This trip, at least the timing, came about when we found we had gotten tickets to a Liverpool match against Aston Villa on May 20th. Once we knew that we decided to plan our already discussed Scotland trip around this date and get in a few days in London as well.

As usual I started with travel guides and some basic google searches to come up with a basic outline and to decide on how long we thought we would need to be over there. Once we decided I booked our tickets using some flight credits I had from a cancelled trip to London in 2020.

One mistake I made early on apparently that Becky realized just yesterday is that our planned route and itinerary will miss a couple of the Highland Games that will be happening while we are in Scotland. It happens unfortunately and we have just vowed to make a specific trip in a few years to make up for that and just enjoy our tour of everything else Scotland has to offer.

As we knew we needed to be in Liverpool on the 20th for the game I planned for us to arrive in London on the 18th and stay one night there near Euston Station where we would catch the train to Liverpool on the afternoon of the 19th. We will spend one night in Liverpool and then catch a morning train to Edinburgh. The next 10 or so days will be spent looping the Highlands starting in Edinburgh and ending in Glasgow. in Glasgow we will catch the overnight train back to London for a few days there before heading home on June 3rd.

Most of my hotel booking is done by starting a search in Kayak and sometimes looking for recommendations in the guide books as well. Mostly I focus on a balance of location near things we want to see or transportation and overall price. This trip is definitely a challenge there as we are moving so much we will be staying in 9 different hotels and taking 1 overnight train. Packing efficiency will be a key and we already have plans for doing some key laundry and drying where needed to extend our wardrobes.

I am using the guidebooks and Google searches and a few friends suggestions to try and keep a list by city and area of sights we want to see.and have pre-booked a few tickets and tours where we thought they might sell out, etc. It will be a balance of some set plans and the freedom of having a car and being able to go off on an adventure where we find one.

I hope anyone who reads along will enjoy our real time and generally unfiltered travel experience as we go on our next big adventure!