We took our first trip to Scotland in September 2008. Both my wife and I can trace our ancestry there (I am descended from the MacDonald clan and Deb is from the Ferguson clan). Scotland is part of the United Kingdom (UK) and has a population of about 5 million people, most of whom live in the largest cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow and in the central belt of the country. One can ride from coast to coast in about four hours. We took some beautiful pictures, which you can access via a link at the conclusion of this article.

Heritage, history, and ancestry are very important in Scotland. The population is very modern but clings to and fiercely defends its past, especially since tourism is one of its predominant industries. In fact, throughout Scotland, new structures must replicate and blend in with ones built in the 1600s. We viewed a recently-built hotel that looked to have been erected in the 17th century.

The weather is very unpredictable, but May and June appear to be the best months to visit Scotland. The high season is June to August of each year, when prices are at their highest levels. Wherever we travel these days, nearly everyone talks about the global warming and climate changes taking place in their countries. The snow lodges had a season only one-third of its normal length this year due to lack of snow. Scotland also witnessed some of the worst rain ever during its high season. Scotland has a cool climate and often the high and low temperatures for a 24-hour period will be nearly the same. In the summer, it may reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (The country uses degrees Celsius to measure temperatures, the American system to measure mileage, and the metric system to measure liquids.) The weather gets very cold in the winter. Snow is common and in the mountainous regions, we saw pole markers that expand three feet in height to show drivers where the road is when snow covers the ground! Few hotels or bed and breakfasts have air conditioning. The country is near the cold North Seas and few residents swim. Ice in your drink is a luxury you don’t receive unless you ask!

The overall crime rate is low, but the cost of living is relatively high. Our guide informed us that it was very difficult to find a gun in Scotland. Even the police did not have them. Scotland uses the pound sterling money system. During our trip, a pound was trading for about 1.75 American dollars. There is a national minimum wage of $10 per hour, which attracts many workers from other countries like Poland. The country subscribes to the European value added tax (VAT), which is a surcharge on most things purchased that funds many of Scotland’s social programs like universal health care. While we Americans gripe about the $4 gallon of gas, it sells for $10 per gallon in Scotland!

Most of Scotland is sparsely populated and very rural. The country was formed by ancient volcanic activity (there is an inactive volcano in Edinburgh) and its hills and mountains were carved by ancient, now-melted glaciers. Scotland is located on a major fault line, but experiences few earthquakes other than the occasional 2.0 on the Richter scale. The western side of the island was very rugged and mountainous. One will see many waterfalls. The water system in Scotland is excellent and very cold, since their water comes from the mountains.

Geographically, Scotland combines the flatlands of Montana with the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. The many lakes carved by glaciers are referred to as “lochs,” one of which is Loch Ness, where the famous monster supposedly lives. Unfortunately, we were unable to claim the prize money that British bookmaker (bookie) William Hill offers each year for the best picture of ole Nessie! However, we did capture some beautiful photographs of Loch Ness.

The countryside is a beautiful green and is littered with another predominant product of Scotland: lambs and sheep. We saw three different kinds of sheep: white, black, and white with black faces. Agriculture and farming are also important in the flatlands. Fishing for salmon, lobster, or trout is also a major industry. Because of the forestry industry, you will see a lot of logging going on in Scotland, mostly to make paper. However, the Scottish environmentalists are heavily involved in reforestation. They are also concerned about smog control and require all vehicles more than three years old to be inspected annually. Because Scots are so protective of their country’s beautiful environment, cell phone towers must be made to look like trees. It was humorous to see a steel pole going up in the air with artificial green hanging from it at the top! Scotland is a hiker’s paradise and you can see hundreds of people hiking along the beautiful trails.

Granite is also a plentiful resource and the same polished granite that is expensive in the US is cheap in Scotland. Sometimes the façade of an entire grocery store was made of the inexpensive resource. The Scottish economy is primarily driven by tourism and small businesses, and we saw few heavy production factories.

Scotland is a clean country and its population is aggressive in its concern for the environment, health, and safety. Some notable items include:

   1. Strict drinking and driving policies. If you are caught driving drunk, you lose your license—no exceptions.

   2. Strict adherence to safety belt usage.

   3. Warnings on tobacco products that say SMOKING KILLS! in huge letters.

   4. A ban on use of cell phones while driving.

   5. Raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21.

   6. Very little litter on the roads.

Because of safety concerns, the high cost of living, and economic recession, many of the once-common pubs and taverns are drying up. More of the population is concerned about the strict DUI laws and the high cost of tavern drinks and have begun drinking alcohol at home more often.

Hatred of the English is a key part of ancient Scottish history. There were many bloody battles fought between the Scottish (who wanted their country separate from England) and the English (who claimed the rights to Scotland). In the 16th and 17th centuries, Scotland’s population was divided into about ten clans, including the MacDonalds, my ancestors. Each clan had a chief clansman who lived in a castle and the families that made up the clan lived nearby. Clans either pledged allegiance to the English king or banded together with other clans to fight the king and loyalists. One of the greatest Scottish fighters was William Wallace, known as Braveheart, who was portrayed by Mel Gibson in a 1995 movie. The English hated Braveheart so much that they hanged him, quartered him, and hung the pieces of his body in the town square to scare the Scots who opposed English rule. Over hundreds of years, however, the animosity has mellowed, and Scots now enjoy friendship with the English.

Clans also waged war against each other in ancient times. In one situation, a clan killed two sons of another clan’s chief, who in turn killed and beheaded the seven sons of the first clan’s chief. We stopped to see a monument to the seven brothers and took a picture of the Seven Heads grocery store, which is located across from the site of the massacre.

Many of the castles that were previously inhabited by the clan chieftains still stand. Castles usually were strategically located on highly defendable hills and were surrounded with water to make their defenses virtually invincible. You can see some of the castles we visited in our digital pictures.

Though Scotland is very protective of its past, it embraces modern culture. American brands like McDonalds, Burger King, and Subway can be found there. Some alcohol makers like Smirnoff are making headway into the country; however, if you have a special spirit that you like, pack some extra bottles in protective containers in your checked luggage (not your carry-ons).

English is spoken by everyone and the food is somewhat similar to American food. Some dishes, like haggis, which is made from a sheep’s stomach and other organs, are unique to Scotland! We also couldn’t bring ourselves to try the black pudding, which is made out of animal blood and fillers like oats or barley.

Tipping is less common in Scotland than it is in America. If you receive outstanding service, you might consider leaving a ten percent tip. The customer service was average but not as good as that in America. Once served, that was about it unless you asked for something. If you are buying products that are subject to the value added tax, ask for a special signed receipt, which can be validated at the airport, and you can receive a refund for a percentage of the tax.

The Scots were very friendly people, and of course we enjoyed their famous way of speaking, including their goodbye of “Cheers!” and usage of “mate” when referring to another person. Because tourism is a major industry, there were thousands of bed and breakfasts scattered throughout Scotland, especially in rural areas. To make extra money, homeowners open their homes to visitors, who pay between $30 and $40 per person for a bedroom each night and breakfast in the morning. A room in a full service hotel costs about $150 a room per night on average. The hotels and B&Bs are accredited through the Scottish Board of Tourism (www.visitscotland.com), which rates the facilities with up to five stars (outstanding). Of course, the four and five star facilities are all the best! All that we stayed in were very clean and had great breakfasts similar to those in America, (except for the black pudding, of course). The best and friendliest B&B we stayed in was the Brooklynn House in Grantown-on-Spey (see it at www.woodier.com). The owners are Alan and Silvia Woodier and you can contact them by e-mailing brooklynn@woodier.com.

The greatest challenge that Scotland presents to traveling Americans is the voltage system. In America, we have the 110 volt system, whereas Europeans have the 220 volt system. Thus, no American appliances are compatible with Scottish electrical sockets. You will need an adapter to fit UK electrical sockets and two transformers (one for low voltage appliances and a second, larger one for laptops, etc.). The UK has a special three-pronged square adapter, unlike the rest of Europe, which has two round hole connections. You can usually purchase these at the airport in the country you are visiting. I think there are 1400 different types of showerheads and toilets in Scotland—always ask how they work because they take a PhD to understand and operate! Sometimes, you have to flip a switch to start the “instant hot water!” Most places did not have washcloths and the soap was small, so be prepared and take your own. All our lodgings had an iron and a hair dryer in the room. If you don’t see one in your hotel or B&B, ask for one. All of our rooms also had only one tiny six-inch trash can, so my wife, Deb, made her own with a large shopping bag. Also, be sure to ask if your hotel has an elevator when you are making your reservations. Two of ours didn’t, and some lodgings can have several stories! One unfamiliar luxury was the heated towel racks—getting out of the shower to a warm towel was great!

The overall dress code in Scotland is very informal and most anything goes. We found blue jeans, sweat suits, and turtlenecks to be excellent. Because of the low humidity, you can wear outer layers twice to conserve space when packing. We rarely saw anyone in business or evening attire except in the larger cities when we saw business folks going to work. Important: take only one-third to one-half of the clothes you think you will need, and one pair of walking and one pair of casual shoes will be all you need! (Read my other articles on traveling to Europe and Hawaii for more great travel tips.)

Most kinds of credit cards are accepted in Scotland, but MasterCard is preferred. You can purchase British pounds when you arrive in Scotland or when leaving America in some of the major airports (you may have to go to the arrivals area of the airport to find them). However, some places charge as much as ten percent commission! You can use your debit card to get pounds from ATMs but be sure to check with your bank before leaving the US to ensure that your card can be used in Europe. If your card can be used as a debit card in grocery stores and at ATMs in America, chances are that it will work, but I had to obtain a special one from Bank of America. Be aware that credit card companies and some banks will charge you three percent for using your credit card overseas. Please note that American 800 numbers do not work in Europe, so be sure to check your card for international numbers. It is important to call your credit card company before you leave to let them know the dates of your intended travel so that they don’t suspect fraudulent use and suspend your card.

The Scots have an excellent bus system in the larger cities and also have the famous double decker open air tour buses. Automobiles have the steering wheels on the right and they drive on the opposite side of the road as drivers in the US. Everything that moves, such as escalators, follows suit. This goes back to ancient times, when a right-handed horseman could draw a sword hanging at his left side to repel an attacker approaching on the right side of the dirt road. To ensure that drivers can see if a car is coming toward them, the front license plates are yellow and the ones in the back are a reflective white. Because of the high price of gas there, nearly all cars we saw were smaller, more gas-efficient models. We saw a lot of the older MG cars made in the 1960s since MG was an English car brand. There were four American brands being sold in Scotland.

If you drive in Europe, you will need an International Driving Permit, which you can apply for through the American Automobile Association (AAA). Also, check to make sure your insurance will cover your rental car. There are many wrecks in the UK when visiting tourists forget that they have to drive on the “wrong” side of the road! The road system was pretty good, although when we visited rural areas, there were single lane roads with pull-off areas every 100 feet to allow cars to pass.

In the small towns we passed through, one could see many small, old-timey meat markets and bakers. Each small town would have one average-sized grocery store, and it was in one of these that we found a bag of ice. You don’t often see large outlets like Sam’s Club, although we saw a Costco in Glasgow.

We had a complete tour of Scotland over eight days, but if we had to do it again, we would spend three nights in Edinburgh, which is filled with history. Surprisingly, while we were in very remote areas, cell phones worked well throughout the trip. Of course, you will need a cell phone with international capabilities, which you can rent through carriers like Verizon. But it is cheaper to buy a long distance international calling card at seven to ten cents per minute than to use an international cell phone at a dollar a minute. We did not see Internet cafes in Scotland where we could access our e-mail, which was unlike the experience we have had in other parts of Europe.

Scotland was a wonderful and friendly country that we highly recommend visiting. Its beautiful scenery and friendly people made it one of our most enjoyable trips! We used Alan Mitchell’s company Ardoch Guides (www.ardochguides.co.uk/ardochweb) for our tour. This was our first time using a private guide, which we highly recommend. It was less stressful, we had an expert in the car with us, and we could just relax in the back seat while he chauffeured us around. Our driver and tour guide was David Frood, who I think may have invented customer service! If there was anything—and I mean anything—that we needed, he tried his best to accommodate us. We saw nearly all of Scotland in a whirlwind eight days that were truly unforgettable.

Click here to see pictures of Scotland that we took on our trip. Our next trip, which will be to France, is scheduled for April of 2009.

Mike DuBose is a field instructor with USC’s graduate school and has been in business since 1981. He is the servant leader and owner of six debt-free corporations, including Columbia Conference Center, Research Associates and The Evaluation Group.

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