of our most memorable experiences (all good, we promise) on our adventures have come from visiting small businesses. The thing is, small businesses often don’t have the resources to compete with their larger counterparts, at least from a pricing perspective. Because of that, we expect to pay a little more when shopping at smaller, local establishments. Just like anywhere else, a higher price point generally indicates higher quality and/or a better experience. For small businesses, this almost always includes going above and beyond when it comes to customer service. As owners of small businesses ourselves, we completely understand how important each sale and interaction is and the heartfelt thanks for choosing our small business is truly genuine.

We’ve talked about each of the below stories in prior posts (linked below, in case you missed it), but it’s worth noting that all are small businesses and this is a major reason why we had such a great experience, would definitely go back, and are happy to recommend them for you if your next adventure takes you to their neighborhood.

Stay Local

We’ve talked before about the wonder that is Ardanaiseig Hotel over in Scotland. We’ve spent a decent amount of time there, have gotten to know the staff, and even renewed our wedding vows (seriously, have you seen the pictures?! Our photographer was local too!) at this impressive 19^th century manor house. What you might not know is that we met the former manager while she oversaw a different hotel just down the loch (erm, a lake for our American friends). That hotel, Taychreggan Hotel, is a small, independently run boutique hotel that’s nothing short of impressive. We only stayed there once, but we quickly fell in love with the entire area around Loch Awe, befriended the general manager, and formed a friendship that’s lasted the better part of a decade. Oh, and that general manager? Yep, she and her partner are locals and have now managed two other hotels in the area (Brander Lodge & The Great Western Hotel) and they are always our go-to for recommendations on other, less publicized things to do in the local area and all-around Scotland as well. They too strive to only use local vendors for their hotels and restaurants, keeping that pound in the local economy. They are shop small, shop local powerhouses in our book!

We were recently in Scotland (go figure, right?) last November and added a number of locally owned and family run hotels to our list of recommendations. You can read about them in the Scotland section of the blog (someday we’ll make you a proper list). While you’re at it, check out the France and Spain section for locally owned locations as well.

Learning the Ways of the Local Spirit

Next up is one of the neater, and more happenstance, local businesses we’ve worked with in Scotland. As Jason was planning a travel program to take a group of students to Scotland, he was coordinating with Oban Distillery, one of our favorites. If you haven’t been, we can’t recommend this place highly enough: their tour is among the best we’ve done (and believe us when we say we’re nearly experts in the distillery tours of Scotland), the staff are top-notch, and their whisky is nothing short of impressive. Here’s the thing, though: they’re also pretty small, one of the smallest in Scotland actually, operating out of only two stills. By comparison, popular Glenfiddich operates 28 stills!

Because Jason’s student group was going to be larger than one tour could accommodate, the staff member helping to get things setup gave a series of suggestions for things the other students could do before their tour (we had to split the group in half). Importantly, this wasn’t something Jason asked him for: he went out of his way to anticipate the problem and offer suggestions to get past it. What a guy! And naturally, all those suggestions fit our shop small criteria.

As it happens, one of his suggestions was to visit the Wee Wine Shop just down the street. He happened to know the owners and put us in touch with them, even sending the initial e-mail to get us all connected. And because he was the one who introduced us, the owners of the Shop were very responsive and friendly and gave us a great deal. It was there we learned about orange wine, something entirely different than any wines we’d tasted before. Have you heard of it? Do a little searching when you have a minute and rest assured it’s not made from oranges. Our visit to the Shop with the students was also quite the experience. As it turned out, one of the owners is a master sommelier and was able to explain the basics of wine to a group of business students who didn’t know much about selecting, pairing, or drinking it. Super helpful for those future corporate dinners. And again, had it not been for the connections we made from a different local business, we’d have walked right past the Shop, never knowing it existed. It is quite wee after all!

When in France, do as the Francs do

We’ve talked about the champagne houses of France in a different post, and we still laugh about how we found Champagne Gardet. We stumbled upon this a little differently than many of the other small businesses we’ve visited: no recommendations but instead responded to a message on Instagram. Yikes.

This actually brings up a valuable point: because small businesses often don’t have the same extensive marketing budgets as the larger companies, they have to get creative in how they spend their limited marketing resources. Almost always that means making great use of social media platforms and building an email list. Guilty. More on this below.

In any case, we were literally in the heart of champagne country and could have gone to any of the major champagne houses known around the world (Moet, anyone?). Sure, that was an option, but when we visited Epernay, even just walking in their building was intimidating. Compare that with our visit to Champagne Gardet, a much smaller and more intimate experience in a small village where a family member sat and chatted with us while tasting their champagne. As soon as we walked in the door, our host greeted us, showed us around, and then dropped us off on the patio with the menu of champagnes to taste. He then walked us through every aspect of the process from dirt to grape to bottle, how to taste it, what to look for, and everything in between. No one knew more about his product than he did, and his passion for his work was clearly on display and made for a better experience on our end. We walked away with a newfound respect and appreciation for champagne.

Going Small Scale Organic

Along similar lines, when we were in the Tours region of France – the heart of a different kind of wine country – we wanted a unique experience. So, after a little looking around Tasha stumbled on Château Minière. This is a woman-owned, woman-operated, organic winery that is notably smaller than most of the other wineries in the area. However, most of those wineries (all of them, in fact) aren’t organic. We try to eat as organically as possible back in the US, so it made sense for us to look for an organic winery, just to see how the process was different. To say we lucked out at Château Minière is an understatement: the staff were as incredible as the wine they produce. They even gave us a private tour of the vineyards, explaining every detail of their process, when and how it differed from other wineries that didn’t transition to organic, along with their plans for the future with biodynamics, running an Air BnB, and how they’re incorporating bees. Super interesting, really tasty wine, and an overall excellent experience due in no small part to the exceptional service we received from the staff. Plus, you can stay in the chateau! What! Next time.

The Ground Rules

Because small businesses are…well…small, sometimes it takes some creativity to find them. Most of the time, you can walk down the main street of the small town you’re in and find small businesses aplenty. But, to help get the best experience possible, we usually follow a few rules.

1. Whenever possible, ask for recommendations. From who? Literally everyone. We always ask the front desk staff at the hotel or the owner of the B&B where we stay. When you go out to eat, go on a tour, or grab a coffee for that mid-afternoon pick me up, ask for recommendations and look for that hole in the wall establishment. We’ve also found that lots of people will point you to the bigger, closer, more familiar brands, and to combat this we usually ask where they go for things. We’ve yet to be disappointed.
2. As I said above, most of the smaller companies don’t have tons of money to put into their marketing budgets and so often rely on social media pretty heavily for marketing. So, jump on your social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Pinterest…yada yada…) account and search for the town you’re in to see what comes up in the search functions. Often there is a local visitor’s bureau you can connect with to ask for recommendations as well. And if you loved your experience, be sure to share it on your social media!
3. Importantly, we never recommend (okay, rarely recommend) visiting a small business you aren’t sure about, especially when you have to go on a little drive out of the way to get there, like we did with the champagne house. So, as much as possible, do your research. Just because it’s a small business doesn’t mean no one has been there before. We usually head over to TripAdvisor and Google to type in the area and small business name to see what the reviews are. There might not be a ton of reviews, but odds are there’s something you can look at if they’re trying to get the word out. If it doesn’t seem right or other folks didn’t have a great experience, move onto the next possibility.
4. Go for a walk! Seriously, if you’re staying in town, get out of your hotel and walk around, popping into businesses that seem interesting. This often means wandering down a side street, off the high street full of tourist trap shops. Or, if you’re staying out of town at a B&B or something similar, ask the owner for directions to the nearest town, find a parking spot, and then go for a walk.

To be clear, we’re not suggesting you avoid the bigger businesses. We’ve had great experiences visiting some of the more iconic brands throughout North America, the UK, and Europe. Still, it’s easy to overlook the smaller businesses that might give you just as good of an experience, usually even better. And if you can connect with someone who will give you recommendations for more great, local experiences, why not?

So, just remember: it’s important to #shoplocal and #shopsmall here in the US, but it’s just as important to do the same on your adventures.

Happy travels!

The post Shop Small, Stay Local, Even While Abroad first appeared on The DeBode Way.

After breakfast the next morning, we were off again for one of the longer drives of the trip. We were on a mission from Skye to Speyside – a 3.5 hour drive according to Google Maps. But first, Doug and I took a wander down to the beach in front of the hotel. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Next time we need to spend more time here. It felt very rushed. More hiking, less driving.

They finally got us into the car, back over the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh, and through the mountains to take a peep at Loch Ness. Nessy didn’t feel like making an appearance as we drove nearly the entire length of the loch to pass through Inverness. We stopped briefly for a break and coffee at Drumnadrochit before we got to Inverness. Then it was full speed ahead to make it to Huntly for our 1:30 PM tour of Huntly Castle – the supposed stomping grounds of the Huntley Clan of the Quad Cities, Illinois.

I’ve never been able to prove that Jason’s ancestors had anything to do with the castle in Huntly (by the same token, we also can’t prove they didn’t). I’ve been in contact with those much deeper in the research than I have been able to do and have mounds of books written by them, but they can’t prove anything either. The records that far back are too spotty. So…it’s a good story. I do however know that the first Huntleys in America were coopers (barrel makers) in Connecticut, so…it’s entirely possible they came from the Huntly region and maybe hauled some barrels into the castle. It is one of the heaviest whisky-producing regions in Scotland after all. (Jason says: that’s all fine and well, but our family name is still on a castle, so…) (Tasha says: only because it’s in the village of Huntly, which is probably the last name your family adopted when they came to America because they didn’t have one, so…)

After a good look around the castle and various Gordon Tartan (the ruling family of the Huntly area – Huntly Tartan) paraphernalia purchased in the gift shop, we headed for our next hotel – Dowans Hotel in Arberlour, Scotland. This turned out to be my favorite on the entire trip. The rooms AND bathrooms were huge, we had a gorgeous tub in a turret (a turret!), the bed was so comfy, the food was amazing, the owners and staff were so personable, and…it SNOWED! It was magic.

Oh gosh, I forgot the best part (for Jason, I was enjoying the snow). They had an ENTIRE room full of whisky. No joke; there were something like 400+ bottles in their collection. When I couldn’t find Jason, I knew he would be here, up on the ladder, admiring the selection, talking with the staff, and trying to pick something to try – an impossible feat. We had the best time. I need to figure out how to put this hotel back in a future itinerary.

Jason had to work that first evening, so I enjoyed the tub in the turret before we headed back down to the bar to wait for dinner. They had us order ahead and then brought us into the restaurant when our food was ready to come out. Nice. Like I said, dinner here was amazing. We all, except Jason, had a turkey dinner the first night. It was so good that Doug and Sandy had it the second night as well. After that long day of driving it was time to hit the sheets before our final day of sight-seeing.

After a huge breakfast, we wandered down the road to Speyside Cooperage to learn about making barrels. I thought this would be fun because it is a huge (HUGE) part of how whisky is created AND remember I said the Huntley ancestors were coopers? Just your friendly little tour guide connecting the dots. This turned out to be a really informative tour. Who’d have thought that making barrels was so interesting? Since the coopers are actively working, very hard, and are paid by the barrel, the visitors to the cooperage observe from a gallery above while your guide tells you what they are doing. I believe she said they have 21 coopers currently in their operation with a handful of apprentices in training and they were all hustling. They make very few new barrels and instead focus on refurbishing barrels for their next life. It was fascinating, super hard work.

Much to our surprise and delight, the tour ended with a tasting of the Cooperage’s whisky. No, they don’t distill their own whisky on top of cranking out barrels, but they purchase from one of the zillions of local distilleries and remove the label, so we don’t know what we had! Sneaky. They do this so as not to show any favoritism among their customers, and it changes all the time. The staff doesn’t even know which whisky they are servings so as not to have favorites.

After the cooperage, we decided to take a little trip to Elgin, about 20 minutes away, towards the north coast. The hotel owner told us the local cashmere maker – Johnston’s of Elgin – was having their annual tent sale. So we set out to find a deal on cashmere, and oh did we find it! I think we came home we 3 cardigans, 3 scarves, 2 pairs of gloves, and a sweater for a tiny fraction of their original price. What a great find! Somehow we managed to shove that all in our already full suitcases. I really need to pack less so we have room for such treasures! We got tea and cakes at the store’s café before we headed back to the hotel.

We took up residency for hours in the Still Room (the one full of whisky) at the hotel once we got back. Just chatting and tasting. I had a whisky – Glenfiddich‘s Orchard Experiment – it tasted like a green Jolly Rancher. The most bizarre thing! It was aged in a Somerset Pomona Spirit Cask, which is right up my alley. I love how distillers are experimenting with cask finishes these days! They’re coming up with some really unique things in Scotland.

We had dinner a little early that night as we had to pack up again. We decided to crack open the orange wine we got from the Wee Wine Shop in Oban, so we all shared that before turning in for the night. Have you ever had an orange wine? To clarify, we don’t mean wine made from oranges, it’s still grapes. It’s so unique. It tastes not quite red, and not quite white, but also not blush. Try it sometime and let me know what you think. Ours was from Georgia (the country).

Our last day was our longest driving day. On the map, it looked like it should take us about 3 hours to get to the Dalhamoy Country Club near Edinburgh Airport. It ended up taking us about 5.5 hours, but we did stop a couple of times. Once at a super sketchy truck stop that was like turning back the time to somewhere in my childhood – a smoke filled room that smelled like woodsmoke and bacon with cooks working a griddle behind the counter. Twice trying to get gas (petrol) when the first stop wouldn’t take a foreign credit card, or cash (bizarre). And finally at Scone Palace to visit the café and gift shop. Also, I like to visit the resident peacocks. We were stopped in traffic for almost an hour, so we missed the tour window, but were able to hunt down a wooly coo ornament and various other things. Also, more coffee.

Jason and Doug dropped Sandy and I off at the Dalmahoy to check in and pick a place for dinner while they returned the car to the airport – one less thing to worry about in the morning. We ended up having to wait for our rooms because they were running behind, but they took our bags and treated us to complimentary drinks while we waited. Not mad about that at all. We chose the Pentland restaurant for dinner. It was quite good, but it took forever to eat, it seemed because they were short-staffed. I think we were there for over 3 hours and I was majorly head-bobbing by the time the desserts came out. I passed on dessert and headed for the room. I needed sleep, but do you think I could sleep then? Not on that super-hard mattress! Brutal. We won’t be back to that one. The hospitality was top notch, but it was very tired and in need of renovation.

We caught our cab the next morning at 6 and headed for the airport. We were plenty early, so we got breakfast at Wetherspoon’s before going our separate ways and getting on the planes back home. We were flying home through Toronto (where you do US Customs – interesting) and Chicago. Thankfully we had long layovers because all our flights were delayed and we sat on the tarmac in Chicago for over 30 minutes before they let us off the plane. Jason was upgraded to 1^st class on our last flight into Springfield, but I had an entire row, all the way across the plane, to myself. So who really won that one? Our amazing neighbor picked us up and we collapsed in bed (after showers because airplanes are gross) for the best night of sleep in nearly two weeks after 22 hours of flights.

And the best part…no one got sick on this trip – I can say that now weeks later. Woohoo!!

So ends another whirlwind adventure through Scotland. Who is ready to go with us next time? We’re hoping to have itineraries available soon and group trips available possibly later next year!

You can read about our time in Edinburgh here, Oban here, and Skye here.

The post A Return to Scotland – Part 4, Speyside first appeared on The DeBode Way.

We cabbed back to the Edinburgh airport the next morning after grabbing coffee takeaway style. We had rented a car with Sixt (after our great experiences with them in France and Washington), but when we got there, the car they had planned to give us had tire damage from the last user, and they didn’t have any others. Luckily, all the car companies are right next to each other and the gal from Sixt had run around to the others to see if they had anything available. Had we rented in the city center, this wouldn’t have been an option, so we were very thankful we rented (hired) from the airport this time. She got us a less expensive rate, with a similar car, and had their full coverage included. Talk about service that goes above and beyond! Refunded from Sixt, we ended up with a Volvo XC-60 from EuropCar. It was a great car, AND about half the price. Score! After some serious Tetris to get all our bags in the back, we were off into the heart of Scotland on our Highland adventure!

First up, a stop only about 30 minutes down the road at Doune Castle (Monty Python’s French soldiers scene & Outlander’s Castle Leoch scenes). We got there just as it was opening for the day and it was a frosty, still morning. Everything was glittering from the frost that hadn’t finished melting yet – stunning. This is a quick tour, but I’m always impressed with the size of the rooms in this smaller castle. And the kitchen hearth – it’s enormous! I like to stand there and imagine how many things they could cook in it at once. Such a cool place. If you come, make sure to bring your phone and earbuds so you can listen to the likes of John Cleese or Sam Heughan narrating your tour. I found a book here (one of my two souvenirs) called “How to Read Castles” to go along with my “How to Read Cathedrals” book that I got in France this summer. Now if only I had a moment to delve into both.

Back on the road for a crispy white drive through the Trossachs National Park on our way to Oban to really kick off our Scottish adventure. We stopped about an hour and a half down the road at one of our friend’s hotels – Brander Lodge. It was just David and their daughter Seona there for the day cleaning rooms, so we popped by for some tea, a couple of drams of something they’d been saving for us, and a chat. Seona kept us very entertained with all sorts of stories, reenactments, and a vocabulary that no three-year-old I know has! She’s growing up so fast.

Back in the car again – only 30 minutes to go to get to Oban. Winter Festival in Oban had been going on for well over a week already by the time we arrived. It was wrapping up that weekend and our friend Christine was working a stall at one of the markets selling sweets. After much run-around trying to park the car, we surprised Christine and their daughter Eilidh at the market, Jason stocked up on Eilidh’s baked goodies, and we made plans to catch up with everyone for dinner the following night. It was time for us to check in to our hotel in Oban (The Perle Oban) and get settled so we could explore the shops.

The Perle Oban is a new hotel for us. We don’t typically stay IN Oban, but thought with the Winter Festival going on, it would be a fun time to do so to eliminate some driving. Plus, we’re always scouting new hotels for future trips. This one is a winner! Excellent tea, breakfast, snacks, and bar. Plus the beds were super comfortable and we had great views of the bay. The staff are top-notch as well; really good folks. My only complaint was the super tiny bathroom that you could barely turn around in. I kept banging my elbows on the walls. Ow.

Off to the shops! We were on a mission to find Sandy a warmer coat (Scotland was a bit chillier than we were expecting this time), a wool blanket for us (souvenir #2), and some fun odds and ends. We were patiently waiting for 7 PM when the Oban Pipe band was to lead a parade into the square with Santa and his real reindeer behind for the lighting of the Christmas lights. We watched from our hotel windows as it was quite chilly and didn’t want to be in the way of all the locals enjoying their Christmas tradition. It was great. Such a small-town feel, with excitement over the little things. I miss that from my childhood. Now I want to come back next year.

We had dinner just a few steps away from our hotel at The Waterfront Fish House Restaurant, one of Christine’s recommendations. It was phenomenal! To that point, it was the best meal we had on the trip (we had SO many good meals). Again, they did really well with our dietary needs and I was able to dive into a bowl of mussels, which is usually a challenge because of the creamy sauce they always seem to be swimming in. Delish! I think we all collapsed that night super tired and full.

We had a later start the following morning, but still early enough to catch breakfast before we wandered off again. More shops, tea, acquired orange wine from the Wee Wine Shop, and…the Haggis & Whisky Festival at the Oban Distillery! After watching the Oban High School pipe band (yes, a band of high schoolers playing the bag pipes) lead in the previous year’s winning haggis, we popped our heads in to taste this year’s contenders and sample the whisky. Our picks didn’t win (I swear there was one with sour kraut in it and I loved it! – way more Germany than Scotland), but it was fun to try all the different recipes. I also tried a new whisky that had been aged in a Rum cask – it had fire. Woosa.

We met David and Christine’s crew (they had acquired more children – haha) for an earlier dinner that night at Cuan Mor. Great food as always. I feel like we usually end up there on most of our trips to Oban. I think almost all of us had some form of a burger and chips (fries). Yum! Back to the hotel for us to pack up and try to get some sleep. We were really off into the highlands in the morning!

More of our adventure through Scotland next week!

You can read about our time in Edinburgh here.

The post A Return to Scotland – Part 2, Oban first appeared on The DeBode Way.

We found ourselves back in Scotland in November, arriving early Thanksgiving morning. Except this time, we were meeting Jason’s parents at the airport for a 10 day trip around the country much in the same fashion we did the very first time we explored it in 2017. There was one big difference this time: no one night stopovers – that’s crazy. Don’t do that.

We spent Thursday and Friday in Edinburgh exploring the Royal Mile. As always, that first day is brutal if you don’t sleep on the plane (we never do). So, I packed the itinerary full that day to keep us vertical and moving. First up, airport coffee while we waited for his parent’s plane to get in. Next, a cab into the city to drop our bags off at Fraser Suites and then, breakfast. We walked down the Mile to Loudon’s for breakfast. I figured this was a good bet since they usually have a little bit of everything… gluten-free, dairy-free, American breakfast, Scottish breakfast. Everyone was happy. The next time you’re in the area be sure to stop in, you won’t be disappointed.

After breakfast, we wandered to the bottom of the Mile for a tour of Holyrood Palace. They had just decorated the palace for Christmas, so it was a very festive affair. It was a windy, brisk day, so we were thankful for the indoor tour, but the quick walk through the garden was also beautiful in a bleak, colorless way (truly). Then time for more tea (I think this was my third) while we waited for our next tour at the Chocolatorium about halfway back up the hill.

The Chocolatorium tour was highly recommended to us by our students in May, so we thought we should check it out. We had a great, high-energy guide who taught us about chocolate making throughout the world, let us taste what seemed like an infinite amount of chocolate, and helped us create our own unique chocolate bars. I am happy to report that they can accommodate a dairy-free diet for all the tastings (aka dark chocolate). Unfortunately, while chocolate alone does not have gluten, they could not guarantee the processing plants did not have cross-contamination, so Sandy decided to sit the tastings out.

By the end of the chocolate tour, it was dark, at 4 PM (very short days in November). So, after depositing our cocoa winnings for the day back at the hotel after checking in, we headed out for an early dinner at Byron’s Proper Burgers – always a staple on our visits because they, too, accommodate a variety of diets. They also have a good craft brew menu with both beers and ciders, if you’re thirsty. Bellies full, we wandered back up the hill to our beds to call it an early night. I think we were all in bed by 8 PM, had our Sleepsana shots, and were out like lights to prepare for the next day (even if the beds here were really hard).

The next morning, we found a cute breakfast spot on the way to our Edinburgh Castle tour – Deacon’s Café. They, too, were able to accommodate all our allergies (see, it’s not that hard to eat in Scotland!) and we had a lovely fortifying breakfast. This was a good thing because as we walked up the hill to the castle, the wind blew harder and harder, and it got colder and colder! We spent most of the time dodging in and out of buildings and museums and missed a lot of the view from the castle. The wind was just plain icy on top of that ancient volcano! We did manage to catch the 1 PM gun on this trip. For as big as the gun is, and as loud as it is standing there, we’ve never heard it before on all our trips to the city (also, Jason didn’t hear it in the cafe that was about 20 yards away). Unfortunately, the Honors of Scotland were removed for refurbishment the week we were there, so we didn’t get to see them again.

There’s always much shopping to be done in Edinburgh. We do our best to find authentic shops and stay out of the plethora of shops toting cheap Scottish paraphernalia made elsewhere. This is also true of the nicer clothing, so if you’re looking for Harris Tweed or Scottish cashmere, make sure you’re buying the real thing. We rounded out this time in the city with shopping, wandering the city streets, and admiring the Christmas Market lights from afar. We didn’t venture down to the markets because of the brutal wind that day. That was a bit of a bummer. Instead, we found a great Mexican street food tapas place for dinner – yes, Mexican in Scotland. We were so curious, we had to try it – El Cartel. Phenomenal. We ordered a little bit of everything on the menu and ate more tacos than I ever have in my life. #wheninscotland…? We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and back to the hotel to pack up and get some sleep. In the morning we were headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car and head out into the highlands – my favorite!

Next week!

The post A Return to Scotland – Part 1, Edinburgh first appeared on The DeBode Way.

FAQ 7: What do I need to pack for my trip?

This is hard to answer because it depends on when you’re going, where you’re going, what you plan to do, whether you’re packing in carry-ons or checked bags, and your personal preference. That said, we have a few rules we stick to when packing for Scotland. First, layers are your friend. Like I said above, it’s entirely possible for a brief rain shower while you’re out exploring. The same is true for temperatures: it can start off very chilly in the morning, warm up throughout the day, and then cool off again in the evenings. Because of this, it’s really helpful to have lighter-weight layers you can add/remove as you go about your day. It’s also very helpful if your outermost layer is waterproof.

Few pieces of clothing are as iconic as the thick, heavy, knit wool sweaters you see people wearing in the movies. It’s true that folks living in the UK really do wear those sweaters, too. We’ve brought a few back and absolutely love them. Do we take them back when we travel? Absolutely not. Why? Because they’re designed to hold in your body heat, and they’re very good at what they do. Unfortunately, if that’s all you’re wearing (with a t-shirt underneath), and the day starts to warm up, you’ll likely be sweating before long with no layers to remove. That can make things uncomfortable, and no one wants that. Also, one of those sweaters can easily take up half of your carry-on bag, which is a non-starter for us.

So, take thinner layers (big fans of Merino wool) and a windproof/waterproof jacket and shoes. We usually dress pretty casually during the day, but that’s because we’re usually out hiking or exploring. If we stayed in the city, we’d likely stick closer to something like smart casual, or thereabouts. For dinner, we pack something a little nicer: a dress and flats for Tasha, and chinos with a button-down shirt for Jason. Also keep in mind that because the climate is a bit cooler, unless you’re doing some really intense hiking, it’s likely that you won’t sweat much (again, everyone is different, but in general), so you can re-wear some of your clothes before needing to wash them. Except for your socks and underwear; those will always need to be washed before you wear them again. Otherwise…gross.

Since we are carry-on only packers most of the time, we like to try to pack for 4 days with plans to do laundry either at a facility or in our bathroom sink/tub whenever we’re in a location for a couple days so it has time to dry.

FAQ 8: What’s with all the castles?

Who doesn’t like a good castle? Jason raises his hand. Okay fine, yes there are lots of castles in Scotland and the UK. Some are ruins, some are in various stages of (dis)repair, and others are fully working homes (with huge maintenance bills) that allow visitors in for a fee. Some are large, some are small. Some are situated in easily defended positions, while others seem to be sitting in the middle of a field.

Why are there so many? In fairness, they’ve been building them for a long time. A really long time. By some accounts, they’ve been building stone castles in Scotland since the 11th century (wood before that), the majority of which were built for those who governed the lands. Not to be outdone, the nobles also built castles, though these were mostly referred to as tower houses rather than castles. Then, of course, came the palaces of the kings and queens of Scotland and the various nations that ruled it throughout the centuries. These are more pleasure homes for peace times than defensive structures, but very impressive as well. And of course, when a new ruler took the throne, why would they want to live in someone else’s house? Much better to build their own, and build it better/bigger. Obviously. And so, Scotland, and many other European countries are peppered with castles of all shapes, sizes, and ages.

FAQ 9: What’s the bathroom situation?

We’ll put this one to rest: yes, they have bathrooms in Scotland. However, you might get a funny look asking for the bathroom – they generally just call it what you’re after, the toilet.

Seriously though, most of the time we get this question in reference to being out and about, driving around, away from civilization. In the US, when you go on a road trip there is almost always a fast food restaurant, gas station, rest stop, or a combination of the three at the next exit. So, when nature calls, you’re rarely that far from the facilities. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case in Scotland. It’s totally common to drive for hours without seeing a single sign for a restroom. And, if you get daring and take the next exit despite there being no sign, it could be a while before you actually get to a town, and even then, there might not be a gas station with a toilet or public toilets and the pub might be closed until the next meal service.

This isn’t to suggest rest stops don’t exist in Scotland because they absolutely do. However, this is one of those situations where it’s better to take a look at your route in advance and know where you can stop. This also applies to gas stations (usually called petrol stations throughout the UK), which are nowhere near as omnipresent as they are in the US. There are also apps (Where is Public Toilet app) you can download that’ll help guide you in the right direction. Also, be advised that some public toilets aren’t free. Some require a coin to get in, while others will take a credit card, but only one that has the tap functionality. And you might want to keep a roll of TP or some tissues with you just in case – they aren’t usually overly stocked.

Basically, if you find one, take advantage! If not well…find a bush, dig a hole, and practice your best farmer’s squat…more on that here.

FAQ 10: How do you take all those great pictures? Is trespassing not a thing over there?

Yes, trespassing is absolutely a thing in Scotland. At the same time, they have what’s known as the Right to Roam as well. Let’s explain.

In 2003, Scotland passed the Land Reform Act. Section 1 of this Act says that people in Scotland have the right to be on land for recreational and educational purposes and to cross land for the same reasons. What that means is you’re literally able to roam through almost all of Scotland and it’s perfectly legal and normal.

Before we go any further, there are a few really important things to keep in mind about this. First, the Act doesn’t give everyone access to all lands. In general, if it’s private land and is close to a house, farm building, school, or something along these lines, it’s best to keep your distance. In other words, you can walk through a field, but not the yard right next to someone’s house (because…that would be weird). Second, the Act clarifies this is for the ‘responsible’ recreational use of the land. In other words, there might be sheep, cows, or other animals hanging around and it’s best to leave them alone (seriously, do you know how big a Highland Coo is?). Also, don’t leave your trash after you go. In general, a good rule to go by is ‘leave no trace’. In other words, after walking through someone’s land, they shouldn’t be able to tell you were there.

With that all said, yes, you can roam around as much as you like! When we’ve been wandering around fields, there are actually stone stairs built into the stone walls that separate one field from another. These steps are used by the folks out roaming around (and farmers moving between fields) and they help make it easier to gain access to different places. It also means you aren’t climbing on someone’s wall, and therefore helps keep things in good working order. There are also gates that help keep the animals in, but they give you access to different areas. You’re welcome to walk through them, just make sure you close the gate behind you. We’ve gotten some of our best pictures like this, but be advised: there are unlikely to be parking lots anywhere near these fields. Most often, we park a good bit away, and then start hiking in no particular direction.

FAQ 11: Tell me more about the food.

It’s amazing.

One thing we were unprepared for was that what we call fast food in the US isn’t super common in Scotland. To clarify, there are plenty of McDonald’s, Burger Kings, and Subways in the major cities, but as soon as you leave them, don’t expect to find fast food very often. And why would you even look for it? There are loads of places to eat that have fresh, hand-made food that was very likely prepared by someone’s grandmother earlier that day. Seriously, even when you go to a tourist attraction, the food at the cafe is often made from scratch, or at least it always is when we’re there. And yes, vegetables exist.

So, the food really is awesome, but just make sure you’re not expecting to find the US in every little town you visit.

FAQ 12: Is it whiskey? Whisky? Scotch? Bourbon? What’s the deal?

This is a very important cultural question, and it pays to not get it wrong as it’s kind of an insult. This is also best answered in its own post, which I’ll do later, but for now, here are the very high-level details.

Whiskey/Whisky is a more general term for a liquor made from a fermented grain mash. Very broadly speaking, there are different grains that can be used, and the spirit is typically aged in wooden casks for a certain period of time. As for the spelling, whiskey is most often used in Ireland and the US; whisky is the preferred spelling everywhere else.

Bourbon is a whiskey that, by law, must be distilled in the US, must use a grain mixture that is mostly corn, is aged in new charred oak barrels, and is bottled at 80 proof or higher. Common lore insists that bourbon must be distilled in Kentucky, but as far as we can tell, so long as it’s distilled in the US, it can legally be called bourbon.

Scotch is a whisky that, by law, must be distilled in Scotland, is at least 80 proof, includes only water, malted barley, and yeast, and is aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels. A few things to clarify: Scotch can include other cereal grains but the malted barley still has to be there. The law only states that the spirit is aged in oak barrels, but unlike bourbon, they need not be new barrels. Interestingly, this has led to a secondary market for US bourbon barrels. After they are used in the US, they’re often shipped to Scotland, taken apart, adjusted, reformed, and charred for use in aging Scotch. Broadly, Scotch tends to come in two forms: single malt or blended. Single malt Scotch is from a single batch from a single distillery and must use only water, malted barley (no other grains can be added), and yeast. Blended Scotch, on the other hand, is, as the name suggests, a blend of different types of Scotch (i.e., malt and grain whisky); the spirits are blended to create a more consistent product.

These are painfully broad details because there are all kinds of nuances within each category. My two cents: I only drink Scotch and bourbon. I’ve tried Irish and Japanese whiskeys, and with all respect to the distilleries, they just aren’t my preference. Want something that’ll burn (in all the best ways) while you drink it? Go for bourbon. Want something smoother that’ll be pretty much the same anywhere and whenever you get it? Blended Scotch would be my recommendation. Want something a little more subtle, sometimes smokey, sometimes sweet, sometimes both? Something with more character, but one that might change from year to year? Single malt all the way. Want more specific recommendations? Great, let’s talk.

FAQ 13: How does it work with your drone?

Good question. Yes, we have a drone. Yes, we take it to Scotland every time we go. Yes, Jason is also licensed to fly it in the UK. This last part is really important.

In the US, if you want to fly your drone, you need to register it with the FAA. And so it is with every other country in the world. When we’re off to a new country, one of the first things Jason does is a little searching to see what, if any license he needs to fly the drone. Most often, it’s an operator license that’s very similar to the one he has here in the US. Read the book, take the online training, pass the quiz, pay the fee, and you’re good to go. Most countries require you to have your operator license number physically on the drone (we have a sticker with the info), and you have a physical copy of your license (we have them printed out and keep them in our drone case). Most countries are pretty similar with regard to the rules (e.g., don’t fly your drone in cities, near airports, over people, etc.), but there is some variability with regard to your flight ceiling (the highest you can take your drone) and a few other things.

Can you fly your drone without a license? Sure. Would we recommend it? No. If something goes wrong and you get to meet the local police, odds are they’ll confiscate your drone and make you pay a fee. Don’t risk it; getting the license really isn’t that big of a deal. Oh, and yes, you’ll need to do this for each country; sadly there’s no EU-wide license, at least not as of now.

The post Scotland FAQs: Secrets to Know Before You Go – Part 2 first appeared on The DeBode Way.

As we *finally* start getting ready for our next hop across the pond to our favorite place (we might be leaving in two days and haven’t started thinking about what to take yet), we’re reminded of the questions we’re frequently asked about Scotland. And so, to make things easy for all involved, we’ve made this Scotland FAQ page to keep the questions and answers all in one place. We’ll add to this as we get more questions and think of new/better answers.

FAQ 1: What’s the fascination with haggis? Also, what is it?

This is probably one of the more common questions we’ve had. First thing first: haggis is good stuff, so we’d definitely encourage you to try it. We need to clarify: *real* haggis is good. Yes, it’s possible to find canned haggis and, well, do us all a favor and leave it at the store. Truth be told, it’s not as bad as you might think, but it’s also nowhere near as good as the real stuff.

Okay, so what is it? Traditionally, haggis is made with sheep organs, seasonings, stock, and some kind of cereal grain, most often oatmeal. That’s all mixed together, packed into a sheep’s stomach, and then cooked. Still with me? Good. In the end, haggis tastes like sausage, only better. It’s really more of a mind game, but believe us it’s worth pushing past your notions about organ meat, as that’s not at all what it tastes like. Most often, you’ll find haggis as part of a Full Scottish breakfast, which is also amazing.

The neat thing about haggis is that there’s no single recipe for it. Instead, everywhere you go in Scotland has its own spin on the above main ingredients. That means it’ll taste a little different in each B&B and restaurant and in the different parts of Scotland where different spices, types of fat, cereal grains, and the like are easier to come by. Even if you only try it once, give it a go and see what you think. Our bet is it’ll be so much better than you’re expecting.

FAQ 2: Is it weird driving on the *wrong* side of the road?

We work hard to avoid calling it the *wrong* side of the car or road, both of which you’ll experience if you’re adventurous enough to rent a car (friendly reminder: they refer to this as ‘hiring’ a car, not renting one). Instead, just call it like it is: they drive on the right side of the car and the other side of the road. Nothing worse than going to a foreign country and telling them what they do is wrong. From their perspective, what we do is wrong.

All that being said, it does take a minute to get yourself reoriented to driving, so build that into your timetable. If you’re anything like me, when I’m driving I very heavily rely on the solid line on the left side of the road to keep my bearings; that’s hard to do when you’re driving on the opposite side of the car. Also keep in mind that most rental cars in Scotland are manuals, not automatics. And yes, that means you’ll be shifting with your left hand, not the right as you’d do in the US. For this reason (and others), we always specifically rent an automatic. Importantly, you’ll need to make sure you reserve your car in advance, as most of the lots don’t have many automatics sitting around.

As for driving, that comes a bit more naturally, at least to me. Mostly you’re just going with the flow of traffic, however odd it might seem at first. They’re also good about putting up signs (WRONG WAY!) to keep you heading in the right direction. And when in doubt, just look at the road: much of the time there are arrows and other directions written on the road you’re driving on. Writing upside-down? That probably means you’re going the wrong way.

FAQ 3: Trains? Really?

We’ll admit that trains in the US don’t have the best reputations, either for their safety or efficiency. Fortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth in Scotland. Really, this is true of most of the countries we’ve been to in Europe and the UK, not just Scotland. Trains are safe and clean, convenient, and are usually pretty cost-effective. There’s also an increasing number of high-speed trains, meaning you can get to where you’re going even faster than before. Most of the time the trains have food cars where you can grab a snack or drink, and bathrooms spaced out between the different cars.

One thing we had some trouble with was understanding the different classes of tickets. Sometimes your ticket gets you access to a specific car, but you can pick whatever seat you want. Other times your ticket is for a specific seat in a specific car, and this isn’t always obvious. There are also different fare classes you can buy: the lower classes are pretty basic affairs, while the first- and second-class seats are generally more comfortable and have fewer people in each car. The prices are all over the place, but we’ve found they’re usually very reasonable. The schedules and stations aren’t always when or where you need them to be, and there are often several stations in a given city, so it pays to do a little homework to make sure you’re on the right route and going to the right station.

FAQ 4: What’s the food like over there?

One of the things we really like about Scotland, and again this is fair for most of Europe as well, is the food situation. Tasha has a few food sensitivities that make eating out a challenge when we’re in the US. However, many of the additives and preservatives used in US food are illegal in the UK and Europe, so not something we need to worry about, at least usually. As for the more common sensitivities (e.g., gluten, soy, dairy, etc.), they are all very clearly marked on every menu we’ve seen on our travels (bold words, symbols, etc.). It’s also very common for the host/hostess to ask about dietary restrictions when you make a reservation and/or when seating you for your meal. That information is passed onto your server who has a great working knowledge of the menu and can point you to/away from different options. It’s also not unheard of for the chef to customize a dish for your needs, we’ve found this is especially true at smaller pubs and in B&Bs.

Just to clarify: we’re not saying you don’t need to pay attention to your food allergies when traveling. That’s just silly. However, we’ve found it’s much easier to eat out in Europe than it is in the US. So, if that’s what’s been holding you back, fret not! You may actually be better off in the end!

FAQ 5: Okay, but doesn’t it always rain in Scotland?

True enough, Scotland isn’t exactly an arid climate. They do get their fair share of rain; some might even say more than their fair share. However, it doesn’t usually rain the *entire* time we’re there. Most often there is rain in the forecast almost every day, but that usually means it’ll rain for about 15-20 minutes at some point during the day, and that’ll be it. Sure, some days they get more rain and it’s a little dreary, but there are lots of days when it doesn’t rain at all.

If you’re in town and it starts raining, that’s a great excuse to stop into a pub for a cup of tea and a snack (we’re kidding, you never need an excuse for a cup of tea in the UK). If you’re out on a hike, that’s why we advocate for taking waterproof jackets and shoes. You just never know when you might find a wet spot or when the heavens may open up. And if it really does end up raining all day, there’s likely a roaring fireplace with comfy chairs and couches nearby. Oh and tea, there’s always tea.

FAQ 6: What’s the rule on tipping when eating out?

This is one of the ways Americans tend to distinguish themselves when visiting Europe. When we’re back home in the US, because your server often makes less than minimum wage, it’s common practice to tip somewhere around 20% of your bill. However, be advised that servers in Europe often make a living wage, and because of this, the tipping customs are a bit different.

Most often, we tip about 10%, but even that’s a bit much in some parts of Europe. When Jason goes to Spain, the norm is to leave a 1-2 Euro tip regardless of how large your bill is (there are probably exceptions for really, really fancy meals, but we don’t eat like that most of the time). Similarly, when we’re in the UK, tipping a few pounds for lunch is fairly standard, as is the 10% tip for dinner. Also, make sure you check your bill – they may have already included the tip.

The post Scotland FAQs: Secrets to Know Before You Go – Part 1 first appeared on The DeBode Way.

For those who follow along on our crazy adventures, you’ll be familiar with our mantra that, while the cities of the world are neat to explore, we’re big fans of getting out of the city. At least for us, that’s where we find a truer sense of the local culture and people, which is what we’re usually after on our travels. It really is hard to replicate the experience of wandering into the rural local pub and just experiencing an evening out in whatever part of the world your journey has taken you to.

The other thing we like about getting out of town is that cities are just so friggin’ crowded and busy. There’s hardly even any of those puffy, leafy green things the rest of the world recognizes as trees. Know what we mean? Or…are there?

On a recent trip to New York City, you know…the city of all cities…we had that familiar feeling that borders on a mix of claustrophobia and suffocation. It’s not that the buildings and city life aren’t interesting or fun to explore, because they are both of those things. And yes, those tall towers give some of the most spectacular city views and vantage points. Truly something you should explore. But with limited real estate and growing populations, it seems the only way to add new space is either to build up or to cram new buildings into ever-smaller spaces. Seriously, have you seen some of those ‘apartments’ for rent in the Big Apple? Ridiculous.

So, you can imagine our surprise when, while out for a rather brisk walk through the City with his brother, Jason stumbled across…wait for it…a park. Compete with trees and everything. Sadly, there wasn’t enough time to explore the park because they were on a very important mission, but at least we can confirm such things exist. In hindsight, this is probably obvious as we’ve all heard of Central Park…a park…right? Still, the thought of green space isn’t what immediately comes to mind when thinking about the City that Never Sleeps.

This particular park is the City Hall Park and dates back to somewhere around the mid-17^th century. Neat! Here’s the small of it: Originally, the Park was a communal pasture for livestock (remember, New York City wasn’t always the city we know it as today), but by the middle of the 18^th century, it had two facilities to help the poor. Around that time (we’re at approximately 1757) there was a debtors’ prison and soldiers’ barracks built at one end of the Park (the North, if you can find the directions in NYC). In 1803 construction was started on City Hall – hence the name of the park – which was completed eight years later in 1812. Later that century (around 1867) part of the park was sold to the feds to build a post office (incidentally it was torn down in 1939 and never replaced), and in 1903 the City replaced the gas streetlights with electric updates. In 1993, after discovering an African burial ground in the park, the park was designated as a City landmark and National Historic site. By 1999 they completed a nearly $35 million project to restore the park to what we can see it as today. And throughout all of this, the park continued serving as a place for regular people to hang out, a concert venue, a site for official public meetings, and so on.

Surprisingly, there are over 100 parks in the City’s five boroughs (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island), each with its own unique history and things to see. So, the next time you’re in The City, or even a city, it might be worth taking a few minutes to look up the parks in the area and go out for a stroll. If nothing else, it’ll be a nice change of scenery and what will probably be a much-needed breath of fresh air. Literally.

The post Stumbling Upon Green Park Spaces in New York City first appeared on The DeBode Way.